2017: a Year in Review

Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Taylor Swift's comeback, The Women's March, Beyonce's Pregnancy announcement, etc.-- all things that made 2017. Here are Rensselaer Dining Services, we have had quite the eventful year as well. From zero waste Commencement Day to compost bins in the Rensselaer Union, 2017 has been full of positive, sustainable changes on the Rensselaer campus. Let's take a chance to look back and reflect on our sustainable year at Rensselaer.

Zero Waste Commencement Day: The class of 2017 was honored with a joyous celebration at the ECAV football stadium. Though the graduation celebration was obviously the highlight of the event, coming in close second was the fact that it was entirely zero waste! This means that all the garbage produced by the event was either recycled or composted-- none of it was destined for a landfill.

Red's Best Sustainable Seafood: Every Friday on campus, a Red's Best fish is served in each of the dining halls. Red's Best provides sustainably caught fish meaning the process minimizes energy expenditure.

Campus Composting at Rensselaer: Student's at the largest retail location on campus, the Rensselaer Union, have the opportunity to utilize a compost bin in order to dispose of leftover foods and napkins. This minimizes the amount of landfill waste that we, as a campus, create.

Reusable Mugs/Bags: All students on a meal plan received a free reusable mug and bag to use throughout the year. This was an effort to reduce coffee cup waste and plastic bag waste on campus.

Clean Water Aid: When trouble struck campus, in the form of a boil advisory, Rensselaer Dining Services was there to save the day with free bottled water for students as well as canned sodas and juices inside the dining hall.

Straight A's on Vegan Report Card: Peta2 came out with vegan report cards for 2017 and Rensselaer scored straight A's. Scoring was based on the availability of vegan services. Rensselaer currently fulfills 7 out of the 10 criterion, earning us an A.

Get Local Meals: Locally sourced ingredients have become an integral piece of our dining halls. Twice a month we host "Get Local" meals in which all the ingredients are locally sourced from New York. On a daily basis, we also feature dairy products sourced from Byrne Dairy in Lafayette, New York.

What an incredible year it has been! The progress that we have made within dining services and as a campus is inspiring. Looking ahead, 2018 is going to be filled with even more of a sustainable push toward an even brighter future.

Get in the Giving Spirit

In 2016, the United Nations launched their bold and transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this agenda, there are 17 sustainable development goals focusing on wiping-out poverty, fighting inequality, and tackling climate change.

As the holiday season descends upon us, with the second night of Hannukah tonight, and Christmas, Winter Solstice and Kwanzaa in a little over a week, it is officially time to get in the spirit of giving. That being said, here are some ways you can tackle at least one of these 17 sustainable development goals this holiday season. 

Goal 1: Donate to End Poverty, an organization focused on ending poverty through microenterprise. 

Goal 2: Contribute your time to volunteer for or send in a donation to the Sodexo Stop Hunger Program. 

Goal 3: Donate to Doctors Without Borders, an organization that delivers emergency medical aid to impoverished, disease-stricken countries worldwide.

Goal 4: Donate to or become a child sponsor at Save the Children, an organization focusing on providing worldwide education.

Goal 5 + 10: This holiday season, reflect on the times that maybe you haven't been so open-minded and accepting. Then make a change in 2018. Being kind is easy.

Goal 6: Help fund the building of clean water sources in Africa by donating to The Water Project.

Goal 7: While the cost of solar panels and windmills is far too steep for the average person to afford, investing in switching the lightbulbs in your house from incandescents to LEDs or CFLs can save 5 to 10 times the amount of energy expended. 

Goal 8: While there is not much you can do to help economic growth in other countries, you can educate yourself. In most places in the world besides the United States, the average person lives on about $2 a day. To put this in perspective, the average meal costs about $12.75 in the United States. 

Goal 9: Donate or volunteer your time to Construction for a Change, an organization that focuses on building necessary infrastructure such as medical buildings and schoolhouses in impoverished areas of the world. 

Goal 11: Talk to a town councilman or councilwoman about the sustainable projects currently in the works in your town and how you can contribute. Remember, you can always start your own!

Goal 12: Make it your New Years Resolution to be a responsible and thoughtful consumer. Remember, we only have one planet and change starts with one person. 

Goal 13: Become a member of the Climate Action Campaign to stop climate change. You can also donate and/or volunteer at one of their events!

Goal 14 + 15: Make it your goal to only consume sustainably caught and killed seafood, meat and poultry.

Goal 16: Don't be a bystander to injustice. See something, say something.

As you can see, it is incredibly easy to get involved this holiday season. From taking a moment to reflect on your own actions, to donating to an organization or even volunteering, you can make a difference. Remember, change begins with one person, so be the change you want to see in the world and others will follow. 

Happy Holidays! Chag Sameach! Likizo Furaha!

Red's Best November Recap

Every Friday in Rensselaer campus dining halls Red's Best sustainably sourced fish is served. Students have the opportunity to read about where their meal came from by scanning a QR code on their phone. As seen in the picture to the right, information on where the fish was caught, how the fish was caught and how the entire process minimized energy consumption is detailed. With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the fishermen featured in November.

