The Harvard Kennedy School is proud to announce that its Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) cafe and catering operations have been awarded the prestigious Green Restaurant Association’s 3-star certification in recognition of its outstanding commitment to sustainability. This award highlights the cafe’s ongoing efforts to improve its climate-focused footprint by incorporating key environmental steps into its cafe and catering, such as sourcing local food, crafting lower-carbon menus, and conducting sustainable operations focused on energy, water, and resource efficiency. HUDS ‘s HKS location has focused on minimizing its environmental impact while promoting responsible dining practices among students, faculty, staff, and visitors to campus since it opened in the Wexner Building in 2018.
The Green Restaurant Association’s 3-star award is granted to establishments that demonstrate excellence in sustainability through eco-friendly practices such as:
- Sustainable And Lower-Carbon Food Options: The HUDS cafe partners with more than 250 local farms and suppliers to procure sustainably and fair trade harvested ingredients used in its meal offerings throughout the year. The HUDS menu features a variety of plant-based and lower-carbon footprint meal choices that can promote sustainable eating habits for people and the planet, with more than 33 percent of entrees offered being plant-based.
- Waste Management: By increasing composting and working to eliminate specific single-use plastics over the years, the cafe is working to significantly reduce waste of all kinds. The cafe offers compostable products for the majority of its takeaway items to divert organic waste from landfills, which are then used to generate renewable energy in local Charlestown, MA. This process also produces a nutrient-dense fertilizer to support farms and pastures.
- Curbing Food Waste: Inside the cafe, HUDS practices food waste reduction strategies such as making its food to order, tracking previous purchases to better forecast future menus and community buying behaviors, and repurposing leftover ingredients into future meals. HUDS also partners with the HKS Food Chain that alerts a listserv of community members as to when events are finished to share leftovers with community members and help reduce the volume of the campus’ food waste. The HKS Food Chain saves more than 1,000 pounds of food from entering our compost waste streams each year.
- Increased Conservation: The HKS cafe is upgraded to run on energy-efficient appliances and utilizes water-saving technologies throughout its kitchens to conserve energy and resources. The Wexner Building where the Cafe and Catering operations are housed achieved a LEED Platinum award in 2018 for excellence in sustainable building design throughout its infrastructure.
“Sustainability has always been a priority for us, so this award is a great acknowledgement of what our team is working towards every day,” said Serie DeMelo, General Manager at HUDS HKS’ Cafe. “We’re proud to serve good food to our community while making our campus a greener, more sustainable campus.”
As part of its ongoing commitment, HKS will continue to work towards its sustainability initiatives by expanding its partnerships with local suppliers, introducing more plant-based meal options in menus, and engaging students in sustainability-focused programs and events as part of its long-term Sustainability Action Plan.
“Sustainability is essential in our cafe because it’s about more than just reducing waste—it’s about responsibility. All of the choices we make, from sourcing ingredients to energy use, impact not only our business but also our community and the environment. Running a sustainable restaurant means creating a better future for everyone,” said Crista Martin, Director for Strategic Initiatives and Communication of HUDS.
Harvard’s HUDS was named the Green Restaurant Association’s “Greenest University” in 2024, with 19 certified restaurants in Cambridge and Boston, MA. For more information about HUDS’ sustainability efforts and dining services and Harvard University’s overall commitment to sustainability, please visit Harvard University Dining Services and the OFS Sustainable Meetings and Events Guide.