| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.79 |
| Liaison | Mary Whitney |
| Submission Date | Sept. 22, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Chatham University
OP-22: Waste Minimization
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.91 / 5.00 |
Mary
Whitney University Sustainability Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
Waste generated::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 22.45 Tons | 10.94 Tons |
| Materials composted | 320.66 Tons | 23.06 Tons |
| Materials reused, donated or re-sold | 6.14 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 413.59 Tons | 244.57 Tons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 448 | 400 |
| Number of residential employees | 12 | 2 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 2,134 | 1,136 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,200 | 406 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 135 | 0 |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | Jan. 1, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2014 |
| Baseline Year | Jan. 1, 2005 | Dec. 31, 2005 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
The baseline was carried over from the previous STARS assessment. 2005 was the required year at that time.
Note that for this credit's performance year, the number of employees includes 800 employees of our tenants at our Eastside Campus, as their waste and recycling is inseparable from ours. We did not own Eastside in 2005, so we did not have tenant numbers in the baseline.
A brief description of any (non-food) waste audits employed by the institution:
A brief description of any institutional procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A brief description of any surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The Office Supply Exchange is a joint project of the Ikon Copy Center and the Office of Sustainability. Each of our three campus locations has a cupboard that is stocked with surplus paper, labels, folders, etc. These materials are free to all students, staff, and faculty.
Surplus furniture is donated to Construction Junction, a local building materials recycling center which is located less than a mile from both the Shadyside and Eastside campuses.
A brief description of the institution's efforts to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Chatham University uses a web-based Learning Management System called Moodle. Professors upload materials for their courses on Moodle for students to view, download, submit, or to discuss information. Professors are to use Moodle for all papers distributed to the students including syllabi.
Chatham University posts all documents and forms online on the intranet for campus departments including the business office, registrar, and academic affairs. If a student needs a form, he or she can fill it out on the computer and email it to the necessary department without any paper being used. All documents and forms can be accessed on the myChatham network.
A brief description of any limits on paper and ink consumption employed by the institution:
Each student is allowed to print 300 pages per semester. The number of pages that a student has printed is tracked through their student username when they log onto the network. Any additional pages that a student needs may be printed for a small fee per page.
A brief description of any programs employed by the institution to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Recycling opportunities are available for students in areas with designated bins for food, clothing, and school supplies. The housekeeping department makes special pick-ups of cardboard recycling during this time.
Through the Office of Residence Life (ORL), the university encourages a socially responsible clean up during move-out. E-mailed newsletters and announcements at residence hall meetings are utilized to educate the student population about the donation bins provided for food, clothing and school supplies. The ORL staff reviews the contents of the bins as well as any items left behind in the rooms.
A brief description of any other (non-food) waste minimization strategies employed by the institution:
We send our used cooking fat from the dining hall to be converted into biodiesel, and we donate all of old working computers to a local senior center computer donation program or the local Goodwill computer center.
A brief description of any food waste audits employed by the institution:
We have conducted food waste audits in the past, but once our first year as a fully-co-ed institution is up, we have plans to conduct another food audit to see what patterns we need to work with and improve upon.
A brief description of any programs and/or practices to track and reduce pre-consumer food waste in the form of kitchen food waste, prep waste and spoilage:
We compost all pre- and post-consumer food waste, but initially, all usable trimmings go to stock production (all Chatham soups are made from scratch.) The servery uses half-pans for lines so that we will be able to donate any unused food. By collaborating with Parkhurst Dining Services on food waste reduction efforts, we have fine-tuned the quantities of food put out during meal service so that there is very little extra for disposal.
A brief description of programs and/or practices to track and reduce post-consumer food waste:
Chatham ran a pilot program called “Trayless Tuesdays” in 2008, and it was so successful that the university fully implemented a completely trayless system in 2009. Currently, 99% of all meals served on campus are trayless. This includes meal plan meals, retail facility meals, and conference meals. The new system appears to have no disadvantages. In addition to using less water, soap, and labor to clean the trays, Chatham has seen enormous reductions in post-consumer food waste. Before the trayless system was used, dining hall patrons filled four to five 55-gallon containers with food waste per meal period. After going trayless, only half of one 55-gallon container is filled per meal.
A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable and/or third party certified compostable to-go containers for to-go food and beverage items (in conjunction with a composting program):
Chatham gives all students who purchase a meal plan, as well as faculty and staff, green, plastic reusable to-go containers free of charge at the beginning of each school year. Students without meal plans may buy these containers for $5. The Office of Sustainability underwrites the program for faculty and staff who do not have meal plans.
A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable service ware for “dine in” meals and reusable and/or third party certified compostable service ware for to-go meals (in conjunction with a composting program):
We use only china and glass for dine in meals, and no disposables are available except for take-out containers. All take-out materials that are not included in our reusable to-go box program are compostable Natureware, including the straws and lids.
A brief description of any discounts offered to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in to-go food service operations:
Cafe Rachel sells reusable beverage containers, and if one of their mugs is purchased or a mug is brought from home, a customer is only charged for a small tea or coffee. Cold and hot water is free with use of one's own mug or water bottle.
A brief description of other dining services waste minimization programs and initiatives:
The website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization initiatives is available:
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.