Sustainability Master Plan 2025

DINING

GOAL: Integrate sustainability initiatives into Elon Dining operations to foster a campus culture that promotes behavior shift toward effective and measurable outcomes.

 

 

STRATEGIES

Progress updates for year 1 are below. 

Actions for each strategy have been identified and will be prioritized on an annual basis by the implementation team.

S1 Sourcing: Increase the percentage of annual spend for purchases on the following categories by 2035: sustainably or ethically produced – 50%, plant-based – 50%, local (within 150 miles or the state of North Carolina) – 35%.

  • During the 2025-2026 academic year, the percentage of annual spend for purchases on sustainably or ethically produced, plant-based and local (within 150 miles or the state of North Carolina) foods was as follows:

Sustainably or Ethically Produced

19%
50%

Plant-based

38%
50%

Local (within 150 miles or the state of North Carolina)

26%
35%

S2 Collaborations: Introduce a new educational, operational or training initiative in collaboration with campus community partners on an annual basis.

  • Elon Dining hosted numerous educational opportunities during the 2025-2025 academic year to encourage diners to explore sustainable food options.  A few of these opportunities are highlighted below:
    • What’s In Season: Elon Dining features local products through their “What’s in Season” program. Each month, the three dining halls on campus highlight a different local and seasonal produce item on the menu. Chalkboards and digital screens are used to share what the item is and what local farm it came from.
    • Grade B Produce: In Fall 2024, Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina and completely devastated the community, including many of the farms located in the area.  Because of this, there was a high prevalence of Grade B produce – produce that is perfectly usable and delicious, but due to visible imperfections from hail damage, was not “pretty” enough to sell as Grade A produce. Elon Dining committed to purchasing varieties of apples, peaches, and pears from farms in Western NC, providing an outlet for the local farms having trouble selling products.
    • Captain John: In January 2025, Elon Dining started a new partnership with Captain John, head of Southern Breeze Seafood, to source all of the catfish and shrimp served in our residential dining halls off the North Carolina coast with sustainable fishing practices. Elon Dining has also served as an outlet for Captain John’s bycatch fish, or fish that were caught on accident when fishing for other species, by utilizing these low quantities of fish without a market in the dining halls and at events. In FY 2026, Captain John brought in over 11,000 pounds of seafood that was served throughout Elon Dining’s locations.