Food and Dining
Highlights
There are seven food pantries on campus. These pantries are supplied with fresh food by the Outback farm on campus, as well as other community partners such as The Bellingham Food Co-op, Viva farms, City Sprouts farm, and many others.
To learn more, visit the Basic Needs Hub website.
The Outback is in Fairhaven College. The Outback contributes to Western’s sustainability efforts through fostering community, building resilient food systems, educating students on sustainable farming practices, and advocating for food justice. It is a home to chickens and bees which provides eggs and honey for Western students. If you are interested in getting involved, visit their workshop and events calendar.
City Sprouts Farm is located in the Birchwood Neighborhood of Bellingham and is operated through Western’s Center for Community Learning. City Sprouts provides fresh, low-cost produce for this community as well as Western food pantries and many others in need. City Sprouts is a hot spot for educational opportunities, ranging from class visits to internships for Western Students. To learn more about ways you can get involved, sign up for City Sprouts' newsletter.
Dining Services Emissions Visualization
Interactive Visual Not Available
Full interactive visual coming soon!
This interactive visual shows the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the food purchased by WWU’s dining services (Chartwells) in academic year 2024. Food-related emissions totaled 3.2 million kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) and 35,000 kg of nitrous oxide (N2O), with beef accounting for over 50% of emissions. Each food group is tracked separately using emissions factors from Western’s GHG tracking tool, SIMAP and data provided by Chartwells, WWU’s contracted food provider. These figures include dining halls and markets on campus but do not encompass independent vendors. 2024 marked the first year that WWU has tracked its food-related emissions, which marks a milestone towards reaching our sustainability goals.
Nitrous oxide is tracked separately because its global warming potential (GWP) is 300 times greater than CO2 over 100 years. Nitrous oxide emissions occur during agricultural production, especially from fertilizer use and soil microbial processes that occur in livestock and crop systems. Nitrous oxide also degrades the ozone layer, threatening its recovery.
To learn more about dining services at Western visit: WWU Dining Services