Sustainability

Sustainable Food Policy

UCR dining continues to strive to practice sustainability in all food service operations. Currently,

• 6% of food comes from sustainable food purchases
• 29% - 32% of fresh eggs served are from campus Agricultural operations.
• Locally produced Valencia and Navel oranges from our world renowned Citrus Variety Collection
• UCR's citrus is also used in sauces and marinades
• Whole fruits are served throughout campus
• 33% of products purchased from UNFI are certified organic
• Organic and Fair Trade Coffees at Ivan's and Bytes
• 43% of disposable paper products are compostable or made from renewable sources
• 25% of cleaning chemicals are Green Seal certified

Where Does Our Food Come From

UCR uses freshly grown oranges from our own world renowned Citrus Variety Collection and up to 32% of fresh eggs served on campus come from UCR's very own Agricultural Operations. In addition, UCR's fresh produce vendor supplies UCR with produce from the greater Los Angeles area. View a complete schedule for the Farmers Market at UCR.

UCR Community Garden

The UCR Community Garden is a joint effort between Sustainable UCR and Sustainable UCR. The 4,000 square foot garden grows crops for those in need along with individuals and family gardeners who have the option to donate their surplus crops to the Salvation Army's food bank.

UCR Food Co-Op

The University of California has three Cooperative Extension centers headquartered in Berkeley, Riverside and Davis. They conduct research for the welfare, development, and protection of California agriculture, natural resources, and people. Learn more about the UC Cooperative

Coffee

Coffee is grown in over 60 different tropical countries and with the worldwide surge increase in demand for coffee, loss of biodiversity is quickly becoming a issue especially with the use of fertilizers and pesticides. When drinking coffee, go with sustainable coffee! The following are indicators to check if the coffee you are drinking is sustainable:

1. Check for certification – preferably Bird Friendly certification from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. The certification is only given to coffee gown under the most stringent environmental standards of any certification system.
2. Check the Country of Origin – Some countries like Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Bolivia, Papua New Guinea and Ethiopia grow coffee under shade, preserving biodiversity. On the contrary, countries like Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia and Vietnam cut trees and grow “sun coffee”. Coffee from these countries are best avoided unless they are Smithsonian Bird Friendly certified.
3. Look for 100% arabica – There are two types of coffee, arabica and robusta. Arabica is high quality whereas robusta is mass produced in deforested sun with chemicals and most likely low quality. Furthermore, arabica coffee has many different cultivars, try to seek out Bourbon and Typical as these are older types that need at least some shade. Catuai and Caturra are varieties of sun coffee.
4. Check the Price – Cheap, mass produced coffee is not sustainable for the farmer or the environment.

Bottled Water

Annually, Americans consume 8.6 billion gallons of bottled water. 40% of all bottled water is taken from municipal water sources (tap water), 22% of tested bottled water brands contained chemical contaminants at levels above state health limits, 17 million barrels of oil are used in the production of water bottles yearly which is enough to fuel 1 million cars for a year and only 1 in 5 water bottles are recycled while the other 4 contribute to the 3 billion pounds of waste from plastic water bottles. If possible, use a BPA free reusable water bottle or use a water filter, which can save up to 300 standard bottles per filter.

What You Can Do

Being sustainable not only saves the environment but also saves money. Learn what you can do to be more sustainable:

• Recycle all bottles, glass and paper if possible using one of the many different recycle bins across campus
• Purchase a water filter or BPA free water bottle for all your water needs
• Try to reduce showering by at least 2 minutes
• Turn off all lights when not in use
• Use a power adapter to easily disconnect electrical devices at once
• Purchase produce locally from Farmers markets to cut down on travel costs for produce
• Bring your own cups to vendors such as Starbucks or Jamba Juice, not only is it cheaper, but you waste less
• Bring your own bags to the market
• Use a Food Carbon Calculator: on nature.org or eatlowcarbon.org