By Maddie Laskoski

After earning a dismal D- on its Green Report Card in 2007, Lafayette instituted a series of dramatic improvements, boosting this year’s score to a solid B.

The annual report measures the sustainability of colleges in the U.S. and Canada based on several factors—from student involvement, administration and green building to transportation, food and recycling.

“We’re transforming from ‘cradle to grave’ to ‘cradle to cradle,’ which has tremendous implications, both environmentally and otherwise,” Lafayette Environmental Awareness and Protection (LEAP) President Chris Kelly ‘13 said. “Advances in … how we view our food and our belongings could enable a higher human carrying capacity, lower environmental externalities, as well as progress in overall functional efficiency.”

This semester, Sodexo introduced the program “Grounds 4 Growth” as a way for dining services to improve its sustainability standards. The initiative is working to make coffee consumption more sustainable by recycling the grounds and using them to fertilize the Lafayette College Student Farm.

“This is a way for us to reduce our waste and give back in a way that is good for the environment. Every little bit counts,” Head of Marketing for Dining Services Rhonda Flagg said.

Jenn Bell ‘11, the Lafayette College Organic Garden Manager, is heading up the compost of the campuses’ used coffee grounds. Twice a week, Bell picks up the grounds from Skillman Café, transports them to the student farm, and sprinkles them on the plants.

Approximately 10 gallons of used coffee grounds are composted in the student farm each week.

“The coffee grounds are high in nitrogen, something our soil is lacking. They create better conditions for vegetables to grow,” Bell said.

In addition to reducing waste, Grounds 4 Growth increases the amount of locally grown food that is served on campus. “One of the most exciting initiatives that Sodexo is doing is taking the vegetables that are grown at the student farm and serving them in the dining halls. Not many campuses do that,” Bell said.

This semester alone, the produce from the student garden catered two brownbag events and two cooking demonstrations—one of which was pumpkin themed—for family weekend. The organic vegetables were also sold at the Farmers Market in front of Gilberts Café.

“Grounds 4 Growth is just another way of taking would-be trash and turning it into a valuable resource. It’s really great when you can get people to think differently about the things they normally throw away,” LEAP member Sam Phillips ‘12 said.

Though Lafayette’s sustainability initiatives have proven successful over the past four years, there is still much to be done. The school still earned C’s in categories of climate change/energy and transportation.