Eating green at Paul Smith's isn't just about veggies. These are just some of the environmentally friendly steps our Dining Services department has taken:

• Green cleaning supplies: All dishwasher detergents, cleaners and soaps are environmentally friendly.
• No more styrofoam: Replaced with compostable materials.
• No more trays: Eliminates food waste, cuts hot water use 40 percent and saves dishwashing detergent.
• Goodbye vending machines: Almost all of the campus vending machines have been eliminated, saving electricity.
• Local foods: Meat, soft drinks, fruit, vegetables – we purchase locally as often as possible, showcasing local vendors and supporting a bio-regional economy. By purchasing items produced closer to our region we help cut our carbon footprint.
• Fair-trade coffee
• Supporter and host of Adirondack Harvest's "Local Foods" events
• "Scrape the Waste” Fridays: Student initiative cuts wasted food from six 55-gallon garbage cans to one 55-gallon can.
• Enviro-Mugs 2008: Distribute mugs celebrating sustainability and eliminate paper to-go cups.
• Recycle fryer oil: An area farmer is using our old fryer oil for biodiesel.
• Smarter lighting: Lights are dimmed for breakfast, dinner and between meals – and kept off on sunny days.
• Sustainable decorations: clippings from campus evergreens are used as centerpieces instead of purchasing non-native flowers.
• By using recycled paper products (napkins & paper towels) we have saved annually:
  • 6,399 pounds of waste paper
  • 17,229 gallons of water
  • 7.38 cubic yards of landfill space
  • 9,845 kilowatts of energy
  • ,336 BTU’s of energy
  • 935 gallons of oil
  • 147 pounds of air pollutants
  • 42 trees
  • Source: SCA