Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 51.13
Liaison Parker Long
Submission Date July 25, 2012
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

Virginia Commonwealth University
SD-2: Food Education

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete N/A Jacek Ghosh
Director of Sustainability
VCU Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Are students educated in an academic class about how to make eco-positive food choices?:
Yes

Provide a brief description:

Students are taught the climate implications of a diet rich in meat, the lengthy food shipping processes, and the problems with sustaining the food needs for the American population. Classes include Environmental Pollution, Earth Systems, and Sustainable Societies: Africa.


Are students educated in dining facilities about how to make eco-positive food choices?:
Yes

Provide a brief description:

There is signage throughout VCU dining centers that highlight green initiatives in Dining Services. These include information on choosing food that is local and seasonal. The dining centers are also VA Green Certified, trayless, and serve local and seasonal food. Each semester we run a waste week promotion, educating students on the impact of their choices on the waste stream. We incent their performance with a pound-for-pound, in-kind donation to the local food bank!


Are students educated during orientation about how to make eco-positive food choices?:
No

Provide a brief description:
---

Are students educated in other venues about how to make eco-positive food choices?:
No

Provide a brief description:
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Is there a program by which students are encouraged to and/or taught how to grow their own food?:
Yes

Provide a brief description of the program:

VCU has just installed our first community garden. The goal of this garden is to provide space for gardening to urban students, to donate to local food banks, and to encourage student, faculty and staff to grow their own food. The garden hosts workshops to help the community learn to garden.


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.