| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.66 |
| Liaison | Grace Afflerbach |
| Submission Date | March 8, 2024 |
Purchase College - State University of New York
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.88 / 2.00 |
Grace
Afflerbach Sustainability Coordinator Facilities |
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a farmers market, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, 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:
Every fall semester, our dining service Chartwells hosts farmers markets.
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 support disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through its food and beverage purchasing?:
A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
The campus's food provider Chartwells buys its produce from local vendors that are located in New Jersey, upstate New York, and Long Island.
Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
At the beginning of every week, the newly delivered local produce items are posted at every salad bar location and plant-based options are heavily advertised.
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:
The main dining hall and The Hub have separate vegan and vegetarian stations.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor inform customers about low impact food choices and sustainability practices through labelling and signage in dining halls?:
A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
Signage is posted throughout our dining facilities that highlights plant-based foods, sustainable seafood, hormone-free dairy products, cage-free eggs, fair trade coffee, etc.
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:
Purchase College is participating in Campus Race to Zero Waste, and one of our main focuses is food waste reduction.
Our dining contractor also participates in the "Stop Food Waste" and "Waste Not" campaigns which are designed increase patron awareness of food waste and reduce 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:
Trays are not available at our dining facilities.
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:
Purchase College is a member of the national Food Recovery Network (FRN). Purchase's chapter is run by a faculty and staff member and a group of student volunteers. After events, leftover food is stored in a communal refrigerator and notifications are sent out campus-wide to alert campus community members about the new food.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor divert food materials from the landfill, incinerator or sewer for animal feed or industrial uses?:
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Our dining services contractor utilizes an external organization to recycle cooking oil by converting it to fuel.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
At least one student is hired each semester as the school's Compost Master. This student takes pre-consumer food scraps from dining and composts them in the on-campus composter.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
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:
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:
Reusable take out containers are made available for take-away meals.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor offer discounts or other incentives to customers who use reusable containers instead of disposable or compostable containers in “to-go” food service operations?:
A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
A ten cent discount is offered for customers who bring their own reusable mugs/cups to any dining location.
A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs 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.