Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 48.20
Liaison Gary Cocke
Submission Date March 1, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Baylor University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.63 / 2.00 Smith Getterman
Assistant Director of Sustainability and Special Projects
Office of Sustainability
"---" 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:
Dining Services is focusing on sustainable purchasing and identifies and serves an increasing amount of locally grown, organic, and vegan items at each residential dining hall when possible? By 2016, 20% of our items will be locally sourced food from many local farmers, growers and distributors.

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:
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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?:
No

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
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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:
Vegan and vegetarian options are offered in the residential dining facilities everyday. We have a Registered Dietitian who can address any food allergies, insensitivities, or diets students, staff or faculty have.

Low-Impact Dining Events 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
No

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
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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:
Aramark partners with Baylor Campus Kitchens on occasional dining events held in our campus community garden, highlighting the locally grown, fresh produce.

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:
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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:
Our "Lean and Green" signage highlight non-meat based entree items and promote the importance of vegetables and whole grains to our bodies and the environment.

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:
Our registered dietician is on site daily to educate students about smart food choices, including the benefits of fresh, local, produce. Our dining services also partners with several campus groups that encourages full food system thinking and education. Our dining services also regularly works with the Office of Sustainability to engage, communicate, and educate the campus about sustainable food systems at campus events and through its participation on the university sustainability committee.

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:
Vegan and vegetarian options are offered in the residential dining facilities everyday. We have a Registered Dietitian who can address any food allergies, insensitivities, or diets students, staff or faculty have.

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:
Baylor Dining Services tracks pre-consumer waste at each station during each meal period. Management reports these data into an online management system, which tracks and manages production quantity the next time the item is served.

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:
Weigh the Waste launched in November of 2014. Student volunteers on the Student Sustainability Advisory Board and Baylor Dining Services measured food waste from the dining locations for one week. A food-waste awareness challenge campaign occurred in March of 2015. BDS has been trayless in the residential dining locations since 2012. Additionally, portion sizes are heavily managed to reduce food waste. At the end of the semester, menus are often modified to adjust to student preferences.

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:
The Residentail dining halls activiley support the Campus Kitchen Project with food donations

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:
BDS works with a faculty member and student on cooking oils recovery for research into alternative fuel options.

Composting 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
No

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Composting is not available for food service operations

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
No

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
No composting is available for dining services

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:
Meals eaten in the residential dining locations are served on reusable plates with reusable flatware.

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
Baylor Dining Services offers reusable, compostable take-out containers upon request. BDS has distributed the containers during two major campaigns in 2013 and early 2015.

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:
Discounts for reusable mugs are offered at each of the coffee shops on campus. A Spot-a-Mug campaign was launched in January 2015 to increase the use of reusable mugs on campus.

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)?:
No

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
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Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://dining.baylor.edu/en-US/CSSW/Baylor/Sustainability/SustainabilityatBaylor.htm

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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