| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.27 |
| Liaison | Mark Klapatch-Mathias |
| Submission Date | Feb. 29, 2024 |
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.75 / 2.00 |
Henry
Walling Associate Director of University Center Operations University Center |
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:
Local farmers market is hosted twice annually on campus to expose and offer students and faculty the opportunity to purchase local produce, wild rice, cheeses, dairy, and honey that are grown/produced in this area.
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:
We purchase products from disadvantaged businesses and enterprises whenever we are able to. As part of our contract, Chartwells provides two fully funded internships for UWRF students. One of the internships focuses on sustainability and includes participation in identifying and sourcing local products. Chartwells has a goal of buying local products to support family farms. They seek to reduce dependence on factory farming and partner with local growers.
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:
Featured Grain Bowls on Fridays, Taco Tuesdays, Baked Potato Bars – each week features one –two days of low impact featured menus. These options include and emphasis on plant-forward options as well as messaging about low impact. Appropriate items also have signs noting they ae vegan or vegetarian.
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:
We run a station called “Rooted,” which is vegan and ensures that between the meal options at the station, at least 19 grams of protein are provided here.
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 and promotional items are in place to educate students about local produce, imperfectly delicious produce, and eat-local marketing
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:
Marketing team collaborates with college sustainability club to support Love Food, Not Waste program. Through this effort, multiple food waste audits are conducted each semester. We also utilize a program called "Waste Not" to track all of our waste, from overproduction to trim 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 do not have trays available for service. We have an AYCTE facility, but students need to fill their plate and come back if needed instead of loading a tray full of food. There are various sizes of plates and bowls located throughout the dining hall, so students can take as much or as little as their care to eat. Without trays, the guests can go back and take a clean dish if additional food is desired, but at the same time limit to just want they want to eat, and limit potential waste. This was implemented in 2008 and resulted in significantly less food waste.
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:
Any leftover food that can be re-served is donated to local food bank or through campus ministries programs. A strong focus on produce in times of shutdown periods along with other storeroom goods which are donated to local programs
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:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Waste Not is used to track all pre-consumer waste by measuring and tracking all food waste due to production. Food scraps are measured in bins prior to disposing, and tracked weekly to find areas that may indicated poor production standards or poor yields, in order to increase efficiencies and reduce waste.
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:
We use stainless steel utensils to serve with and the students use stainless steel utensils to eat with. We wash according to health code and resuse continually.
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:
Yes, we utilize OZZI containers that are used for to-go meals. Students are given a clean container and return soiled ones to the facility for cleaning..
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 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.