Aeroponic Towers 

The Aeroponic towers were introduced in the dining hall Summer of 2019. Belmont Dining placed seeds in pieces of foam, stuffed them in tiny pots while the seeds were exposed to light on one end and nutrient-based mist on the other. “By including the two Aeroponic towers in the dining hall, we continue our sustainability pledge and show our students the exciting process as they watch the plants grow at a steady rate,” said Culinary Director, Chef John Williams. Currently, we have arugula, kale, Swiss chard, basil, and an assortment of hot chilies growing in them. These herbs will be used for our pizza toppings, salads and to create hot sauces from the fresh chili peppers. 

Food Donations to the Bruins Vet Center & Nashville Rescue Mission | Local Partnerships

We are privileged to assist under-served individuals on campus and in the Nashville Metro Area. For every week the dining hall is open, we donate packaged Simply To Go food items and beverages to the Bruins Vet campus kitchen at Belmont and to the Nashville Rescue Mission. Last semester, we donated over 1,000 packaged food items and looking forward to continue to help our campus and community in Nashville. 

Our local partnerships with Fresh Point, Garden Creations and Charpiers Bakery are extremely important to us. These partnerships help us support local farmers and highlight the endless benefits of eating produce from "Farm to Fork." We hosted our first on-campus Farmers Market in the Fall of 2019 and partnered with local farmers and businesses. Some of these businesses were Bloomsbury Farm, Nobles Spring Dairy, The Urban Juicer, Ousley Salsa, Cocorio, Christie Cookies, Phocus, Meta+Muse and Orbs. By partnering with local businesses, we continue our Sustainability promise and provide healthy options for our students.

Fryer Oil Recycling & Composting Program 

Hundreds of Thousands of pounds of previously utilized cooking oils and solid food waste is recycled right here at Belmont thru state-of-the-art composting equipment in Harrington Place Dining. This prevents hazardous materials from winding up in landfills and local water sources exponentially reducing our environmental foot print.