Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.39
Liaison Christina Olsen
Submission Date March 30, 2021

STARS v2.2

British Columbia Institute of Technology
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Sustainable dining initiatives

Local community engagement

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
BCIT's main food service provider Chartwells Canada is a sector of Compass Group Canada, the country’s leading foodservice and support services provider. They specialize in providing food services and support services across a number of core sectors including universities, leading sports and leisure venues, and hospitals.

They have launched a new Sustainability and Wellness platform: Food With Purpose and maintain a partnership with the local Vancouver Farmers Market.

https://youtu.be/tgU4xiCiKKU

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
In 2019, the latest campus eatery, Pavilion was opened in partnership between BCIT and the BCIT Student Association (BCITSA). Located in the NE1 building of the Burnaby Campus, Pavilion is a fresh new destination providing unique menu items in an inviting and modern atmosphere. Sustainability and innovation are key components of the new eatery.

The team behind this project saw the creation of Pavilion as an opportunity to raise the bar, and build a food outlet that was ethical and sustainable. Features such as compostable packaging were at the forefront of this project, as one of many ways to lower their ecological footprint.

https://www.bcit.ca/sustainability/operations/food/

Inclusive and local sourcing

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Burnaby Family Life, a non-profit organization that provides social services to children, families and vulnerable immigrants and refugees, opened a new café at the Centre for Applied Research and Innovation (CARI) satellite campus in Burnaby in 2017. The café space is provided free of charge to Burnaby Family Life. The café is a social enterprise venture with all proceeds re-invested back into the non-profit. The café also provides catering services to CARI and the main Burnaby campus across the street. The café employs some of its most vulnerable clients. Like most food services at BCIT, the café was forced to temporarily close due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.burnabyfamilylife.org/

Chartwells Canada brings awareness and promotes ingredients/products that are "grown or processed" in Canada. Social responsibility is a pillar of their services.

http://www.dineoncampus.ca/bcit

Ryan's Vending services the vending machines at BCIT. Ryan’s operates more than 3,500 vending machines in a variety of locations throughout British Columbia and have a demonstrated commitment to social responsibility through Community Involvement, Equity and Diversity, Healthy Choices, and Environmental Initiatives.

https://ryanvending.com/social-responsibility/

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
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Low-impact dining

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
No

A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
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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 options are provided by Chartwells Canada and are labelled accordingly.

These options are part of Chartwells "Feed Your Unique Lifestyle" (FYUL) program, that makes it easy for students to find foods on campus with embedded health and lifestyle benefits. With FYUL, students are encouraged to make food choices that support their personal lifestyle goals for today and a life-long approach for a healthier and sustainable tomorrow.

http://www.dineoncampus.ca/bcit/wellness

Labelling and signage 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
Vegan, Vegetarian, Local, Sustainable Seafood, Cage Free, Halal and other labels are included on menu items.

http://www.dineoncampus.ca/bcit/wellness

Part 2. Food waste minimization and recovery

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:
Chartwells Canada annually participates in "Stop Food Waste Day". This commitment to tackling food waste is aligned to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development goal 12.5, to halve food waste by 2030. This stretches from working with suppliers, implementing sustainable practices in their operations and raising the public profile of the issue.

In April 2019, Chartwells promoted "Stop Food Waste Day" at BCIT. Tables and signage were set up in common areas to promote and raise awareness of the importance of addressing food waste. Students, faculty, and staff were greeted with food waste reduction facts, tips and zero-waste goodies.

https://youtu.be/3N2qjaRqHZ0

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?:
No

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
---

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:
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, BCIT donated food to Burnaby Family Life, the non-profit organization that operates the café described above in "Inclusive and local sourcing".

https://www.burnabyfamilylife.org/

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Organic Waste Collection Program

Front of House: BCIT has 8 dining commons and 10 blended cafés and restaurants across 5 campuses where organic waste is sorted and collected. In addition to food service outlets, organic waste bins are located in outdoor spaces, in interior common areas and at kitchenettes/resource areas.

Back of House: All organic waste is collected for post-consumer production into compost which is used by local farms, landscape companies, and households.

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:
BCIT collects pre-consumer food waste at 7 restaurants across 4 campuses.

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:
Organic waste is collected by a hauling contractor and taken to the GFL Environmental Waste Management facility. GFL uses a windrow system to process the organic material, which yields post-consumer compost that is nutrient rich. This compost is used in agriculture and in Cities throughout the Lower Mainland.

https://gflenv.com/solid-waste-service/organics/

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:
The Habitat Pub is a "dine-in" restaurant on the Burnaby campus and is run by the BCIT Student Association. The pub utilizes reusable glasses, mugs, plates, bowl, cutlery and other service ware.

The Burnaby Family Life cafe provides reusable service ware for dine-in meals.

The Fresh Fork is BCIT's on campus catering service. They offer reusable service ware for all catered events on campus.

Both the Pub and catering services are temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of reporting.

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:
Compostable containers, paper straws and plant-fibre based cutlery are provided for "to-go" meals at campus eateries.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
In 2019, the Green Team partnered with the BCIT Student Association to encourage the switch to re-usable mugs. Together, they kicked off the school year with a contest, in which each person who purchased a reusable mug, was also entered in a prize draw. It was estimated that the average student would save $35 over a single term through discounted beverages on campus by using a reusable mug.

This program has been temporarily put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic so that food service employees minimize their risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
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Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
http://www.dineoncampus.ca/bcit/sustainability

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.