Sustainability

Columbia Dining is a partner working to help achieve goals set by the University's Sustainability Plan. Learn more about how our efforts are helping to create a more Sustainable Columbia. 

Approximately 56% of all food served is purchased from vendors within 250 miles of the Morningside campus.

We are Level 1 Green Restaurant Certified, meeting standards across water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable goods, energy, reusable and disposable items, and chemical/pollution reduction.

John Jay Dining Hall composts 5,652 pounds of organics per day as a part of the DSNY Organic Collection Pilot. We were the first NYC campus to join the program.

Approximately 58% of all food served is purchased from vendors within 250 miles of the Morningside campus.

Our culinary team has added more plant-based items as a features on our menus, as part of our membership in the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative.

100% post-consumer recycled or compostable materials are used in our dining locations. We make every effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle. 

We choose energy efficient equipment and follow processes that help to cut waste, like the InSinkErator that helps reduce food scraps sent to landfill by 85%.

We aim to be a 0% waste organization. (We love food too much to waste it.) 

Columbia Dining received a Gold Workspace Certification from Environmental Stewardship. As a member of the Sustainable Leaders Network, we aim to drive behavior change from the ground up.

We are Level 1 Green Restaurant Certified in all of our residential and retail locations. 

Columbia University received a Gold rating from STARS for its sustainability efforts, in which Columbia Dining played a key role. 

Small changes can make a big impact. Choosing a plant-based meal one day a week can lead to carbon, land, and water savings.