Pacific University

• Type: Liberal Arts, Private, 4 yr, >25,000
• Region: Northwest
• Address: 2043 College Way
• City: Forest Grove
• State: OR
• ZIP: 97116
• URL: http://Pacificu.edu
• involvement in the Real Food Challenge?
  Level 3: Taking the Challenge
• Provider: Aramark
• Farm size: 5
• Farm operated by students? no
• Needs and challenges: Aramark is such a huge company that jumping in to make some of these changes is quite overwhelming. While the Aramark employees at Pacific are willing to transition to more real food, they are a business and money is a pretty huge factor.
• Successes and achievements: In the last year, many small steps have been made to be more environmentally friendly as a dining service. One thing in particular which is showing great results is a transition to almost only reusable to go containers. We are located in such a productive area with soooo many real food options surrounding us, we just have to take advantage of those and not be afraid of changing. Using other schools that currently have Aramark as a dining service is inspiring because of some of the things they are making happen. Aramark is currently working on a waste mesurment program which will hopefully help us recude our post and pre consumer waste a lot. We have a long way to go but we shall get there all together!
• Food activities: student farm/garden, organic purchasing, humane purchasing, local purchasing, student organizations
• Farm functions: supplies dining hall, training growers, food consumed by volunteers
• comments: So much food at our farm was wasted this year. The farm is only a few years old and has come a long way in that time. It could be used a lot more efficiently as both a teaching tool and a supplier of food to the dining hall.