March 31st, 2025 - during the month of April
This month marks the start of something big! During the month of April, OSU campus dining locations are showcasing plant-forward menu items. Students, staff and community members can enjoy both old favorites and new plant-based dishes and ingredients at every OSU dining center and many campus cafes and retail locations. Dishes range from plant-forward items, which include less animal products, to vegetarian and vegan options. These plant-forward food specials provide a tasty and nutritious beginning to University Housing & Dining Services’ broader Planting It Forward campaign. The campaign is focused on meeting our dining program’s larger goals of supporting positive health outcomes for our customers and the environment. As part of our efforts to meet these important goals, we have announced our commitment to offer 50% plant-based menu items at campus dining locations by 2027.
Why plant forward?
Plant-based eating offers many benefits to individual health and environmental health. Many studies show that following a plant-based, whole-food diet can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, certain types of cancer and other chronic diseases. Many of these benefits can be reaped simply from shifting the balance of foods in your diet to incorporate more plant-based options. This month-long campaign will highlight plant-based dishes on campus and show the plentiful array of options available. Our dining team aims to demonstrate that diners do not need to sacrifice flavor or eliminate their favorite foods to enjoy a more plant-powered diet.
Choosing plant-forward, whole foods can also benefit the planet by decreasing the carbon footprint of your meals. According to recent studies, dishes made without animal protein can reduce CO2 emissions and water use associated with food production. For example, producing a ¼ pound of hamburger uses 425 gallons of water and the same amount of energy as charging a cell phone for six months. Conversely, producing one kilogram of vegetables requires 40X less water and 50x less energy than producing one kilogram of beef. Additionally, the amount of emissions released in the atmosphere is 30 to 50x less during vegetable production than for meat production – the equivalent of driving a car two and a half times from Seattle to New York, compared driving a car once from Corvallis to Portland. Thus, choosing a diet higher in plant-based foods can support planetary health as well as individual health outcomes.
Small changes, big impacts
With these factors in mind, April is a perfect month to launch the Planting It Forward campaign as it a time of year for new growth, fresh beginnings and is host to Earth Day on April 22, 2025. The campaign derives its name from the idea that making small changes in our food choices today can have big impacts on our health and the environment in the future. It also gives a nod to the “plant-forward” focus on our dining goals. This approach encourages choosing ingredients and meals that are mainly derived from plants but does not necessarily exclude animal-based proteins entirely. Plant-forward meals provide greater flexibility based on tastes and nutritional goals while still offering significant benefits for the planet and for personal health.
How you can support
If having food choices on campus that support the health of individuals and the planet is important to you, there are multiple ways to make your voice heard this month! First, vote with your dollars by sampling the plant-forward menu items available at campus dining locations. Second, while you’re visiting one of our dining centers, add a pledge to the Pledge Wall. Whether it’s making one meal per week plant-based, adopting a pescetarian diet or shifting to a vegan lifestyle, no pledge is too small to make a difference in your health and that of our planet!
Sources:
Comparison of environmental impact of individual meals
Exploring Benefits and Barriers to Plant-Based Diets
Healthy plant-based diets better for the environment
List of Foods by Environmental Impact and Energy Efficiency
Plant-Based Dietary Patterns for Human and Planetary Health
The Environmental Sustainability of Plant-Based Dietary Patterns
What foods create the most and least greenhouse gas emissions?
WHO: Plant-based diets and their impact on health, sustainability, and the environment