The department’s sustainability efforts include the purchase of local and regional food products—117 Michigan vendors and 36 Great Lakes regional vendors—through the Michigan Apple program and Farm to MSU; The Spartan Harvest program, which brings produce from the university’s organic farm to campus salad bars; the recycling of plastic, cardboard, household metals, paper and newsprint; and the Daylight Dining program, in which lights are turned to reduce energy consumption during peak daylight hours.
The certification program was designed to recognize MSU departments that have taken steps to reduce their environmental footprint.
“A main goal of the certification program is to ensure that people become more educated on sustainability in their area,” Diane Barker, assistant director for residential and hospitality services sustainability, said in a press release. “We hope that they will continue to practice what they learned and teach others ways to be more sustainable in their day-to-day activities.”