Sustainability: What We're Doing on Campus
![Students standing in line to get fountain drinks at Engrained](/cms4/asset/4D14C1BE-9B6B-C932-A4A5DBAFD6C314F9/sustainabilitywebaug22-17[1660591664].jpg)
![Green Restaurant - Certified - 3 stars logo](/cms4/asset/4D14C1BE-9B6B-C932-A4A5DBAFD6C314F9/sustainabilitywebaug22-15[1660591094].jpg)
Engrained: Certified Green Restaurant
Laker Food Company is proud to earn a 3 Star Green Restaurant Certification for the sustainability efforts at Engrained.
Waste Management
- Composting is the process of recycling organic waste material into natural fertilizer. Pre- and post-consumer composting is available at all Laker Food Company restaurants.
- Single-stream recycling is available campus-wide. Look for a designated recycling bin at dining locations.
- Landfill streams are reserved for waste that cannot be recycled or composted. We provide composting and recycling to minimize the amount of waste needed to go to landfill.
- Items that belong in each waste stream can be found on the respective trash bin.
- Learn more about Waste Sorting.
Sustainable Products
- Eliminating single-use plastics in front of house offerings, including straws, cutlery, napkins, stir-sticks, cups, and lids.
- Coolfood Meals - menu items that are made with ingredients that have a lower environmental impact and a certified nutritional safeguard.
- Over 30% local spend
- Use of local food distributor since 2014, Gordon Foods, headquartered in Grand Rapids
- Fair Trade coffee and tea brands, including Java City, Starbucks, Bewley's and Tazo.
- Use of local dairy since 2010, Cedar Crest Dairy Hudsonville, MI
- Use of Cage-Free Eggs since 2011
Social Efforts
- Partnership with GVSU's Sustainable Agriculture Project (SAP)
- In 2008 Laker Food Co. donated $5,000 toward construction of the initial hoop houses
- Agreement to purchase produce from SAP since 2014
- The SAP composts campus coffee grounds and utilizes Laker Food Co cardboard for garden beds
- GVSU Campus Race to Zero Waste Partner
- The Zero Waste college competition focuses on waste reduction and zero waste efforts campus-wide and compares their results to other campuses. Participants track all sources of waste generation in three campus buildings during the eight-week competition.
- 2024 Results - Campus Race To Zero Waste
- GVSU Farm Stand hosts a stand that provides samples of fresh produce from GVSU's Sustainable Agriculture Project (SAP)
![Reach Higher](/cms4/asset/4D14C1BE-9B6B-C932-A4A5DBAFD6C314F9/tempimagegxe9e8[1714677277].jpg)
![SAP Farm](/cms4/asset/4D14C1BE-9B6B-C932-A4A5DBAFD6C314F9/img_6331[1714677158].jpg)
![Farm Stand](/cms4/asset/4D14C1BE-9B6B-C932-A4A5DBAFD6C314F9/img_6167[1714676801].jpg)
Resources
For more information on sustainable food, visit Sustainabletable.org.
For more information about sustainability at GVSU visit www.gvsu.edu/sustainability
Sustainability Manager
![Portrait of Allysa Babcock](/cms4/asset/4D14C1BE-9B6B-C932-A4A5DBAFD6C314F9/sustainabilitywebaug22-18[1660591906].jpg)
If you have further questions about the sustainability efforts of Laker Food Company, please reach out to our Sustainability Manager:
Allysa Babcock
Phone: (616) 331-8636
Email: [email protected]