Rollins Dining and Sustainability Partner on Environmental Stewardship

In recognition of Earth Day on April 22, Rollins College Dining and the Rollins Sustainability Program have joined forces to inspire environmental awareness through campus-wide activities that promote green living and mindful food choices.

The collaborative Earth Day celebration will take place across Mills Lawn and the Campus Center, where students will find sustainable foods, local vendors, giveaways, and interactive competitions designed to engage the campus community and support long-term climate solutions.

“Sustainability is woven into the fabric of our dining program,” said Cristina Cabanilla, Director of Dining Services for Rollins Dining. “These initiatives aren’t just about reducing our footprint—they’re about building awareness and encouraging students to make thoughtful, healthy choices that benefit both themselves and the environment.”

One highlight of the day will be a plant-based cooking competition, with all entries required to be vegan or vegetarian. Participating students will craft recipes using ingredients harvested directly from the Rollins campus garden. Winners and attendees will receive potted plants—also cultivated on campus—to take home or back to their dorms, reinforcing the value of local, sustainable growing practices.

Rollins Dining will also spotlight a variety of eco-friendly menu items in its dining locations. Among them is a fresh take on a snack favorite: "Apple Nachos," made with thinly sliced apples drizzled with nut butter and topped with cinnamon, granola, and dried fruit. The dish exemplifies the balance of health-conscious and environmentally friendly eating.

Behind the scenes, Rollins Dining has adopted forward-thinking food waste solutions that are already delivering tangible results. Through its implementation of Leanpath, a waste-tracking technology, The Marketplace kitchen collects data on food waste to make smarter decisions around purchasing, preparation, and portion control. Since the program began, Rollins has saved the equivalent of 33,260 meals and avoided 126 metric tons of CO₂ emissions, contributing to both environmental and financial sustainability.

In addition, Rollins Dining has introduced an ORCA biodigester to further reduce its kitchen waste. The technology uses a natural biological process to break down food scraps into a liquid effluent, which flows into the existing plumbing system. Once treated at wastewater facilities, the nutrients are either converted into renewable biogas or applied to land. To date, 32,767 pounds of food waste have been processed through the ORCA system.

Together, these initiatives reflect a growing campus-wide commitment to environmental responsibility—one that extends from daily dining operations to special events and student engagement. With the combined efforts of Rollins Dining and the Rollins Sustainability Program, Earth Month at Rollins is a call to action rooted in education, innovation, and community participation.