| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 30.79 |
| Liaison | Rebecca Jones |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Austin College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 2.00 |
Kelby
Archer Coordinator Center for Environmental Studies |
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
Our primary dining services contractor, Aramark, has a sustainable dining policy that can be found here: https://austincollege.campusdish.com/Sustainability.aspx
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a farmers market, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, and/or urban agriculture project, or support such a program in the local community?:
A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a vegan dining program that makes diverse, complete-protein vegan options available to every member of the campus community at every meal?:
A brief description of the vegan dining program:
Vegan options available at designated platform and rotate with each meal period delivering a variety of options. A comprehensive salad bar consisting of over 30 items rotating daily and a minimum of two composed salads.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
A brief description of the low impact dining events:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a sustainability-themed food outlet on-site, either independently or in partnership with a contractor or retailer?:
A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor inform customers about low impact food choices and sustainability practices through labeling and signage in dining halls?:
A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
Postcard advertisements can be placed inside the napkin dispensers in the dining hall, and the dispensers currently have a postcard urging diners to clean their plate and make an effort to waste less food.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have other sustainability-related initiatives (e.g. health and wellness initiatives, making culturally diverse options available)?:
A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
Our contractor, Aramark, is proud to serve culturally diverse menus, featuring traditional favorites, ethnic dishes and international flavors.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor participate in a competition or commitment program and/or use a food waste prevention system to track and improve its food management practices?:
A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
Has the institution or its primary dining services contractor implemented trayless dining (in which trays are removed from or not available in dining halls) and/or modified menus/portions to reduce post-consumer food waste?:
A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
A brief description of the food donation program:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor divert food materials from the landfill, incinerator or sewer for animal feed or industrial uses (e.g. converting cooking oil to fuel, on-site anaerobic digestion)?:
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Our dining services contractor, Aramark, contracts with a company called Valley Proteins to clean out the grease traps. Valley Proteins recycles the grease and turns it into biofuel.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Pre-consumer food waste from plants is composted with wood chips provided by local companies that trim trees from around electric lines. The resulting compost is used on campus grounds.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
Dine-in meals in the Dining Hall use flatware, dinnerware, and trays that are washed and re-used at every meal. Meals in the "Pouch Club" grill area use disposable service ware, though Pouch Club meals make up less than half of the meals served at Austin College.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor provide reusable and/or third party certified compostable containers and service ware for “to-go” meals (in conjunction with an on-site composting program)?:
A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
Reusable to-go containers are available at every meal.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor offer discounts or other incentives to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in “to-go” food service operations?:
A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
Has the institution or its primary dining services contractor implemented other materials management initiatives to minimize waste not covered above (e.g. working with vendors and other entities to reduce waste from food packaging)?:
A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
Burritos used to be wrapped in aluminum foil before being served. Now once they are made for a diner, they are put directly on a plate and not wrapped in aluminum foil. Our napkin dispensers were also converted to single-napkin dispensers that are similar in function to facial tissue boxes. You can only pull out one napkin at a time.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.