
Providing all the food for Seattle University, Redhawk Dining (Chartwells) is dedicated to exercising sustainability in the kitchen and educating customers on its sustainability practices:
Seattle University's Office of Multicultural Affairs' Food Security Initiatives provides empowering resources to any Seattle University affiliate with a SU ID, especially those who are experiencing perpetual hunger. The Gender Justice Center has championed food security and food justice work on campus. It is due to their determination that the food pantry and programming have been highlighted as a priority for the Seattle University community. The food justice programming includes:
At SU you can “eat your campus”: enjoy the organically-grown fruit, vegetables and herbs from the gardens! Through SU Grounds’ Edible Campus Ambassadors program, students can engage in hands-on learning about urban agriculture while earning internship credits. Yearning to grow some food for yourself, friends and family, or for those in need? We have two p patch- style gardens on campus with 31 raised beds available for students, staff, and faculty. View the edible map and learn more about how to grow your own food in an SU community garden plot.
Seattle University is a pesticide-free campus maintained by the fantastic Grounds crew! Our gorgeous landscape has been maintained without the use of chemical pesticides since 1998. Our gardeners brew compost tea and spray it on plants, release good insects to eat the bad ones, and let leaves decompose where they fall. Learn more about the sustainable landscaping practices here.
1000 pounds of pre-consumer food waste is turned into compost at SU’s composting facility and then spread on our gardens to improve soil quality! Post-consumer food waste is collected and taken to a local compost facility. When you go to the on-campus cafes and restaurants, remember that all to-go utensils, dishes, and packaging are compostable. Learn more about SU composting here.
Students banned the sale of bottled water at SU so fill your reusable bottle with free water in our cafes and fountains! Read here about the SU Case Study.
Seattle University was the first Pacific Northwest University to earn the title of Fair Trade Designated University (2015). Fair Trade products (chocolate, bananas, tea, coffee,...) are provided at all SU's cafes and Seattle U's Fair Trade MotMot Coffee is sold around campus as well! Fair Trade ensures that products were grown, harvested, crafted, and traded in ways that improve lives and protect the environment. Learn more about Fair Trade at SU here.
The Seattle University Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) chapter has built aquaponics systems in Peru. Find out more about the project here.
Campus gardens provide for students, staff, faculty, and community members to enter an oasis and enjoy the beauties of nature, despite Seattle University’s intercity location. The small campus contains more than 11 gardens, each with their own story, purpose, and theme. Check out more here.
Students, Staff, and faculty can grow vegetables and herbs in their own 4 x 8 foot raised bed. Raised bed users are responsible for planting, maintenance and harvest during the growing season. Hand tools, watering cans and hoses are available at each site. Gardeners can receive free vegetable starts at the Grounds Departments April Earth Day celebration.
There are two campus community gardens. The Chardin Community Garden is located next to the sidewalk between Chardin Hall and the Seattle University Park. It has 15 raised beds. The Broadway Community Garden is located south of the Broadway Garage at the corner of Broadway Ave. and E. Columbia St. It has 12 raised beds.
To sign up for a raised bed, contact Janice Murphy at janicem@seattleu.edu