Sodexo Community

Sustainability: Carleton College

Serving locally grown foods is an important component of promoting a sustainable lifestyle. Each day, Carleton College utilizes locally grown foods during the growing season. Dining guests can find locally grown vegetables featured on the salad bar, and our chefs use locally grown vegetables while preparing the day's featured menu items.

To start off the academic year, students have the opportunity to attend a picnic in which one of the featured items is locally grown corn on the cob, roasted on the spot. The great thing about this is not simply that the corn has been locally grown but that the farmer who supplied the corn attends the picnic, roasting the corn for the students. This has been a great opportunity not just to utilize local foods but also introduce students to one of the farmers who supplies the food system.

Developing a strong partnership with the Midwest Food Alliance has been critical in helping to make local products more accessible. Sodexo has partnered with the Midwest Food Alliance, which in turn has created partnerships with local produce suppliers. These two partnerships bring locally grown foods into the supply system and onto students' plates at Carleton College. The local management team creates extensive signage programs to make students, faculty and staff aware of all products that are locally grown, helping to further educate students about locally grown products.

Local and Sustainable

"To begin our local foods program each year, Sodexo brings in local food to the opening picnic, and local farmers bring and roast corn on the cob at the opening picnic. Students notice the freshness of the corn. It is great watching students interact with the farmers who are growing their food."

Joe Winegardner
General Manager of Dining Services at Carleton College

View the full summary of the sustainability efforts at Carleton College as a PDF document here.

View all university sustainability profiles as a PDF document here.