Pacific Lutheran University

• Type: Private, 4 yr, 15,000-25,000
• Region: Northwest
• City: Tacoma
• State: WA
• involvement in the Real Food Challenge?
  Level 1: Connected to the network
• Dining Services Director/Executive Chef: Erin Mcginnis
• Farm size: 10,000 sq feet
• Farm operated by students? yes
• Needs and challenges: We compost all the extra food, but that still means that it is waste food. Plastic water bottles are pretty prominent.
• Successes and achievements: The university sends all completable food waste as well as paper products (including our paper straws and potato starch disposable silverware) to an off campus composting site. They have reduced the size of trays, to the disdain of students, but in hopes that the all you can eat meals, don't encourage taking three entrees to then throw 1.5 away. All our baked goods are produced in a bakery on campus, excluding breads and other savory foods. We provide a lot of local options, I believe the tea is local, some chocolate is local, as well as other products in the market. http://www.plu.edu/~dining/index.htm
• Composting: post-consumer food waste, food waste from special events, other organic waste
• Food activities: student farm/garden, fair trade purchasing, organic purchasing, academic programs, student organizations
• Farm functions: other educational, food donated for hunger relief
• comments: Our community garden (smaller than a farm per se), is on campus and run logistically by a core club of people, but all work parties include a number of different people. We ask different groups on campus to "sponser" a weekend, meaning they advertise to their group and bring some participants. The real goal, however, is to connect to the Parkland community. We have a couple residents come in on Sundays, and donations of knowledge and seedlings from others at that. 3 bin compost system, worm compost, hammock, multitude of vegetables, shed, green house, community area, fruit trees
• Relevant academic programs: Course(s) offered, Internships, Major or concentration, Undergrad degree, Fellowship, Extracurricular Activities, Student-run programs
• comments: We have an environmental studies department, a sustainability run by faculty staff and students, a garden club, the GREAN group(grass roots environmental activism now), as well as student fellowships where a grant is offered for specific projects.