| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 33.44 |
| Liaison | Elizabeth Masuen |
| Submission Date | April 6, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Metropolitan Community College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 2.00 |
Sally
Hopley Coordinator of Sustainable Practices Campus Planning and Sustainability |
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
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:
We have a campus garden which we utilize mostly herbs from as well as a small urban farm which occasionally provides the protein for dishes using small animals (chicken, rabbit, etc.)
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:
At the end of the quarter, our ICA hosts a market in which we sell items that have been used as teaching tools all quarter or items that have been specifically prepared for our end of the quarter market. Such items include fresh flowers, honey, and plants from our horticulture and land systems management program as well as pastry's, prepared meats, pastas, and other such items from our culinary program.
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:
As the dining service is part of the Culinary curriculum and menus are constantly changing, menu items are not labeled; however the kitchen will accommodate customers upon request.
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:
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:
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:
As our dining service is also a campus living lab, we often highlight the importance of sustainable food systems and encourage students during their classes to practice best practices for waste management and dining course creation.
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:
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:
Our Culinary program, which operates our dining room, has great expertise and experience in purchasing the proper amount of food to meet the needs of our dining room. However, we do not currently track our 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:
We currently do not have a program to track and reduce post-consumer food waste in our dining room service as we do not have traditional dining halls, but have a student-run restaurant.
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:
The Institute for Culinary Arts provides donations within the parameters of the State Health Department whenever possible. There are a number of organizations within the local area that are recipients of excess food either from on and off campus events and classroom demonstrations.
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:
MCC is partners with the local Omaha Biofuels co-op to provide biofuels for a local organization which is often used to run biodiesel vehicles.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Pre consumer food waste can occasionally be reused for animal feed for our small animal farming 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:
N/A
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:
All dine-in meals are served using reusable service ware, as it is a sit-down restaurant open to the public.
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:
We do not offer "to-go" meals.
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:
Not available at this time.
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:
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:
This section has been completed with the help of the Institute for Culinary Arts (ICA) Executive Chef, Michael Combs as well as Executive Director of the ICA, Brian O'Malley.
This section has been completed with the help of the Institute for Culinary Arts (ICA) Executive Chef, Michael Combs as well as Executive Director of the ICA, Brian O'Malley.
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.