| Overall Rating | Reporter - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | |
| Liaison | Amy Spark |
| Submission Date | April 5, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Bow Valley College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
Our dining services contractor completes an annual "Better Tomorrow" report, outlining their current sustainability initiatives and dining polices.
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:
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:
Every few years, our dining services contractor partners with the Student Association and other student groups on campus to host a "Rich Man Poor Man" event. This event provides education and engagement around the global food distribution system, outlining the social and environmental impacts of globalization of food. This year, we Bow Valley College is on the planning committee for the city-wide "Feeding the 5000" meal, creating a meal for over 5000 people entirely from food diverted from landfills. The event will be hosted across the street from the college, in the City of Calgary Olympic Plaza.
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:
There is permanent labeling and signage outlining our Choose-to-Reuse program, Fair Trade products, and sustainable seafood sold in the dining hall. Our contractor also posts fliers about current initiatives (for example: going strawless, and charging 5 cents for a plastic bag). There is also information on the benefits and rationale behind Fair Trade products.
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:
Our dining services contractor is a member of our sustainability committee, and volunteers at several sustainability-themed events throughout the year.
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:
We have a high number of Immigrant students, and our dining services contractor offers many culturally-diverse options, including halal beef and plenty of vegetarian options.
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:
There are no trays available in any of our food service sites.
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:
Our dining services contractor donates any unused food to LeftoversYYC, a local nonprofit food distribution organization, at the end of the week.
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 donates used cooking oil to a citizen who uses it as fuel in his biofuel vehicle.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Our dining services provider have composting bins in all of their food prep areas.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
We have organic collection bins throughout campus.
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:
N/A
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:
All of our certified compostable containers come from GreenShift, a Canadian company: http://greenshift.ca/products/. We recently began stamping all of our containers with a stamp that says 'compostable' to ensure they end up in the right bin.
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:
Customers who bring their own reusable mug receive a large discount on hot beverages. Customers may also participate in a optional Choose-to-Reuse program where they can 'rent' reusable containers instead of a disposable compostable container. Participants in the program buy a $4 'Choose to Reuse' card, which they use as a deposit each time they want to borrow a reusable container. At the end of the meal, they return the container and get a Choose-to-Reuse card back. It is a $4 investment, but they can use the card as many times as they want.
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:
Our dining services contractor use bulk dispensing techniques to serve milk, cream, and sugar (instead of individual). Recently, the Market on campus went strawless, and started charging 5 cents for a plastic bag.
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.