The University of Virginia (UVA) Dining Services announced recently that it has been accepted into the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program (VEEP), which is managed by the state of Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality to encourage and reward companies that develop Environmental Management Systems to reduce their impact on the environment. UVA Dining is the first higher education dining operation to have been recognized by the state for its commitment to environmental management.
“UVA Dining is honored to receive this recognition from the Department of Environmental Quality,” said Brent Beringer, Resident District Manager, UVA Dining. “We’re committed to identifying ways to support the environment and we hope our best practices can impact our students and the surrounding communities.”
Significant steps performed by UVA Dining for environmental management and pollution prevention include: in-house recycling of packaging waste; vendor recycling of cooking oil and grease waste; minimizing waste water traveling to water treatment plants; and reducing emissions of ozone depleting substances.
In January 2007, UVA Dining worked in partnership with UVA’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety to submit an application for the Environmental Enterprise (E2) level of participation in the VEEP, and received notice in February 2007 that it had been accepted.
About UVA Dining
UVA Dining provides service to more than 19,000 students and more than 2,00 faculty at 19 dining locations around Grounds. Whether a traditional dining room, a food court offering national franchises like Chick-fil-A and Java City, or a convenience store, UVA Dining offers dining locations where students gather to meet people, make friends, share experiences, and stay current with University life.