Sustainability

BC Dining places a high priority on sourcing food from producers who share our Jesuit values of integrity, care, and earth stewardship. We foster a culture in which the interwoven benefits of growing, cooking, and sharing responsibly and ethically grown food become an integral part of the University's community experience.

The University has working relationships with local growers, manufacturers, and vendors who respect and promote ecologically sound agricultural practices, and food distributors who can trace their products to responsible sources.

Our Dining team is committed to continuing a business strategy based on high-quality food service that focuses on the principles of long-term sustainable and equitable development. We're a proud member of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative. In the fall we host a weekly farmers market outside Corcoran Commons.

Programs & Initiatives


Green2Go program allows students to opt for a reusable to-go container instead of paper or plastic when they are eating on the go. Green2Go containers are sturdy, easy to carry, BPA free, and made out of 50 percent recycled plastic. The program is now available at Lower, McElroy, Stuart, Addie's, Eagle's Nest, Lyons, and Hillside dining halls. For a one-time fee of $9 on the mandatory meal plan, students can use Green2Go all year long. Plus, students save 10% their purchase when using Green2Go!

Learn More

Green2Go Containers

FRESH to Table promotes fairly traded, regional, equitable, sustainable, and healthy food through our purchasing, outreach, and menus. FRESH to Table encourages students to eat intuitively while focusing on growing community awareness for regional food systems, food literacy, and food justice. We partner with student sustainability groups like EcoPledge and Real Food and participate with them at Harvest Fest and the Earth Day Fair.

 FRESH Calendar Spring 24 (24 x 18 in) - 1
Students at a FRESH to table event
students at a FRESH to Table event

Funded by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation 

The FRESH to Table initiative was launched in 2017 thanks to generous funding from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation.The Kendall Foundation's goal is to create a resilient and healthy food system in New England by increasing the production and consumption of local, sustainably produced food. Only 13 percent of food in New England is grown regionally; the Kendall Foundation seeks to increase this to 50 percent by 2060.

Learn More About the Kendall Foundation

BC Dining makes great efforts to reduce our waste footprint. Initiatives that reduce single use plastics and combat unnecessary food waste are not only good for business, but the right thing to do as stewards of the Earth. Learn more below.

BC Dining subscribes to the New England Food Vision, which calls for a food future in which 50 percent of our food is sustainably produced in the region by 2060. We prioritize foods grown and produced by New England food producers, farmers, and fishing communities while also striving to support food producers around the world who contribute to a more socially just and environmentally sustainable food system. We use our FRESH to Table parameters as food standards to:

  • Empower small farmers and environmentally sound farming practices
  • Support New England farmers and businesses 
  • Ensure fair wages and humane animal welfare practices 
  • Foster environmental stewardship while protecting biodiversity and soil fertility
  • Encourage a plant-forward, balanced diet

Regional and Sustainable Vendors

Community Partnerships

Boston College Dining Services is dedicated to working with a variety of student and university groups and local partners to support sustainability initiatives across campus:

students at the Green Week event

BC Sustainability News