Sodexo Community

Sustainability: Concordia University

Sodexo and General Manager / Executive Chef Wes Boese have lofty aspirations for Concordia University: to become a zero waste operation. The Zero Waste philosophy challenges the status quo of the one way industrial design by encouraging a circular system in which the primary goal is to minimize waste and, where that is not possible, to reuse, repair or recycle back into nature or the marketplace. Wes believes very strongly in this goal and is committed to making it happen. He first met with the Portland City Office of Sustainability and Waste Management, the University's current refuse hauler. Fortuitously, Waste Management was eager to haul compost on a large scale and was developing a broad based program that accepted many items that were not traditionally considered compost (such as animal by-products like bones and fats).

Over the same time period, Sodexo began to introduce bio-degradable packaging such as garbage bags, straws, knives, forks, spoons, hot and cold cups. These items replaced the traditional plastic and Styrofoam products that were in use. Biodegradable packaging from Excellent Packaging breaks down in 90 days vs. traditional plastic packaging which can remain in landfills for dozens of years. Styrofoam may never break down. In addition to being biodegradable, Excellent Packaging is made from annually renewable resources such as corn, potatoes and sugar cane rather than nonrenewable petroleum derivatives.

Achieving Zero Waste status is a challenging ambition for Wes and the local Concordia Dining Services team. It involves many individuals and organizations along our supply chain. We must work in partnership with our suppliers to minimize packaging where possible. Otherwise, we must choose recyclable or compostable packaging materials. In our operations, we must separate and collect all recyclable items as well as compostable materials. We must address the disposal of cooking equipment that has reached the end of its useful life through recycling parts or repair. And, we can't achieve this goal alone. The entire campus community has to work together to embrace the movement and be aggressive about recycling and composting items after their meals. "This is truly a group effort but I am confident that we will reach our goal," says Wes. "Being in the last stages of our goal, we are currently working with all parties to convert our general use  dumpsters over to compost dumpsters. We hope to have them in place this summer. Of all the things I have accomplished in my career, the completion of this goal will be the one I am most  proud of."

Waste Management

"Our first step was to recycle the basics: cardboard, paper, plastic, glass and metal. The City of Portland and Waste Management really helped to facilitate the success of our initial recycling  program by providing dumpsters, labels and educational materials. Then, in partnership with Student Government, we unveiled our recycling program to the student body during Earth Week  2006. As a part of the events, students learned some interesting facts. Our program has been a tremendous success. At the end of our first year, we saw a 66% reduction of refuse in our  general use dumpsters."

Wes Boese
General Manager / Executive Chef

View the full summary of the sustainability efforts at Concordia University as a PDF document here.

View all university sustainability profiles as a PDF document here.