Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 53.49
Liaison Julia Angstmann
Submission Date Dec. 20, 2021

STARS v2.2

Butler University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.88 / 2.00 Chad Melinger
Head Chef
Bon Appetit
"---" 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:
Bon Appetit purchases 100% of the produce grown on The Farm at Butler, a one-acre sustainable campus farm run by the Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability (CUES) which support student interns.

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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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:
We purchase from a number of SME’s as well as vendors who meet our Locally Crafted criteria:

BreadWorks Bakery
Julian Coffee Roasters
Illinois Street Food Emporium
Circle City Kombucha
Broad Ripple Chip Co
Cameron Farms
Bowman and Landes
Capriole
Fischer Farms
Gordon Family Farms
Local Farms Harvest
Smoking Goose
Sweet Life Honey Farm

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
25.86

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:
Yes, we host a number of low impact dining events, including an annual Eat Local Challenge, Earth Day, and an annual National Farmworker Awareness Week. Through educational materials on each table, and in signage throughout the café, we share information about the benefits of prioritizing plant-based proteins for one’s health and the environment, and offer plant-forward meals multiple times per week in each café.

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:
Yes, we prioritize plant-based proteins in the cafes and a complete protein vegan option is available to the campus communities at every meal served in our cafés. We communicate vegan options to our guests using the Vegan Circle of Responsibility icon, on both online menus and menus in the café.

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:
We inform guests about low impact food choices and sustainability practices in many ways. On guest tables and in signs around the cafe, we share information about pressing sustainability issues and relevant policies, including antibiotics use on animal farms, animal welfare issues such as gestation crate use, sustainable seafood, and farmworkers rights. Using our Circle of Responsibility (COR) program, we communicate sustainability attributes of ingredients through our online and in-café menus. Menus are labeled with COR icons that denote the following (and more):

-if the dish includes local ingredients, and which farm they are from
-if the dish includes animal products from a farm with a third party animal welfare certification
-if the dish includes seafood rated as Green or Yellow by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program
-if the dish is vegetarian and/or vegan

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:
We participate in the following waste prevention systems:
Waste Not 2.0 is a proprietary, chef-centric, cloud-based waste-tracking program designed by Bon Appétit to capture the cause, quantity, and destination of waste. It uses tablets to track waste in real time and the data is analyzed and presented in a way to help chefs see opportunities to prevent and reduce waste and share reports with guests and the client.

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:
Yes, we are trayless in all our cafés on campus. We train all servers in portion control to help minimize post-consumer food waste.

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:
Yes, we donate food to multiple organizations including the Julian Center, Boulevard Food Pantry, and Second Helpings with the help of the Food Recovery Network – Butler Chapter. We are currently Food Recovery Verified.

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:
Yes, we divert food materials from the landfill in the following ways:
-fryer oil is recycled and used to make 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 pre-consumer food waste in the dining halls on campus is composted. (~1500 pounds/week)

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:
Students researched and successfully wrote a grant for post-consumer composting in Atherton, the main dining hall in spring 2021. Due to hiring issues with COVID, we were unable to implement the program in fall 2021, but plan to implement post-consumer composting in spring 2022.

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:
All service ware is reusable.

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:
Yes, we have a reusable clamshell program on campus (Greentogo) and utilize compostable containers, if requested, for to go meals.

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?:
No

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
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Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
We offer wellness programming to the campus through our Food for Your Wellbeing initiative. Sustainability related topics include creating plant-forward plates, varying your protein routine to include vegan or vegetarian protein options more often, and small changes add up – which discusses portion sizes. We work closely with on campus student groups that represent a variety of cultures. Our partnerships with these groups allow us to appropriately serve diverse options that best represent each culture. Organizations that we currently work with include Butler’s Hillel Chapter, Latinx Student Union, Muslim Student Association, and the Asian & Pacific Islander Alliance.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://butler.cafebonappetit.com/butler-wellness/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
FRN_Confirmation_Letter_Butler.pdf

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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