Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.78
Liaison Amber Saxton
Submission Date Sept. 9, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

George Mason University
OP-7: Low Impact Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.81 / 3.00 Tyler Orton
Projects Innovation Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Percentage of total dining services food purchases comprised of conventionally produced animal products:
17.80

A brief description of the methodology used to track/inventory expenditures on animal products:

Through our partnership with Real Food Challenge, student researchers use the Real Food Calculator and the criteria it sets forth to track sustainable food purchasing in the dining halls. Meat and dairy products are classified separately and the assessment tracks the percent of humane products.


Does the institution offer diverse, complete-protein vegan dining options at all meals in at least one dining facility on campus?:
Yes

Does the institution provide labels and/or signage that distinguishes between vegan, vegetarian (not vegan), and other items?:
Yes

Are the vegan options accessible to all members of the campus community?:
Yes

A brief description of the vegan dining program, including availability, sample menus, signage and any promotional activities (e.g. “Meatless Mondays”):

At George Mason University (Mason), there are vegan options at every meal. At the Southside dining hall, Worldeterrean station offers a vegan option, Wrapped up offers vegan options for sandwiches, and there is soy ice cream available. There is also a Registered Dietician on staff to discuss dietary needs. Meatless Mondays is also part of Mason Dining's programming. This program encourages students to eat less meat. On Mondays there are special meatless entrees. Meatless entrees are available everyday.


A brief description of other efforts the institution has made to reduce the impact of its animal-derived food purchases:

Vegan and vegetarian options are offered across campus and indicated with uniform signs on the menu boards at individual locations.In addition, our Resident Dietitian frequently promotes vegetarian foods as a healthy and sustainable alternative. Some sample promotions are attached with this document.


The website URL where information about the vegan dining program is available:
Annual dining services expenditures on food:
8,500,000 US/Canadian $

Annual dining services expenditures on conventionally produced animal products:
1,520,000 US/Canadian $

Annual dining services expenditures on sustainably produced animal products:
72,000 US/Canadian $

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Information is for FY14.


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.