As a guest, it is easy to make smart environmental choices when you dine with UAB Campus Dining. We know today's college students want to do the right thing for the planet and we also understand you lead busy lives, so our chefs and managers do a lot of the work for you behind the scenes!

From purchasing local seasonal produce whenever possible to reducing inorganic and organic waste, your campus dining team is dedicated to providing you with an exceptional dining experience that is good for you and good for the planet.

This commitment was formalized with Sodexo's Better Tomorrow Plan. The Better Tomorrow Plan includes 14 commitments for a brighter future by focusing on three key priorities: health, community and planet. Learn more about the Better Tomorrow Commitments.

While your Sodexo team works hard behind the scenes, they also count on student engagement and enthusiasm to spread the word about what you're doing together on your campus. We encourage you to work with us to continue to innovate and improve sustainability efforts in your community.

If you have additional comments or questions, please contact us. We would love to hear from you.

Commons on the Go

Take your meal from the Commons with you with the Commons on the Go green box program. The new sustainable, reusable boxes allow students, faculty, and staff to take a meal with them when they are on the run or don't have time to sit and eat. Learn more here.

Local Hometown Coffee

The Commons on the Green has partnered with Royal Cup (@royalcup) to offer farmer roasted brewed coffee. Royal Cup has been a staple Birmingham distributer since 1896, serving coffee so fresh and flavorful that it was deemed fit for royalty. Learn more about Royal Cup here.

Local Sourcing

UAB Campus Dining has a commitment to source locally whenever possible. We work directly with The Common Market to connect with local farmers and bring their produce and goods to UAB. The Common Market is a nonprofit regional food distributor with a mission to connect communities with good food from sustainable family farms. They strive to improve food security, farm viability, and community and ecological health. Learn more about The Common Market and their farmer partners here.

LeanPath @ UAB

LeanPath is a supplier that helps UAB track and measure its food waste through the use of a food waste measurement tool. It is an automated food waste tracking system that is used at The Commons on the Green. The LeanPath program offers a unique learning opportunity to raise awareness about manageable steps that we can all take toward a more sustainable food system. We collect and weigh any pre-consumer waster, this is any food that we have control over from leftovers, overproduction, trimming, catering, ect. LeanPath automatically captures date, time, and estimated value of the waste and reports this data back to UAB Campus Dining. LeanPath’s automated system goes far beyond what you can accomplish with pen and paper, providing the simplicity and detail you need to maximize waste reduction.