The midday rush at Rathbone hums with clattering dishes. Above the dish return, a glowing screen tracks the food left unfinished.
That screen is part of Lehigh Dining’s growing sustainable dining effort, spearheaded by sustainability coordinator Marayna Dorsey, alongside marketing manager Erin Foertsch and the Rathbone operations team. Together, they’re working to make sustainability at Lehigh convenient and visible.
Their goal is to engrain sustainable practices into everyday campus life through efforts like real-time food waste data and themed dinners served with herbs grown in-house, straight from the dining hall.
Dorsey began their time at Lehigh Dining last April after studying environmental science at Shippensburg University. They were inspired by an internship with the Alliance for Sustainable Communities in Bethlehem, where they visited local restaurants and evaluated disposable practices, working to implement more sustainable alternatives.
Now, at Lehigh, Dorsey’s work prioritizes waste reduction at campus dining facilities — and Rathbone is at the heart of that effort. Over the past semester, they’ve focused on waste reduction and the widespread use of disposable containers at campus dining locations.
One of the most visible changes is the Leanpath Spark system in Rathbone, which measures both “back-of-house” and post-consumer waste.
Dorsey said a screen is dedicated to showing day-to-day plate waste, breaking it down into gallons of water equivalents and carbon emissions so the data is easier for students to understand.
Rathbone also uses a biodigester. Dorsey said food waste that can’t be donated goes through a pulper and then into the biodigester.
Students have responded with curiosity and, at times, doubt.
“We’re definitely working on making students aware that this is real data that’s coming from in-house,” Dorsey said.
Once waste data is collected, operators adjust production in response. Dorsey said they review post-production sheets showing how much was wasted and then reconfigure production the next time that meal is served.
Rathbone runs on a five-week cycle, and the data helps reduce overproduction. When there’s excess food, it’s donated through the Food Recovery Network to local shelters.
Foertsch said many decisions happen behind the scenes.
“There are so many decisions on such a small scale, but they make a big impact,” Foertsch said. “Like, which fork should we get that would be best for the environment?”
She said her priority is sharing these efforts with the community.
“I tell the story of what we’re doing and the impact that we make and show students that they can make an impact too by changing small things in their day-to-day habits,” Foertsch said.
Dorsey also emphasizes social sustainability. For Halloween, they handed out roasted pumpkin seeds to use catering’s pumpkin leftovers. This February, they organized a Black History Month dinner in partnership with the Black Student Union.
Another sustainability effort sits front and center on the dining hall floor: Rathbone’s hydroponic garden.
Under bright LED lights, the garden’s maintained by Joseph Kornafel, the director of resident dining, and assistant director Scott Glenn.
“We try to grow as many of the herbs that are used in cooking for the different dishes as possible.” Kornafel said. “It can’t get much more local than in-house.”
Despite positive feedback from the Rathbone dining team, the garden presents challenges. Kornafel said the company that manufactured the system no longer exists, so when issues arise, staff must rely on old systems data to troubleshoot and get it running again.
Still, the herbs make their way into infused waters, pasta sauces and meat seasonings throughout the week. As Rathbone transitions into spring, Kornafel said he hopes to expand basil production to complement a variety of seasonal dishes. He said he values feedback from chefs and plans according to their herb needs.
Across dining locations such as the Clayton University Center, students can opt into the ReUse Pass program, an initiative Dorsey is passionate about. In response to recent student feedback, the team implemented return confirmations this semester to help students know their containers were successfully returned.
Foertsch said expansion of the program is currently limited by staffing and infrastructure gaps.
“When we do a ton of drop-off locations, that kind of becomes its own job,” she said.
Glenn said containers used through the program have a 97% return rate.
“Everything that’s going out, is coming back,” he said. “So it’s working.”
Kornafel said the program encourages students to think more about where their leftover food goes. He said there’s about four ounces of food waste per person. He also said making a change can be as simple as taking smaller portions and returning for more.
Dorsey said they hope to expand Leanpath beyond Rathbone and continue reducing food waste across campus. They often return to a quote from their internship: “Convenience is the enemy of sustainability.” They said being intentional about portions and utensils can make a difference.
Glenn said the team is exploring a mulching program in partnership with other university organizations. Kornafel imagines a future in which more ingredients served at Rathbone are grown in-house.
The next time students pick up dinner at Rathbone, the basil in their pesto pasta may have been harvested from the hydroponic garden that afternoon — a reminder that sustainability at Lehigh is built on simple but intentional decisions.