2021
UNH became a Fair Trade Certified campus
2
State’s only 4 star Certified Green Restaurants® (we have 2)
2005
1st Local Harvest Dinner, celebrating local food every year since
Sustainable Food & Dining
UNH is an amazing place to be if you care about sustainable food systems. Not only does Dining and Hospitality Services strive to incorporate sustainable initiatives in every aspect of daily operation, but there is a diverse range of opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to get involved with and contribute to those efforts. Whether it’s through documenting the campus “footprint” of our food choices, doing outreach about healthy eating and sustainable food production, or supporting the University’s zero waste initiatives, there's robust opportunity to engage and make an impact.
Learn more about UNH Dining's SustainabilitY Practices
There are many ways for students to weave in sustainable food systems learning into their studies. From the EcoGastronomy dual major to the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems major, students learn first hand and help produce fresh and healthy food for UNH through Farm to You NH, SAFS 679/680 Food Production Field Experience course.
STARS EVALUATION
FOOD & DINING (3.42/8)
UNH earned 42.75% of total points available (3.42/8) compared to an AASHE member average of 27.63%.
STARS “seeks to recognize institutions that are supporting a sustainable food system. Institutions can use their purchasing power to require transparency from their distributors and find out where the food comes from and how it was produced. Dining services can also support sustainable food systems by preventing food waste and diverting food materials from the waste stream, by making low impact dining options available, and by educating its customers about more sustainable options and practices.
Reducing Waste
UNH has many initiatives to reduce waste on campus, including the expansion of the composting program continually over the past five years, and UNH Dining's "Take Less, Waste Less" campaign, aimed at reducing food waste. There are some other great initiatives to reduce waste, going “strawless” and "trayless" and there are great reusable containers for taking out food from the dining halls and the Dairy Bar.
Green Restaurant Certification
Both of our dining halls, Holloway Commons and Philbrook Hall, earned 4 out of 4 stars from the Green Restaurant Association in 2023. Previously, they held 3 stars. This makes UNH one of only two universities in the U.S. where all dining halls have 4 stars. UNH Catering and the Dairy Bar also earned 3 stars. This means that the food we serve is healthy, local and sustainable, and the way we operate the buildings is also sustainable – not only in terms of energy, but also in our cleaning products, waste generation and disposal.
Fighting Food Insecurity
Multiple programs are aimed at ensuring no Wildcat has to go hungry, including the Swipe It Forward program, our new campus food pantry, Cats' Cupboard, and the Student Emergency Financial Assistance Fund, which provides undergraduate and graduate students who are unable to meet essential expenses due to a temporary or unexpected hardship with short-term financial assistance.
Food Systems & Equity
Each year, UNH welcomes the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge, a program of the Sustainability Institute's Food Solutions New England, to our campus community. With a suite of campus activities and dialogues planned with Dining and other partners across campus, the UNH Challenge is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, with a focus on sustainable food systems. UNH students, staff and faculty together have been building skill and will to address racial inequities, using the 21-Day Challenge as a tool.
Sustainable & Local Foods
From our status as a Fair Trade Campus and production of our own food from campus farms to our commitment to purchasing local and organic, UNH is a leader in sourcing sustainable food, contributing to supporting our state's agriculture economy and our sustainable culture at UNH.