November 3rd: The fish featured was Haddock. Haddock has a mild flavor profile with large semi-firm flakes. This fish was sourced from Plymouth, Massachusetts by fisherman James Keding in the Zachary Nichols vessel using an otter trawl. This method of fishing pools fishes together in one vessel/specialized container in order to diminish energy consumption and emissions.

November 10th: The fish featured was pollock, with a mild flavor profile and large semi-firm flakes. Pollock is low in saturated fat and sodium and is a good source of protein and selenium. It was sourced from Green Harbor, Massachusetts by fisherman Stephen Weber in the Hotreels vessel using a hand line. This method of fishing, much like an otter trawl, pools fishes together in one vessel/specialized container in order to diminish energy consumption and emissions.

November 17th: The fish featured was pollock, the same as the previous week. It was sourced from Chatham, Massachusetts by fisherman Jason Amaru in the Joanne A lii vessel using a dredge. This method of fishing, much like an otter trawl and hand line, pools fishes together in one vessel/specialized container in order to diminish energy consumption and emissions.

Things to be Thankful for: Access to Clean Water

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the things we are grateful to have, like family and great helpings of food on our plates. However, rarely do we think about those things we take for granted each day that people all over the world don't have access too-- like clean drinking water.

Currently 884 million people in the world lack access to safe water supplies. Of those 884 million, more than 840,000 of them will die this year from a water-related disease. Not to mention, every minute a child dies of a water-related disease.

In the United States, we are incredibly fortunate to have access to clean water right at our fingertips. Unlike in developing countries, we have drinking water running through every faucet! We don't have to worry about where our next drink will come from or if it will be contaminated. In areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa, women spend their days collecting water from sources miles away from their village that are often polluted.

However, access to clean drinking is not just a problem affecting third world countries. After Hurricane Maria hit the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico in December, there have been long lasting issues with the water system. This has left 70% of the island without clean drinking water since the occurrence. Medical professionals across the island have seen an influx in patients exhibiting gastrointestinal illnesses characteristic of those contracted from contaminated water. Among the more serious are the 74 cases of leptospirosis-- a dangerous bacteria caused by rat feces-- including 2 reported deaths.

This Thanksgiving we should be grateful for our unlimited access to clean drinking water, a privilege not everyone in the world has.

Get Local or Get Goin'

Rensselaer Dining Services is committed to working closely with local produce distributors to maximize the fruits and vegetables purchased from local farms. As part of the Get Local program by Sodexo and Better Tomorrow Plan, Rensselaer Dining Services is aiming to have 20% local purchases by 2020.

As part of our local sourcing initiative, we have committed to serving entirely locally sourced meals twice a month in our dining halls. These meals, as well as the ingredients and local providers from which they are sourced, are detailed to students on the brightly-decorated local boards found at the entrance of each participating dining hall.


Here is a list of some of our local providers:

Farm	Locations	Products
Carrot Barn	Schoharie, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Davenport Farms	Stone Ridge, NY	Sweet corn, broccoli, tomatoes, cantaloupes, peppers, squash, pumpkins, kale, spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, watermelon
Wertman Farms	Melrose, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Miss Sydney’s	Feuro Bush, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Riccardi	Berlin, NY	Lettuce, basil, watercress, tomatoes
Yonder Farms	Troy, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Black Horse	Coxsackie, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Brizzell Farms	Latham, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Torrey Farms	Elba, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Farm at Miller Crossing	Hudson, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Bulich Mushrooms	Catskill, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Carioto Produce	Green Island, NY	Produce, Vegetable, Fruit
Purdy & Sons	Sherburne, NY	Meat
Byrne Dairy	Lafayette, NY	Dairy
Rockland Bakery	Nanuet, NY	Baked Goods
Lakeside Farms	Ballston Lake, NY	Cider Donuts, Cider
Red's Best	Boston, MA	Seafood

15 Tips to Fight That Footprint!

http://www.globalstewards.org/reduce-carbon-footprint.htm

A carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide is a so-called greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere and essentially warming the plant. This is extremely dangerous for two obvious reason: (1) increased temperatures will melt the polar ice caps creating more water in the ocean and flooding coastal lands; and (2) increasing temperatures can cause hazardous environmental conditions for living beings (like humans). You can make a difference and help put a stop to global warming by decreasing your carbon footprint.

Here are 15 ways you can make a difference starting today:

1. Turn off the lights when leaving your dorm room.
A general rule of thumb for compact fluorescent lightbulbs is: if you will be out of a room for more than 15 minutes, turn it off.

2. Don't leave the water on when brushing your teeth.
Running the tap while brushing your teeth can waste 4 gallons of water.

3. Invest in a stainless steel or glass reusable water bottle.
Plastic water bottles account for most of the plastic waste produced in the United States. They come in a wide variety from disposable to reusable, and if you can, you should avoid them all. Plastic bottles frequently contain BPA, which has been linked to cancer in lab tests.

