Since the University of California at Santa Barbara is very concerned with sustainability, Lily Berrish, the university's catering director, wants to make sure that fact is reflected in the catering operation as well. Berrish shares some of her ideas on promoting environmental-consciousness through catering.
The University of California at Santa Barbara is one of the more active institutions in the United States when it comes to promoting sustainability, and Catering Director Lily Berrish believes that catering is an excellent way to promote environmental consciousness on a college campus.“A good starting point is to educate yourself. Most campuses have some kind of social consciousness movement. I’ve learned a lot from our Environmental Studies students just by going to their [classroom] presentations on sustainability. And there is nothing like the Internet. Just Google the term ‘sustainability’ and you’ll find you can pick up a lot of information.
Buying local is a big step in the right direction. Santa Barbara has been on the cutting edge because we have access to sustainable food, within a 50-to-100-mile radius.
We include sustainability in all our purchasing contracts. We partner with local farmers to provide local and sustainable produce, free of pesticides.
Operators can convert to biodegradable disposables, recycle frying oils for biodiesel fuel and purchase Energy Star equipment and eliminate portion control packaging.
Educate your guests. For example, at our sustainability conference last year, we used corn, potatoes and bamboo as centerpieces, with cards explaining how each of these items is being used to promote sustainability. If everybody does their part, we can make an impact on protecting our environment.”