Find out how the Commercial & Catering Services team is marking Earth Day and beyond
Earth Day takes place each year on 22 April and since the first event in 1970, is now recognised as a global event.
Earthday.org leads on transformational environmental change, seeking bold, creative and innovative solutions for many of the environmental challenges faced in the modern world.
The Student Union Building’s RockSalt Food Court has already made progress on climate friendlier menus, with some 56% of the varied and popular options being vegan and vegetarian. To enhance this commitment further, we will from 25 April:
- Remove all red meat (beef and lamb) from the Food Court menus, replacing with poultry, pork or plant-based alternatives.
- Gradually increase the number of meat free options available across the menu.
- Where meat is used, ensure our chicken, turkey, pork and fish are from sustainable and environmentally accredited sources.
- Though a move to compostable cutlery had seen a positive change in the type of waste generated, the reintroduction of reusable (steel) cutlery will reduce waste and volume of disposable and compostable items used.
- As stocks run down, we will move away from individual condiment sachets, using instead refillable pump dispensers and sauce bottles.
- Again as stocks deplete, we will move to reusable baskets, bowls, and food containers for ‘eat-in’ orders, further limiting single-use waste.
Across the four Aberbean Cafes at MacRobert, Hard Back Café, IMS & Suttie, we will showcase vegan-friendly oat milk as the default offer on 25 April at no extra cost. Dairy (and soya) will still be available for those who request it.
Elsewhere on campus we will mark Earth Day with a switch off of external lighting around King’s College Chapel and the Crown Tower, over the weekend of 21 to 24 April.