4. Eat locally-sourced foods.
It has been estimated that 13% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions result from the production and transport of food. Dining halls on the Rensselaer campus focus on providing locally sourced, fresh ingredients. The local Troy's Farmers Market held every Saturday is another great way to find local products.

5. Decrease your intake of beef and dairy.
Livestock farming produces from 20% to 50% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions. You can reduce your footprint by a quarter just by cutting down on red meats such as beef and lamb.

6. Recycle!!!
Recycling uses less energy and produces less pollution than making things from scratch. For example, making aluminum cans from old ones uses one twelfth of the energy to make them from raw materials. Recycling bins can be found all over campus! Be sure to look for them before disposing of recyclable items in the trash.

7. Minimize driving by walking, biking, public transportation and carpooling.
According to The Rideshare Company, the average American spends 18 days of the year in a car, each car emitting its own weight in carbon dioxide. Instead of driving your car from your dorm or off-campus house to class, how about walking or taking the shuttle? Shuttle stops can be found all around the campus vicinity and you can even track the location of the shuttle on your iPhone!

8. Unplug electronics when done using them.
Electronics such as chargers continues to use power even if your cell phone/TV/labtop isn't attached, let alone charging. Power supplies don't just convert energy; they consume it. Don't forget to unplug your phone/laptop charger when you leave your dorm room in the morning!

9. Compost your food waste.
The decomposition of organics in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas that, according to the EPA, is 70 times more effective at trapping radiant heat than carbon dioxide. When it comes to global warming, composting directly reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) and other powerful greenhouse gases, like methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Compost bins can even be found in the Rensselaer Union!

10. Switch all your lightbulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs.
One bulb can reduce up to 1,300 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution during its lifetime.

11. Ditch your desktop computer.
According to Energy Star, a laptop can be up to 80% more energy-efficient than a desktop. Looking for an energy efficient laptop? Rensselaer offers laptops at a discounted price to students!

12. Filter your own water.
Americans use about 50 billion plastic water bottles each year. However, the U.S.'s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles – more than $1 billion worth of plastic – are wasted each year. Instead of consistently buying plastic water bottles, try investing in a Britta filter pitcher and filling it up with water from your dorm sink!

13. Plant a tree.
Trees provide shade and oxygen while consuming carbon dioxide. According to the Urban Forestry Network, a single young tree absorbs 13 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. That amount will climb up to 48 pounds annually as trees mature. Just one 10-year-old tree releases enough oxygen into the air to support two human beings.

14. Invest in a programmable thermostat.
In order to save energy inside your home when you aren't in it, a programmable thermostat can power off while you are gone. Moreover, adjusting your thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees when you're not home or you're sleeping can cut your energy use by as much as 15%, according to the Energy Department. Don't forget to shut off your AC or heat when leaving your room!

15. Use white trash bags for recycling instead of black ones.
Due to the pigmentation of black trash bags, they cannot be recycled. However, the white ones can.

See how easy it is to reduce your carbon footprint? :)

RPI Scores Straight A's on Vegan Report Card

Peta2 is the world's largest youth animal rights group. It exists for young people who want to begin to make meaningful changes for animals in their everyday lives. One of the main focus points of the group is to expand vegan options in cafeterias across the country. In doing so, they have created the Vegan Report Card which assesses vegan options and awareness on college and university campuses. The average for schools in New York state is a B. However, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has exceeded this average and received an A.

This rating is based on a multitude of factors including: offering vegan entrees and nondairy milk, labeling vegan entrees and desserts, promoting vegan options, partnering with students to distribute vegan food, offering an all-vegan station, including a vegan member on the student advisory board, participating in Meatless Mondays, and operating an all-vegan dining facility. Rensselaer covered all but three of these categories as seen on the list from peta2's website.

For those students who have eaten in the dining halls on campus, it is clear to see that veganism is respected by Rensselaer Dining Services. From the vegan chicken tenders at the grill to the nondairy milk in the coolers to the entire room of vegan treats in MyZone, Rensselaer Dining Services truly does go above and beyond when catering to vegan needs.

One factor that was not taken into account in peta2's report card, but is also a central part of Rensselaer Dining Services, is the dietitian, Kimberly Mayer. Students who have special dietary needs such as those who eat vegan can meet with Kim to discuss the options available to them on campus. Not to mention, she can work with those who are vegan to ensure they are incorporating enough protein into their diets. She is one of the greatest assets available to students on a dining plan and a facet of Rensselaer Dining Services that sets us apart from other dining services at other colleges and universities.

With all this in mind, Rensselaer Dining Services looks toward a future in which Rensselaer's ranking is an A+, the highest mark available, and accreditation on the Vegan Report Card Dean's List-- an honor only the highest-ranked colleges and universities receive. To make this possible, we the students of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute need to get more involved, whether it be by promoting Meatless Mondays and participation of vegan students on the student advisory board or simply just by educating others on veganism.