| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 48.87 |
| Liaison | Amy Parrish |
| Submission Date | July 16, 2021 |
Boise State University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.23 / 2.00 |
Alex
Peck Graduate Student College of Business of Economics |
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a farmers market, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, 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 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 support disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through its food and beverage purchasing?:
A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
Daily, multiple stations offer a variety of plant forward and vegetarian options including entrees, sides, soups, sandwiches and vegetarian burgers.
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:
The “Daily Root” station is entirely plant based and features a variety of nutritionally balanced vegan entrees. In addition, vegan options are offered at other stations such as the grill (tofu scramble, vegan burger) and deli and along with vegan milk alternatives.
In 2018 and 2019, the Boise River Café received an A+ rating on PETA’s vegan report card.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor inform customers about low impact food choices and sustainability practices through labelling and signage in dining halls?:
A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
All plant-based items are labeled as vegetarian or vegan on the digital menu boards. Plant forward items are highlighted during educational activities.
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:
Internal food waste-tracking system, Lean Path, tracks post production foods waste. Food wasted is weighed and tracked which helps determine improvements for food waste reduction during preparation.
In partnership with Campus Sustainability, the post-consumer food waste weighing event, “Scrape Your Plate” is held. This event raises awareness of the types and amounts of customer food waste.
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:
In 2009, trayless dining was implemented in the dining hall. This minimizes post-consumer food waste while conserving resources previously used to clean and sanitize used trays.
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:
Before long break closures, perishable items are donated to the Boise Rescue Mission and Food Recovery Network.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor divert food materials from the landfill, incinerator or sewer for animal feed or industrial uses?:
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
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:
Both dining halls have reusable service ware which include utensils, cups, plates and bowls.
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:
Both dining halls offer recyclable, reusable to-go boxes. During the first year of implementation, about 1,500 reusable to-go boxes were sold. Every following year, the number continues to increase.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor offer discounts or other incentives to customers who use reusable containers instead of disposable or compostable containers in “to-go” food service operations?:
A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs 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.