Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 75.27
Liaison Lori Collins-Hall
Submission Date Jan. 28, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Sterling College (VT)
OP-6: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Simeon Bittman
Executive Chef
Food Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures that are local and community-based and/or third party verified:
75

A copy of an inventory, list or sample of sustainable food and beverage purchases:
An inventory, list or sample of sustainable food and beverage purchases:

An inventory and list can be made available from the Real Food Challenge website.


Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (food and beverage expenditures for on-site franchises, convenience stores, vending services, or concessions)?:
Yes

Percentage of on-site franchise, convenience store, vending services, and concessions food and beverage purchases that are local and community-based and/or third party verified:
75

A copy of an inventory, list or sample of on-site franchise, convenience store, vending machine, and/or concessions food and beverage purchases that are sustainably produced:
---

An inventory, list or sample of on-site franchise, convenience store, vending machine, and/or concessions food and beverage purchases that are sustainably produced:

We have NO on-site franchises, convenience stores, vending machines, or other food & beverage purchase outside of our dining hall. All of our on-campus food comes from the Sterling Kitchen. They feed the community 3 times a day, 7 days a week, and is always open for beverages and snacks that are covered in the inventory above.


A brief description of the sustainable food and beverage purchasing program:

Sterling College has the most progressive food service of any college in the country. We grow a significant percentage of our own food, and source as much local food as possible. We do not use a food-service company. Instead, our chefs work alongside students to cook healthy, creative, and delicious meals. Our kitchen staff works hard to uphold the kitchen’s Mission Statement:

“The mission of Sterling’s Food Service is to manage the food system as an integral part of our educational programs by demonstrating a living-what-we-teach philosophy.”

Our kitchen best demonstrates this philosophy through composting, conserving energy and resources, eating seasonally, preparing our food from scratch, and recycling.


A brief description of the methodology used to track/inventory sustainable food and beverage purchases:

Sterling College participates in the "Real Food Challenge". Here is a description:

The Real Food Challenge leverages the power of youth and universities to create a healthy, fair and green food system.
Our primary campaign is to shift $1 billion of existing university food budgets away from industrial farms and junk food and towards local/community-based, fair, ecologically sound and humane food sources—what we call “real food”—by 2020.
The Real Food Challenge also maintains a national network of student food activists—providing opportunities for networking, learning, and leadership development for thousands of emerging leaders.


Total annual food and beverage expenditures:
224,860.86 US/Canadian $

Which of the following food service providers are present on campus and included in the total food and beverage expenditure figures?:
Present? Included?
Dining operations and catering services operated by the institution Yes Yes
Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor No No
Franchises No No
Convenience stores No No
Vending services No No
Concessions No No

Has the institution achieved the following?:
Yes or No
Fair Trade Campus, College or University status No
Certification under the Green Seal Standard for Restaurants and Food Services (GS-46) No
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification No
Signatory of the Real Food Campus Commitment (U.S.) Yes

A brief description of other sustainable restaurant and food service standards that the institution’s dining services operations are certified under:

Sterling College is not currently certified under any of the above; however, Sterling College was a participant in the Real Food Challenge where they placed first in the nation in real food. Fair trade campus status is being researched for the college currently. We are also a member of Vermont Fresh Network, www.vermontfresh.net


The website URL where information about the institution's sustainable food and beverage purchasing efforts is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Sterling College participated in the Real Food Challenge, which has a partnership with AASHE. Sterling was ranked has the #1 higher education institute in the country for local, sustainable, fair trade, and humane, reaching 75% of it's food from these sources. In comparison, the next highest ranking institution reached only 56% real food. Included below is the article from the Sterling College website.

http://www.sterlingcollege.edu/news-events/number-one-for-real-food/

We have no vending machines, convenience stores, or franchises on campus. We grow 20% of our own food.


Sterling College participated in the Real Food Challenge, which has a partnership with AASHE. Sterling was ranked has the #1 higher education institute in the country for local, sustainable, fair trade, and humane, reaching 75% of it's food from these sources. In comparison, the next highest ranking institution reached only 56% real food. Included below is the article from the Sterling College website.

http://www.sterlingcollege.edu/news-events/number-one-for-real-food/

We have no vending machines, convenience stores, or franchises on campus. We grow 20% of our own food.

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.