News

August 27, 2009

Sustainability 'Second Nature' for Sodexo

Sodexo, a manager of foodservice facilities at colleges and other institutions, has formed an alliance with a nonprofit group devoted to making sustainability a part of higher education's DNA.

The alliance promises to help Sodexo dovetail its kitchen conservation efforts with the broader ecological aims of colleges and universities, which could extend to the classroom and every other aspect of the student experience. The stated mission of its new partner, Second Nature, is to "make sustainability the foundation of all learning and practice in higher education."

Sodexo suggested that the partnership could broaden and accelerate its campus conservation efforts.

"If colleges and universities are serious about their commitment to sustainability, they need to look at the dining facility and its food, waste and energy use," says Randy Settimio, president of Sodexo's Education Facilities Management arm. "Second Nature will help us collaborate to make the most of our sustainability efforts."

Second Nature works with college faculty members, trustees and administrators, including chief financial officers, to instill a sustainability discipline in all school functions. Part of its stated mission is to integrate the ecological strategies and efforts of all the "communities" or components of a college or university. The Boston-based group says it has worked with more than 500 institutes of higher education since it was founded in 1993.

Sodexo manages the dining rooms or other facilities of more than 600 U.S. colleges and universities.