| Overall Rating | Bronze |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 34.48 |
| Liaison | Rebecca Jones |
| Submission Date | Feb. 9, 2022 |
Austin College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.23 / 2.00 |
Rebecca
Jones Coordinator Center for Environmental Studies |
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:
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:
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:
The contractor uses signage to promote its plant-forward meals and overall goals.
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:
Vegan options are available at designated platform and rotate with each meal period, delivering a variety of options. A comprehensive salad bar consisting of over 30 items rotates daily with a minimum of two composed salads.
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:
Signs and menus at the register (entrance), in napkin holders on every table and on labels above food items indicate the contractor's sustainability goals.
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:
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 no longer available at the register in the dining hall but are still optionally available for use by faculty during lunch meetings.
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:
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, Aramark, contracts with a company called Valley Proteins to clean out the grease traps. Valley Proteins recycles the grease and turns it into biofuel.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Pre-consumer food waste from plants is composted with wood chips provided by local companies that trim trees from around electric lines. The resulting compost is used on campus grounds.
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:
Dine-in meals in the Dining Hall use flatware, dinnerware, and trays that are washed and re-used at every meal. Meals in the "Pouch Club" grill area use disposable service ware, though Pouch Club meals make up less than half of the meals served at Austin College.
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 to-go containers are available at every meal.
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:
Our contractor, Aramark, is proud to serve culturally diverse menus, featuring traditional favorites, ethnic dishes and international flavors.
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.