Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 62.69
Liaison Christina Olsen
Submission Date Aug. 20, 2024

STARS v2.2

British Columbia Institute of Technology
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.88 / 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 Campus Planning and Facilities department has created f edible gardens on campus and an accompany foraging map to help students and others in the BCIT community access free healthy seasonally appropriate local food. The fruit trees and other edible plants also encourage pollinators and support biodiversity.

https://www.bcit.ca/facilities/facilities-services/grounds-landscaping/

https://www.bcit.ca/files/facilities/pdf/edible_gardens_map_2023.pdf


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:

Since September 2023, the “Sprout” initiative offers rotating plant-forward dining options through the Chef’s Table food service in the dining hall in the SE2 building.


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:

BCIT has joined Feed BC – a provincial initiative that aims to increase the use of BC-sourced food ingredients across government-supported facilities, programs, and services. While Chartwells, BCIT’s on-campus food services and catering supplier, already sources 90% of its on-campus food within Canada through its Legends Haul vendor and Food Buy program, sourcing locally in BC will further reduce BCIT’s food transport emissions. At the start of the Feed BC program, BCIT was sourcing 10% of its food locally and that has since increased to 40%, surpassing the initial target of 30%.

https://commons.bcit.ca/news/2023/05/bcit-joins-feed-bc/

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/growbc-feedbc-buybc/feed-bc-and-the-bc-food-hub-network/institutional-partnerships/feed-bc-in-post-secondary-institutions

 

As part of Feed BC, BCIT participates in the annual Pitch and Plate event which follows a Dragon’s Den style format and aims to encourage creativity and entrepreneurship in the local food sector. In 2024, the institute’s Natural Health and Food Products Research Group (NRG) and BCIT Corporate Services, in collaboration with Feed BC and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, hosted the seventh and largest annual Pitch and Plate event at the BCIT Burnaby Campus.

 

https://commons.bcit.ca/news/2024/02/bcit-pitch-plate-food-industry/


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?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:

The “Sprout” event offers rotating plant-forward dining options through the Chef’s Table food service in the dining hall in the SE2 building.

Chartwells, BCIT’s main food service provider, also participates in and promotes the annual 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.


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:

BCIT has been working toward WELL Gold Certification in the new Health Sciences Building. WELL is the leading tool for advancing building design that prioritizes the health and well-being of building occupants. The building’s Teck Copper Café serves healthy food and drinks within the WELL Nourishment requirements for availability of fruits and vegetables, nutritional transparency, and the creation of food environments where the healthiest choice is the easiest choice. This includes plant-based options.

 https://www.bcit.ca/campus-plan/health-sciences-centre/well-certification/


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, and other labels are included on menu items. Large banners have been used and other forms of signage are on rotation to promote the FeedBC program.


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 has a new Waste Not 2.0 system to better track waste using a tablet-based analytics program with the aim of food services becoming zero waste. Chartwells also participates in and promotes the annual Stop Food Waste Day. 


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:
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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:

Chartwells donates food nearing its expiry date to the Student Association’s food pantry which offers BCIT students who need immediate food support with low-barrier access to free, healthy, accessible, and culturally appropriate food and personal hygiene products.

https://www.bcitsa.ca/food-pantry/


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?:
No

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
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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:

Organic waste is collected for compost to be used by local farms, landscape companies, and households. A new system is also being set up to better track waste with the aim of food services becoming zero waste.


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 sorted and collected at all five campuses. In addition to food service outlets, organic waste bins are located in outdoor spaces, in interior common areas, and at kitchenettes/resource areas. The waste is then collected by a hauling contractor and taken to a processing facility that turns the organic material into nutrient-rich post-consumer compost used for by local agriculture and municipal operations.


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 Fresh Fork is BCIT's on campus catering service that offers reusable service ware for all catered events on campus.


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 being provided at campus eateries. At the SE2 food service location, used chopsticks are collected in a separate bin near the main sanitation station and collected weekly by Chop Value, a local company that turns chopstick waste into wood furniture. https://chopvalue.com/

By late 2024, reusable containers will also be available at BCIT.


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:

A discount is given to anyone bringing their own mug for beverage purchases. 

Reuable containers for food service outlets will be available by late 2024.


Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:

In addition to its regular food pantry on the Burnaby campus, the Student Association hosts pop-up food pantries on BCIT’s other campuses and directs students to other food resources through a Food Support Hub (https://www.bcitsa.ca/food-support/). 

In 2021, BCIT created a food security working group, a multi-stakeholder platform committed to engaging in the promotion of food security resources on-and-off the BCIT campus.

BCIT has been working toward WELL Gold Certification in the new Health Sciences Building. WELL is the leading tool for advancing building design that prioritizes the health and well-being of building occupants. The building’s Teck Copper Café serves healthy food and drinks within the WELL Nourishment requirements for availability of fruits and vegetables, nutritional transparency, and the creation of food environments where the healthiest choice is the easiest choice. https://www.bcit.ca/campus-plan/health-sciences-centre/well-certification/

There are also sustainability initiatives related to BCIT’s snack foods. Canteen is the company that provides all snack vending on campus, including vending machines and (since November 2023) a self-serve micromarket near the library space at SE14. The self-checkout market has a fridge, freezer, reach-in cooler, and coffee machine. Every vending machine includes a minimum of 15% healthier snack options (including all natural, vegan, Kosher, organic, and gluten-free). Canteen’s sustainability initiatives include energy efficiency and circular economy practices in their operations, and responsible sourcing initiatives for their products, which include cage-free eggs, rBGH-free milk, and Fair Trade/Rainforest Alliance/CAFÉ Practices coffee. https://www.canteen.com/sustainability/


Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://www.compass-canada.com/we-care/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.