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Fueling A Sustainable Future

Tulane Hospitality is committed to reducing our environmental impact and incorporating ecologically sound, socially responsible practices in everything we do.

Overhead view of a bowl featuring cubed tofu seasoned with black pepper, served alongside sliced cucumber, shredded carrots, and shredded purple cabbage on a light wood surface.

Meet Your Sustainability Manager

Our full-time on-site Sustainability Manager works directly with the culinary team, operations managers, student experience team, and sourcing partners to optimize our practices and find new ways for you to get involved.

Hi, I'm Emily!

  • As the Sustainability Manager for Tulane Hospitality, I use the guiding principles of Aramark's Be Well Do Well sustainability strategy along with our partnership with the Tulane Office of Sustainability to promote more across campus.

    Whether it's in our residential dining halls, retail locations, or campus catering, I work closely with the student body to lead initiatives that reduce and divert waste, improve energy efficiency, and incorporate locally grown and harvested food.

    I'm a proud alumna of Centenary College of Louisiana and a lifelong resident of south Louisiana. In my free time, I love to read and cook using locally grown produce and fresh Gulf seafood.

Reduce Carbon Impact, Plate by Plate

Our sustainability program features robust efforts to limit our carbon footprint.

  • ReusePass - Reusable Container

    Visit our ReusePass Partners' website and sign- up to unlock access to our to-go container program in the LBC and Malkin Sacks Commons

  • Food Waste Prediction

    We utilize Streamline Technology smart scales to carefully track and documents food production so we can stop food waste in its tracks.

  • Sustainable Dining Events

    Each semester, we host multiple dining event featuring local sustainability partners and CoolFood-certified meals with low-carbon impacts.

Certifiably Sustainable Dining

We are proud to receive national certifications that confirm our commitment to creating a sustainable dining environment for our campus community.

  •  The official Green Restaurant Certified logo featuring a globe and cutlery, highlighted by three green stars at the bottom.  The official Green Restaurant Certified logo featuring a globe and cutlery, highlighted by three green stars at the bottom  The official Green Restaurant Certified logo featuring a globe and cutlery, highlighted by three green stars at the bottom.

    Green Restaurant Association

    The Malkin- Sacks Commons and Green Wave Grille have earned a Three- Star Certification by the Green Restaurant Association

  • A circular glass plaque mounted on a green brick wall in the Malkin Sacks Commons, etched with the "LEED Silver 2020" logo for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

    LEED Silver Certification

    The Malkin Sacks Commons is a LEED Silver Certified Facility, demonstrating a commitment to green building & facility design.

  • A silver "stars" seal from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (AASHE) overlaid on a blurred image of the Malkin Sacks CommonsA silver "stars" seal from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (AASHE) overlaid on a blurred image of the Malkin Sacks Commons. A silver "stars" seal from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (AASHE) overlaid on a blurred image of the Malkin Sacks Commons.

    AASHE Silver Certification

    Tulane University ranked #2 in the nation in AASHE's Food & Dining category under version 3.0 of the STARS Criteria.

Highlighting our Local Partners

We rely on local farmers and distributors, as well as area small businesses to provide our community with fresh veggies, juicy fruits, and composting services to make our lining services super tasty, and super sustainable

  • Lester Williams, our farming partner, standing in a lush farm field, holding up a freshly harvested sweet potato plant by its roots. Lester Williams, our farming partner, standing in a lush farm field, holding up a freshly harvested sweet potato plant by its roots. Lester Williams, our farming partner, standing in a lush farm field, holding up a freshly harvested sweet potato plant by its roots. Lester Williams, our farming partner, standing in a lush farm field, holding up a freshly harvested sweet potato plant by its roots.

    Williams Produce

    Based in Batchelor, Louisiana. Williams Produce delivers freshly harvested and locally grown vegetables to our dining halls. In Fall 2025, Lester sent the Malik Sacks Commons more than 25,000lbs of produce , including 99% of all cucumbers and 98% of grape tomatoes used at the Malkin Sacks Commons!

  • A close-up of a bright green "Schmelly’s" organics recycling bin with "COMPOST ONLY" printed on the side. A close-up of a bright green "Schmelly’s" organics recycling bin with "COMPOST ONLY" printed on the side. A close-up of a bright green "Schmelly’s" organics recycling bin with "COMPOST ONLY" printed on the side.

    Schmelly's Dirt Farm

    Schemelly's collects food scraps from the Dining Room at the Malkin Sacks Commons and delivers them to their organic recycling farm on Olive Street in New Orleans. There natural biological processes turn those food scraps into high- quality compost and soil products that are then re-sold to area farmers.

  • A logo for Capitol City Produce featuring white text and leaf icons against a solid vibrant green background.

    Capital City Produce

    Based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana , Capital City Produce delivers fresh, tasty fruits and vegetables, including seasonal delights from around the world.

  • A graphic for the Audubon Nature Institute's "G.U.L.F." (Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries) program, featuring illustrated icons of an oyster, a fishing boat, and a fish.

    Audubon G.U.L.F

    Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries (GULF) is the sustainable seafood program of of Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans, Louisiana and promotes and celebrates responsibly harvested Gulf seafood, and helps members of the seafood industry work towards greater sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Get Involved !

Help us with our goal of eliminating food insecurity and waste by getting involved with out sustainability partners and events.

  • A group of seven students smiling in a kitchen setting, standing around a tall rack of food trays wrapped in clear plastic.

    Students Against Food Insecurity

    Our friends at the Food Recovery Network and Students Against Food Insecurity, pack and donate unused food to local community partners.

  • A clean graphic logo with the words "SWIPE OUT" in a teal box above "HUNGER" in a white box with a pink horizontal strike-through.

    Swipe Out Hunger

    Tulane Hospitality offers meal swipes, no questions asked, to students who are facing food insecurity.

  • Sustainability Student Dining Advisory Council

    Give us a student perspective on sustainability by sharing your options with us on this special sustainability focused student council.

  • Three people smiling and holding up bright neon-green, reusable plastic to-go containers in the Malkin Sacks Commons. Three people smiling and holding up bright neon-green, reusable plastic to-go containers in the Malkin Sacks Commons.

    ReusePass TU Go Program

    Help us reduce the amount of single-use containers entering the waste stream by signing up to receive reusable containers with ReusePass.