Food

Skidmore Student Garden: 

In April 2009, the volunteers from the Environmental Action Club, with the support of Facilities Services, broke ground to create the Skidmore College Student Garden.  The garden will supply local food, grown using organic practices to Skidmore's dining hall.  The garden facilitates a connection to and appreciation for the food the students eat in the Dining Hall and offers hands-on learning opportunities for the Skidmore community.  The new garden provides an outlet for students interested in environmental issues, social justice, and economic sustainable development to learn about the local food movement and the ecology of food.

Skidmore Farmer's Market:

Every Friday, local Farmers come to Skidmore to sell their products. The Farmer's Market not only serves as a way to bring more local products to campus, it also is a great venue for community building.

Murray-Aikins Dining Hall:

Thanks to the dining hall's 2006 renovation, the new dining program has reduced its food waste by an estimated 20%.

Wast Reduction Strategies:

Proper food handling can reduce wasted food significantly by making sure that food does not have to be thrown out because of avoidable mistakes.  Skidmore Dining Services works hard to ensure their staff is properly trained, first and foremost to ensure the safety of the students and their staff, but also to reduce the amount of food that is thrown away.  The trayless dining program in Skidmore's Murray-Aikins Dining Hall reduces the amount of wasted food. People are less likely to take more food than they can eat when they don't have a tray to carry it back to their table. By not having trays to wash, the dining hall also saves water and energy.  Dining Services staff members go through knife training, which reduces the amount of food wasted during food preparation.  In addition to knife training, all staff and management are Servsafe® Certified.  Servsafe ® is a course that instructs dining service staff about proper food handling—mishandled food = food that often needs to be thrown out.  Servsafe ® covers systems such as "First in, First out", which ensures the oldest product is used before the newest and proper storage temperatures for various types of food.  To reduce over serving students, staff members use scales and portion controlled scoops and spoons to manage serving size.  And lastly, dining services staff members are encouraged to be creative in their use of leftovers for soups or other daily chef creations. 

Expanded Vegetarian and Vegan Options:

Through the generous support of a college trustee, Skidmore opened Emily's Garden, which offers fantastic vegetarian and vegan options. Emily's Garden has also expanded the amount of local, organic produce on campus as well.

Partnerships with Local Farms:

Skidmore's dining services has created several partnerships with local farms. They have worked extensively with Saratoga Apple, receive their flour from King Arthur Flour, buy their shell eggs from Thomas Poultry and some dairy from Battenkill Farms.

Sustainable Food Consultant:

Skidmore recently invited John Turene, a sustainable food consultant, to campus to give a lecture and facilitate a roundtable discussion on sustainable food on college campuses. His visit stimulated a rich discussion of sustainable food options at Skidmore.