30% of all the food produced in America goes to waste, with 13% of that total from higher education dining halls.
At Pitt we strive to build food systems that minimizes waste, strengthens our local communities, and supports a healthy body and planet by investing in sustainable sourcing, mindful dietary practices, and innovative waste solutions.
The University of Pittsburgh’s Food Systems goals are:
- MEALS: Achieve Coolfood Pledge commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions per plate 38% by 2030 (from 2017 baseline).
- PROCUREMENT: Support local food economies by sourcing 30% of food and beverage products locally or sustainably by 2030.
- TO-GO: Offer reusable to-go containers for food and beverages at over 50% of campus dining locations by 2030.
In 2019, the University of Pittsburgh was among the first signatories — and one of the first universities worldwide — to join in the Coolfood Pledge, a global initiative led by the World Resources Institute (WRI) to cut food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030.
After winning the 2023 Pitt Sustainability Challenge, Ecotone Renewables is transforming campus food waste into fertilizer with innovative anaerobic digesters. Two of five planned digesters have launched at Posvar Hall and Sutherland Hall.
Food Recovery Heroes is the University of Pittsburgh’s student chapter of the national Food Recovery Network. The Food Recovery Network unites students at colleges and universities to fight food waste and hunger by recovering surplus food from campus dining halls and donating it to local hunger-fighting agencies.
Track our progress on food procurement, CoolFood Pledge commitments, and reusable dining initiatives on our Food Systems Dashboard.
