| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.53 |
| Liaison | Dedee DeLongpre Johnston |
| Submission Date | July 27, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Wake Forest University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Brian
Cohen Program Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
Aramark, Wake Forest's dining services contractor, has a published commitment to sustainability. Its "Green Thread" commitment includes responsible sourcing, waste minimization, efficient operations, and fleet management.
The commitment is displayed publicly in the Fresh Food Company, Wake Forest's main dining hall. Additionally, information about the commitment is located on Deacon Dining's website as well as Aramark's.
https://www.deacondining.com/sustainability/
http://www.aramark.com/responsibility
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:
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:
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:
During the 2016-17 academic year, Deacon Dining debuted a new all-vegan station in the Fresh Food Company. The station offers full meal options and operates on a two-week menu cycle. Vegan options for other menu items are available upon request. Throughout all of campus, there are a variety of vegan options available in both residential and retail dining at each meal period every day. Wake Forest promotes plant-forward dining options through general outreach, cooking classes, taste tests, education, and catering information sessions.
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:
Wake Forest hosts low- and no-waste and plant-forward catered events.
During the 2017-18 academic year, the Office of Sustainability has worked with Under the Oaks Catering (formerly Posh Plate) to host zero-landfill events where food waste and tableware are composted.
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:
In April 2017, Deacon Dining hosted a Farmer Series event in the Fresh Food Company with a local farm and creamery. A local farmer set up a table with information and samples and Wake Forest’s executive chef turned his fresh chevre into goat cheese cheesecake and his raw milk aged goat cheese into tomato herb tartlets. The initiative reached roughly 300 students.
In the fall of 2016, the university hosted a "farmers day," in which local farmers were invited to showcase their products and provide information and samples to students in the main dining hall. Throughout the year, local produce is featured in the dining hall as well.
Furthermore, Deacon Dining and the Office of Sustainability have worked together to provide educational sessions on plant-forward dining to individual departments, complete with plant-forward, catered meals. To date, these lunches have been provided for the School of Divinity, the Office of Admissions, Residence Life & Housing, and Campus Life.
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:
The primary convenience store on campus, the "336 Market," is fully sustainability themed, with a focus on regionally sourced, organically grown, and fairly traded items; "336" is the area code for the university. The Village Juice cold-pressed juice and salad/smoothie outlets are also sustainability focused.
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:
Deacon Dining has set up displays in the main dining hall explaining their "Green Thread" commitment. Locally-sourced products are labeled as such, as are vegetarian and vegan items. There are also labels for sustainable seafood, organic products, and the new performance dining initiative which prioritizes plant-forward dining.
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:
Wake Forest prides itself on educating students and other members of the campus community on sustainable food systems. Much of this is done through our Campus Garden, which provides an interactive learning experience. The Campus Garden serves as an outdoor classroom where classes, student groups, and volunteers can learn how organic and sustainable agriculture can be implemented effectively.
Sustainable food system education also takes place in the form of outreach. In October 2017, Deacon Dining ran three events--a cooking class, an interactive table with trivia and taste tests, and a vegetarian nourishment event--that promoted the benefits of consuming less animal products. An additional plant-forward outreach event was conducted by student interns in the spring of 2018 and includes samples of vegan and vegetarian items, along with a "plate reading" that allowed for discussions about the benefits of a plant-forward diet. The educational sessions on plant-forward dining provided to individual departments, complete with plant-forward, catered meals, specifically address this issue with faculty and staff.
In addition, the promotion and labeling of locally-sourced food piques students' curiosity of why such an initiative is important.
Finally, Office of Sustainability staff routinely give guest lectures in various classes that incorporate the importance of sustainable sourcing and low-impact dining.
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:
In April 2018, the two student dining interns planned and executed an outreach event that featured samples of vegan recipes and offered a "plate reading" to learn about the benefits of a plant-forward diet.
In October 2017, Deacon Dining partnered with the Office of Wellbeing to offer a plant-forward cooking class and a session to help explain the health benefits of eating less animal products.
In March 2017, the Office of Sustainability held a cooking class that taught participants how to reduce food waste through the repurposing of ingredients and through better understanding of food date labels.
