Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.28
Liaison David Blodgett
Submission Date March 30, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Babson College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Asheen Phansey
Director of Sustainability
President's Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1: Sustainable Dining Initiatives 

Sustainable Dining Policy

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
Policy stated by Babson Dining Services (Chartwells): With education as the primary focus of our business, Babson Dining Services is committed to fostering and promoting sustainable business principles at Babson College. Sustainable Seafood: Only sustainable seafood is offered on our menus. Endangered or even threatened species are not served. Cage Free Shell Eggs: Babson Dining is committed to taking a stand on animal welfare by offering HFAC certified cage free shell eggs. Zero Trans Fats Oils: Babson Dining uses oils that contain zero trans fats. Local Food Sourcing: By focusing on local purchasing, we are able to reduce the miles required for delivery vehicles to deliver our products Restricted Antibiotics: Babson Dining only serves chicken and turkey that has been produced with restricted use of antibiotics, especially as a growth additive in feed. rBGH Free Milk: We serve fluid milk from cows that have been certified to be free of artificial growth hormones rBGH and rBST whenever possible.

On-Campus Sourcing 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
No

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
We have a campus garden open to the Babson community, but health department does not allow us to source from it.

Local Community Engagement 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
The Sustainability Office organized a Farmers to You pick-up site on campus for both faculty, staff, and students and community members. The site has been operating since August 2015. Farmers to You primarily sources food from Vermont, and offers a year-round delivery service of sustainable food to campus. Users can select from a range of produce, dairy, baked goods, meat, seafood, and pantry staples to replace their grocery shopping. More information: http://farmerstoyou.com/

Vegan Dining Program 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the vegan dining program:
Meat, fish, egg, and dairy products are separated from vegetable selections at salad bars. Separate vegan restaurant with dedicated preparation and cooking area free of dairy, meat, and fish products. All food items are labeled. Dedicated Vegan station available at lunch and dinner Monday through Friday. Vegan entree available at all meals on Saturday and Sunday

Low-Impact Dining Events 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
A Plant-Based Nutrition event engages diners around balanced diets based on plants instead of meat, and combines outreach from Sustainability Office interns with Dining Services initiatives. This event happens annually, in the spring.

Sustainability-Themed Meals 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
Trim Dining Hall, the main dining location on campus, hosts local nights that highlight partner vendors, such as Red's Best local seafood as the main entree and bring in a company representative to share information about their food and work to support a sustainable food system.

Sustainability-Themed Outlet 

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?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
---

Labeling and Signage 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
Local food, vegan and vegetarian options, and sustainable sourced food is labeled. There is also signage throughout the facility highlighting commitments: - For procurement, such as MSC fish - For waste, at the dish return line

Outreach and Education 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
Food Sol resources and supports food entrepreneurs who are taking positive action for the food system. They host education events around food systems every week during the academic year, and invite a number of sustainable food speakers to campus. http://www.babson.edu/Academics/centers/the-lewis-institute/food-sol/Pages/home.aspx To support healthy eating, there are several initiatives sponsored by the institution and dining vendor: - Babson Dining Services has a nutritionist on staff that supports outreach to students and employees. - Wellness programs at Babson encompass physical, mental, emotional, financial, nutritional, spiritual, environmental, social, and intellectual topics in order to provide a holistic approach to health and wellness. http://www.babson.edu/offices-services/human-resources/support/wellness/Pages/home.aspx These initiatives intersect with sustainability through events such as educational sessions on eating a healthy vegetarian diet.

Other Initiatives 

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
The Babson Sustainability Club hosts several "Meatless Monday" outreach events to showcase vegetarian options as real, feasible, meals that participants will enjoy.

Part 2: Food and Dining Waste 

Food Recovery Program

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
Our dining services team uses TrimTrax to manage waste prevention.

Trayless Dining and Portion Modifications 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
Trim Dining Hall (our only traditional dining hall location) has gone trayless.

Food Donation 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
Yes

A brief description of the food donation program:
Dining: - Regular, ongoing donations of excess food to Food for Free Move-Out: - Food collected during move-out is donated to a local charity.

Food Materials Diversion 

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Cooking oil is diverted for biodiesel.

Composting 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
Yes

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
All of our dining locations practice pre-consumer composting. Our waste is collected by a local hauler and brought to a regional farm to be composted into soil.

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
Yes

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
We collect post-consumer waste in our campus center dining area, Olin Hall, Trim Dining Hall, and from select offices that have opted into the program.

Dine-In Service Ware 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
Our dining hall utilizes reusable utensils, plates, cups, etc.

Take-Away Materials 

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)?:
No

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
Our dining hall's to-go option utilizes Preserve's reusable container made from recycled plastic. There is no disposable to-go option available at the dining hall. The utensils provided with the to-go meals are single use and disposable. The retail dining locations do not offer compostable or re-usable container options.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
Reusable mugs are available for sale at Starbucks and Olin Cafe. We offer discounts at Starbucks and Olin Cafes for the use of a reusable mug.

Other Materials Management Initiatives 

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
Our dining contract includes clauses supporting the reduction of single-use paper cups for hot beverages, bans all expanded polystyrene, and requires packaging to be recyclable or compostable.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
https://new.dineoncampus.com/babson/sustainability

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.