ARAMARK Joins Client Partners to Present at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Conference

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ARAMARK, a leader in providing dining and facilities management services to hundreds of Higher Education institutions across North America, is proud to join several of its partner clients to present at the 2012 Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Conference in Los Angeles, October 14-17. The AASHE Conference, the largest North American conference focused on sustainability in higher education, brings together thousands of higher education sustainability leaders and advocates for four days of interactive sessions, curriculum workshops, local campus sustainability tours, an awards program and Student Summit.

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As part of this year's conference, "Investing in our Future," ARAMARK partners from several colleges and universities will present campus programs that have been implemented in conjunction with Dining Services to support their institutions' sustainability goals. 

"ARAMARK is proud to join our college and university partners who are being recognized by AASHE for their sustainability achievements," said Rita Alison, National Senior Manager Sustainability & Environmental Stewardship, ARAMARK Higher Education. "We hope that these best practices will serve as a model for other higher education institutions in advancing sustainability on their campus and in their surrounding communities."

Conference presentations featuring ARAMARK partners include:

Arizona State University and University of Central Florida: Charting Emissions through Food Service (CHEFS):

The movement and level of sophistication surrounding sustainable dining is growing, yet few institutions have as yet been able to measure their total "baseline" climate change impacts from dining services. This panel discussion will focus on the findings from several dining service operations participation in measuring and tracking their greenhouse gas emissions from institutional dining services through Clean-Air Cool-Planet's CHEFS tool.  Participants will share insights about the challenges they faced, the ways in which this project related to their other sustainable dining efforts, the lessons they learned, and the changes in dining service practices or policies that have resulted.

University of Florida: Foam Free Dining

This workshop highlights Gator Dining Services' journey to eliminate foam from its dining operations.  Foam products on campus were replaced with paper based products that are either made with renewable resources, compostable and/or recyclable. The elimination of foam in the 49 dining locations at the University diverts an estimated 1.2 million units of foam products from the landfill which is approximately 24,000 lbs or 17,000 cubic feet of foam.

Boston University: Third Party Certification - Overcoming Barriers and Unexpected Benefits

A third-party certification lends validity and accountability to an institution's efforts and initiatives to make their operations more sustainable.   This presentation discusses how the process of becoming a Certified Green Restaurant® by the Green Restaurant Association achieved several unexpected outcomes, which can be used as a model for other institutions to meet their own sustainability goals.

University of Tennessee: Creating a Successful Reusable Mug Incentive Program for a Large Campus Community

This presentation highlights a unique reusable mug incentive program that applies to almost all beverages and locations on campus, and can be used with the customer's own mug from home.  In the first six months of the program, 30,000 disposable cups were prevented from entering the landfill.

ARAMARK Higher Education: Preparing Students for the 21^st Century Green Workforce

This panel discussion will focus on how industry trends and future needs demand a sustainability skill set and cognitive understanding in order to meet the sustainability challenges of the 21st century.

In addition to presenting at the Conference, ARAMARK is also co-sponsoring with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the 2012 Student Summit, which is expected to be attended by more than 700 student leaders who will collaborate on sustainability projects taking place on their campuses.

ARAMARK's leadership and participation in the AASHE Conference and Student Summit demonstrates the company's overall commitment to environmental sustainability. Through various environmental stewardship initiatives and other programs like ARAMARK's Environmental Internship Program, the company seeks to integrate environmental acumen across its workforce in the areas of sustainable procurement, energy and water conservation and waste management.

About ARAMARK Higher Education

ARAMARK Higher Education is dedicated to excellence in dining, facility and stadium and arena services. ARAMARK enhances the living and learning experience and environment for more than 600 colleges and universities throughout North America.  For more information and a list of our services, visit www.aramarkhighered.com.

About ARAMARK

ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. The company is recognized as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute, one of the "World's Most Admired Companies" by FORTUNE magazine and one of America's Largest Private Companies by both FORTUNE and Forbes magazines. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 250,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Learn more at www.twitter.com/aramark.

About Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)  AASHE is helping to create a brighter future of opportunity for all by advancing sustainability in higher education. By creating a diverse community engaged in sharing ideas and promising practices, AASHE provides administrators, faculty, staff and students, as well as the business that serve them, with: thought leadership and essential knowledge resources; outstanding opportunities for professional development; and a unique framework for demonstrating the value and competitive edge created by sustainability initiatives. For more information about AASHE, visit www.aashe.org.  Follow AASHE on Facebook and Twitter.

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