Deacon Dining has also worked closely with students of diverse backgrounds to enhance the cultural diversity of food items served on campus. For example, they have partnered with a campus organization of Latin students to create and serve Latin-inspired menu items and with an international student from China to enhance Asian-inspired offerings. The Global Foods Committee meets quarterly to discuss upcoming cultural celebrations, such as the Chinese New Year and Passover, and how Deacon Dining will acknowledge those holidays with appropriate menu items.
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:
The university's dining services provider uses Lean Path, a program that tracks food waste, to set goals and reduce the amount of food that is discarded from the campus's three major dining locations. Any food or prep waste that is thrown out must be logged and the responsible employee must include a reason why the food was discarded.
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:
The trayless dining program was implemented in the Spring 2008 semester. The program not only reduces water and chemical usage, but also aids in the reduction of food waste by limiting the amount of food customers can carry at one time. By implementing trayless dining at both the Fresh Food Company and the Hilltop Market (North Dining), the university saves an estimated 900 gallons of water per day, or 198,000 gallons of water per school year.
For catered events, Deacon Dining provides compostable to-go containers upon request so guests can take any leftovers with them.
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:
Food that is prepared but not served is donated to Campus Kitchen to distribute to community organizations that serve food-insecure populations.
Campus Kitchen at Wake Forest is an organization that takes prepared but never served food from campus dining and assembles healthy and nutritious meals for members of the community living in food poverty. They supplement their donations with food gleaned from local supermarkets (that is perfectly safe to eat but does not meet their standards) and produce from the Campus Garden. Food is distributed by local social service agencies in Winston-Salem.
Through a partnership with ARAMARK, Campus Kitchen is able to repurpose roughly 450 pounds of food every month during the school year that would otherwise go to waste. Their partnerships with local grocery stores adds an additional 1,650 pounds of food per month that is distributed to those in need. Overall, Campus Kitchen helps divert over one ton of food from the landfill each month.
Now a national organization, The Campus Kitchens Project initially grew out of a program called Homerun that was started by two Wake Forest students in 1999.
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:
One hundred percent of the fryer oil used by dining services is recycled to be used in biodiesel fuels.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
All pre-consumer food waste from both the Fresh Food Company and North Dining are collected by Gallins Family Farm for composting. In addition, both the student-run coffee shop, Campus Grounds, and Starbucks collect their used coffee grounds for composting. Campus Kitchen also brings their food waste to the Campus Garden's compost piles. Assessments are currently underway to restructure the physical layout of the Benson Center food court to allow for pre-consumer food waste collection for composting.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
All of the post-consumer food waste in North Dining is collected for composting by Gallins Family Farm. The process is aided by the installation of a food macerator on site. The current layout of the Fresh Food Company's dishroom, as well as that of the Benson Center, do not allow for post-consumer food waste collection for composting at this time.
In the fall of 2017, a new student group was formed to increase the collection of food waste at university, departmental, and student-run events. Food waste collection bins are available for temporary use and student volunteers are available to be on-site to help attendees sort their waste appropriately and ensure an uncontaminated supply of compostable material. The long-term goal of this program is to make organics collection the norm on campus.
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:
Both of the university's cafeteria-style dining halls provide only reusable plates, bowls, mugs, cups, and utensils. The more upscale Magnolia Room and Bistro 34 use only reusable tableware as well.
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:
The reusable to-go container program started in January 2010, as a voluntary option for diners. Beginning with the 2010-11 academic year, the program became mandatory.
The program at Wake Forest not only requires students to use a reusable container at both dining halls if taking their meal to go, but also allows them to exchange a dirty container for a clean one. Removing the barrier of having to wash the containers themselves has made the program quite popular with students. To participate, students simply provide a $5 deposit for their first container and receive their deposit back when they turn in a container at the end of the year (or any other time they so choose).
Certified compostable containers are available at other dining locations, such as Shorty's, a sit-down restaurant, and catered events.
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:
Campus Grounds, Wake Forest's student-run coffee shop, offers a 20% discount to customers who bring their own reusable mug. Both Starbucks locations also offer a 25-cent discount for customers who bring their own reusable mug.
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:
Wake Forest has worked to encourage vendors to minimize their use of packaging. MR Williams (one of the university's convenience store distributors), Flowers Foods (a provider of bread and bakery products), and PET Dairy all deliver their products in reusable totes or crates that they pick up on subsequent deliveries.
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:
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.