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Around the Campus

help create a structure and feeling that guests were being served
metallic coffee bags for the by a butler at a very high-end event.”
outer layer. Various adhe- Along with serving small-plate dish-
sives, including silicone, es, The Gallery converted to a trayless
hot glue and packaging dining hall for the evening to support
tape, were used to hold the waste reduction as well as energy and
mask together and reinforce water conservation. Several residential
bonds. dining halls on campus are trayless daily,
“This is the first time and the university community is encour-
we’ve worked with Culinary aged to dine trayless whenever possible
Services,” Baibak shared. to reduce the amount of food taken.
“It’s nice because we’re lo- Appetizer-style dishes included mini
cated in the same building, presidential chicken, seared beef tender-
through the event preparation. “Putting so it’s an opportunity to tie various teams loin tips and bite-sized pizzas. Delicious
them up and seeing people ‘wow’ when from our area of the campus community desserts from MSU Bakers, including
they first walked in gave me a sense of together [RCAH, facilities and CS]. The themed cookies and a 4-tier centerpiece
pride.” students also got to see the mask down cake, lined a long table draped with col-
Hath went on to share how great it from the LookOut Gallery, and know orful tulle and candelabras. Near The
was to see guests’ reaction to the large they were a part of its creation. I think Berg venue, flutes of sparkling juice, a
metallic mask created by RCAH stu- that will enhance community engage- chocolate fountain with various dipping
dents. Culinary Services approached ment and students will see The Gallery options and a themed ice sculpture stole
the college about creating décor for the as more than a separate space where the show.
event, and it was the perfect tie-in for they go to dine.” “It was a fun and collaborative pro-
their Reclamation Studio Project course. Another distinctive feature of the din- cess,” Ly continued. “We brainstormed
Steve Baibak, an RCAH faculty mem- ner that weaved in sustainability was ideas with all team members, and the
ber, academic specialist and preparer the style of cuisine served to guests. result was a well-rounded menu for our
for the LookOut Gallery in Snyder Hall, Throughout the menu development pro- guests, including everything from veg-
teaches the course, which is based on cess, Dien Ly, executive chef for The Gal- etarian and vegan options, to beef and
gleaning, reuse and transformation of lery, aspired to emanate the luxury and chicken, to fresh fish. Additionally, we
found, second-hand or inherited objects. mystery of a masquerade ball. “We se- were able to utilize on-campus resources
The mask they crafted for the din- lected foods and service methods that fit from the Bailey GREENhouse & Urban
ner was made primarily from recycled well with these descriptors,” she shared. Farm to maximize freshness and further
products collected by Culinary Services “For example, we incorporated menu incorporate our focus on sustainability.”
team members, including cardboard to items in bite-size portions to convey the

NAU Receives Arizona Forward Environmental Excellence Award

orthern Arizona University (NAU) gram was the “next step” in food waste cheeses, and even some plastics, and is
NDining by Sodexo in Flagstaff reduction based on course research at expected to remove at least 100,000 lbs.
recently received the Arizona Forward the undergraduate and graduate level of material from the University Union’s
Environmental Excellence award for and collaborative meetings with NAU’s annual waste stream.
its innovative post-consumer compost Facility Services. Student research con- The dehydrated materials are taken
program. cluded that an estimated 700-800 lbs. of by the NAU Grounds department and
In 2015, NAU Campus Dining and a food waste was being thrown out daily combined with pre-consumer food waste,
group of first-year seminar students began by patrons of the residential dining hall compostable cups from on-campus cof-
working on a plan to reduce food waste into trashcans at the dish return area. fee shops, lawn clippings, leaves, pine
on campus by adding a post-consumer With partial financial support from needles and horse manure to help with the
composting program to the University the Student Green Fund, NAU is now natural decomposition process. The re-
Union dining hall. the first campus dining operation in the sulting material is screened into finished
“Our Sodexo dining partners were country to have a complete post-con- soil amendments and used throughout
already actively combating food waste sumer processing system using cutting campus on lawns, landscape areas, planter
on multiple fronts, including awareness edge technology found in the SOMAT boxes and the three campus gardens.
programs, periodic waste audits, special- brand of composting machines. These “The culmination of student passion,
ized training for staff, output tracking machines work semi-autonomously to staff engagement and support from the
with LeanPath, the EPA Food Recovery pulp, grind, extract and dehydrate all NAU GreenFund brought this project
Challenge and campus dining’s existing food waste, napkins and compostable to fruition — showing how important
pre-consumer composting program,” said packaging into a finished sawdust-like waste reduction is to not only NAU
TC Eberly, executive director Campus material. Campus Dining, but the entire campus
Services and Activities for Northern This technologically advanced pro- community,” said NAU Campus Din-
Arizona University. cess safely “cooks” previously non- ing Sustainability Specialist Catherine
The post-consumer composting pro- compostable items such as meats, oils, Sullivan.

36 | FEBRUARY 2017 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY