Climate Action
At Seminole Dining, we take our duty seriously to source responsibly and invest in our vibrant community. We are committed to lowering carbon emissions and using methods such as waste tracking to actively monitor our progress.
Coolfood Meals
Coolfood Meals are a fantastic way to make a positive impact on the planet while enjoying delicious food. These meals are carefully crafted with ingredients that have a lower carbon footprint, meaning they produce fewer emissions that contribute to climate change. What's even cooler is that Coolfood promotes transparency in climate mitigation – they tell you exactly how much carbon you're saving with each bite. By making these meals a part of your routine, you're not only savoring great flavors but also contributing to a greener, more sustainable future.
At our residential dining locations, menu items that meet the Coolfood low-carbon requirements are given a Coolfood Meals badge. So next time you visit Seminole Café or Suwannee Room, keep an eye out for Coolfood Meals! Learn more about Coolfood Meals here.
Plant Forward
Including more plants on our plates provides so many benefits, with a long list of positives for healthier people and a healthier planet.
What is plant-forward dining
Plant-forward is a style of cooking and eating that emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. With plants as the star of the plate, animal products can appear in smaller portions, often as a flavoring or garnish. Plant-forward goes one step beyond the many vegetarian and vegan options we continue to add to our menus. It further elevates plants as the lead-ingredient, even when small amounts of meat, dairy, fish or poultry are included in a recipe.
The plant-forward trend has proliferated, and it shows remarkable staying power. Research has shown that 60% of consumers want to reduce their meat intake and 62% want to eat more vegetables. It’s a major driver of today’s menus and our chefs are bringing a plant-forward approach to life across our locations.
Our chefs in action.
To achieve our goal of increasing the plant-forward ingredients on the menu, we launched a major plant-forward menu innovation initiative to elevate the role of these healthy and more sustainable ingredients on our menus. Many of our chefs have enthusiastically participated in plant-forward culinary innovation workshops and contributed to the development of hundreds of new plant-forward recipes.
Every Monday is Mindful Monday throughout all dining locations on campus. We will be showing students how to look for ways to be more mindful in their dining choice at each location. Every first Monday of the Month is Meatless Monday, where we will showcase a plant forward dish at a new location each time.
It’s a Win-Win-Win
Plant-forward is a ‘win’ for nutrition. By adding more plants to the center of our plates, our recipes now contain less of the saturated fat and sodium that many get too much of in their diets—while also bringing more of the naturally wholesome, nutritionally dense benefits of plant-based foods.
Plant-forward is a ‘win’ for flavor. By layering in fresh, healthy, flavorful plant-based ingredients, our chefs are taking plant-forward dining to a whole new level.
Plant-forward is also a ‘win’ for the environment since plant-forward meals are not just good for people, they’re also good for the planet. Putting plants at the center of the plate with a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains while ensuring sustainably sourced and humanely raised animal proteins, minimizes our environmental impact. By introducing more plant-forward recipes, we’re also helping to prevent deforestation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about how our sustainability plan comes to life.
Nole Your Farmer
Buying local is great for the environment because it means products don't have to travel as far to reach our plates. This helps reduce pollution and supports local businesses, making it a win-win for both the community and the planet! Learn more about the Nole Your Farmer program here.
