Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.23
Liaison Merry Rankin
Submission Date Sept. 1, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Iowa State University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.75 / 2.00 Karen Rodekamp
Food Stores Manager
ISU Dining
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:

As a self-operated foodservice provider at a land-grant institution that began as a Model Farm, ISU Dining is proud to live green.

Whether by decreasing food waste through trayless dining, composting pre- and post-consumer food waste, or providing $.35 discounts at our cafés for reusing a cup, we have a number of sustainable practices throughout our operation. Explore the Sustainbility section of our website to learn more. If you have questions about sustainability, contact us at dining@iastate.edu, ISUdining on Facebook or @isudining on Twitter.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
Yes

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:

ISU Dining partners with the ISU Student Organic Farm as well as the ISU Horticulture farm to provide fresh produce items to incorporate in their dining options.

Student Organic Farm: http://isustudentorganicfarm.weebly.com
Horticulture Farm: https://foodlo.cals.iastate.edu/horticulture-research-station


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?:
Yes

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:

The University hosts a Local Food Festival: An Adventure in Eating in September. The event features educational displays, samples, recipes using local foods developed by ISU Dining chefs, locally grown and produced products for sale by vendors and ISU clubs, free bike tune-ups and reuseable shopping bags.

http://www.livegreen.iastate.edu/news-and-events/photo-galleries/local-food-festival-2015?page=0%2C0


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?:
No

A brief description of the vegan dining program:
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Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
No

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
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Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
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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?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
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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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:

Throughout all of the dining halls at Iowa State, locally produced foods are labeled, informing consumers of where the food item was produced. Vegetarian meal options are also labeled in the dining halls as well as Iowa State's on-line menu.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:

Iowa State Dining provides an electronic and printed brochure which describes the green initiatives adopted by our dining facilities. These are available for students to take at each dining center, as well as offered during new student orientation.


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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:

ISU Dining has opened its latest venue—Simple Plate—at Union Drive Marketplace.

The new venue offers chef-created, simply balanced plates that include a number of vegan options, giving diners an opportunity to eat a range of fresh healthy vegetables, heart-healthy whole grains, and lean proteins using low fat cooking methods like roasting, grilling and steaming. All dishes are portioned according to USDA recommendations.


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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:

ISU Dining is committed to recycling and re-using as much and as many different things as we can. We recycle cardboard, metals, paper, plastics, glass, and styrofoam. Food packaging is not the only thing that is recycled, for example, the pallets that our food is delivered on has been being recycled for 25 years! In addition to ISU Dining's recycling efforts, our trash is sent to the City of Ames Resource Recovery Plant and is sorted for recyclable materials and then burned instead of entering a landfill.

Between the years 2009 and 2010 some of ISU Dining's employee uniforms underwent a slight change leaving lots of uniforms unusable. Instead of throwing all of these shirts, pants, and chef coats away, they were donated to Goodwill where the fabric could be used and made into rags and cloth


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?:
Yes

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:

All four of ISU Dining's residential dining centers are trayless. This student-supported decision was made to help decrease food waste. Both pre and post consumer food waste is sent to the compost facility as well as compostable disposables in each location.

Students helped measure food waste and compare locations' output. Before going trayless at Union Drive Marketplace in 2009, a comparison between UDM and Seasons (trayless) showed that the amount of food waste per guest in UDM was approximately 0.36 pounds and Seasons was 0.22 pounds. The measurement was a good gauge at the time to help make the decision to convert Union Drive Marketplace to a trayless facility.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
Yes

A brief description of the food donation program:

ISU Dining partners with Food at First, an Ames-based free meal program for Story County citizens in hunger. Food at First volunteers work with ISU Dining employees to deliver food items from various ISU Dining locations to Food at First's local food pantry. Food at First consists of two offerings for those in need: a free meal and a food pantry.

The free meal program serves seven meals per week and is open to anyone who is hungry, no questions asked. Most are evening meals, and all are served at First United Methodist Church in downtown Ames. Food for the program is provided by by local grocery stores and food venues. The result? Wonderful, tasty meals for people who need them!

The food pantry takes additional food items and gives them away to people who need them. Distribution happens at the Food at First “Free Market" in Ames. Because the food is perishable, it's collected and given away on the same day.


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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:

ISU BioBus is an interdisciplinary entrepreneurial student initiative that recycles waste vegetable oil from ISU campus dining facilities into biodiesel fuel to power the city of Ames' CyRide buses. Biodiesel is a non-toxic, biodegradable alternative to fossil fuels. This biofuel significantly reduces harmful emissions and can be used in virtually any diesel engine with little to no modification. While the overt goal of the organization is to increase environmental sustainability at Iowa State by recycling, the underlying emphasis is to create an experiential learning program to integrate students, faculty, and the community.

The club is currently comprised of a diverse group of students in business, engineering, agricultural, and bio-renewable technology fields, which provides a unique platform for cross-disciplinary learning and sharing while working towards a common goal. The ISU BioBus Club accepts students of all majors and backgrounds. In addition to all that BioBus is currently doing, BioBus and faculty across ISU are also working to setup courses to encourage further involvement and learning by students at all levels, through interactive classroom learning.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
Yes

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:

Food waste produced in food preparation is collected and composted at the University Compost Facility.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
Yes

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:

Thanks to a large amount of student support for the program, ISU Dining began composting in order to offer a beneficial use for food waste and keep it from being landfilled. In the residence halls, food waste is collected through separation by staff, sent through pulpers to decrease water content and composted at the University Compost Facility.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
No

A brief description of the reusable service ware program:

Reusable service ware is utilized in all residential dining facilities.


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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:

ISU Dining To-Go Containers are designed to help the student on the go use up their meals in spite of a busy schedule. Our Eco To Go plastic containers can be purchased at any ISU dining center and allow students to grab dining center food on their way to class, their room, a study group or anywhere else they need to eat. You can purchase a to-go container using your Dining Dollar$

The process is really simple. Once you've purchased your Eco To Go Container, simply follow the instructions printed below for each Eco To Go meal:

Bring your Eco To Go Container to the dining center of your choice.
Hand your ISU card to the greeter.
You have 15 minutes to fill your container (lid must close). You can also grab an additional piece of fruit. (Anything beyond 15 minutes means a second meal charge.)
Once you are finished packing your Eco To Go Container, pick your card up from the greeter and enjoy your meal!
The next time you need a meal to go, just bring your clean Eco To Go Container back and we will provide you with either a clean one to use for that meal or a token that can be redeemed for a future Eco To Go 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?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:

If you bring in your reusable bottle or coffee mug you will not only save items from entering a landfill but also save $0.35 on your beverage! Bring in your own coffee mug to any retail cafe and recieve $0.35 off your drink just for being "green!" Through this program, ISU Dining customers save nearly 35,000 cups from the trash each year.


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)?:
Yes

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:

With foodservice establishments ranking as one of the highest energy consumers, it is important for us to reduce our energy expenditure and to use equipment that is energy efficient. Recently, we have begun installing some products that can make a big difference in our energy conservation efforts. Firstly, window tinting has been installed in a few dining locations to reduce the amount of heat that is passed through the windows that warms up our dining space. By reducing this solar heat our coolers are able to work more efficiently and the dining room space itself stays cooler. Smart Strips have also been making their way into our offices by replacing older power strips. These new Smart Strips cut off energy to appliances like computers, speakers, and others when they are not being used so that electricity is not wasted.

ISU Dining also works to conserve energy in other small ways like turning off lights when not needed, turning the temperature down or up overnight depending on the season, repairing leaky faucets, and turning off equipment when not in use that can all make a large difference in our energy consumption.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.