Sustainability Efforts
Seawolf Dining, managed by NMS, is committed to sustainability. In fact, it is an NMS core value: the environment will be protected and sustained. We are proud to be Green Star® certified since 2010, and throughout our partnership, we have made conscious, focused decisions to build upon our sustainable efforts:
2023: Traditional porcelain serving ware, silverware and glassware are reintroduced at Creekside Eatery after labor and attendance levels returned from the covid pandemic challenges.
2018: Deploy fully biodegradable cutlery and paper straws at retail outlets on campus. Compostable materials reduce landfill waste.
2017: Serve local! We source local vegetables from the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, supporting the local economy and reducing the use of fossil fuels required for transporting produce to Alaska. Some of our farms include Moon Stone Farms and co-op Arctic Harvest Deliveries. Our main suppliers include Charlie's Produce and DiTomaso's, who source local produce for us.
2015: Launch the OZZI program in Creekside Eatery – a system through which we remove disposable clamshell holders and provide students with green, reusable food containers to take their food to go.
2015: Recycle cooking oil to be converted into bio-diesel fuel.
2015: Eliminate the use of Styrofoam on campus!
2015: Offer a discount for reusable cups in all our coffee shops.
2015: Distribute Xpressnap napkin holders around campus, which reduces waste by dispensing only one napkin at a time and encouraging students and faculty/staff to only take what they need. Napkins in the dispensers are made from recycled materials and are ECOLOGO® certified.
2015: Local partnership with Alaska owned Kaladi Brothers Coffee to be our main espresso provider on campus. We're proud to partner with an alumni-owned company that roasts it's beans here in Anchorage.
2009: Join hundreds of schools and universities across the U.S. to eliminate trays from cafeterias, reducing several thousand pounds of food waste annually. As diners now take a single plate, returning for seconds if desired, rather than piling food on several plates, bowls, and cups on a plastic cafeteria tray, much of which would go to waste.
2009: Partner with UAA recycle crew to compost pre-consumer vegetable waste.
2000: Recycle cardboard - as the capabilities became available in Anchorage, Seawolf Dining implemented a process for its locations across campus.
Prior to 2000: work with companies that share a commitment to sustainability, such as Ecolab, which finds fresh solutions to deliver clean water, safe food, abundant energy, and a healthy environment while saving water, energy and reducing waste.