| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.77 |
| Liaison | Susan Kaspari |
| Submission Date | July 16, 2022 |
Central Washington University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.62 / 2.00 |
Kate
Doughty Farm and Sustainability Manager Auxiliary Enterprises |
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?:
A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
Dining Services supports the Wildcat Neighborhood Farm, an urban agriculture project located 10 minutes from the student union and main campus area. The farm supplies produce to Dining Services and special events, as well as smaller pop-up farm stands accessible to the community at large. The farm additionally provides opportunities for students and community groups to engage with sustainable food initiatives.
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?:
A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
Fresh Bar is a primarily plant based outlet serving grain bowls, salads, vegan chili, avocado toast, and fresh pressed juices. The bulk of the menu items are vegan at their core, and most can be made vegan (except the yogurt parfait). Fresh Bar is often the outlet through which the produce from the Wildcat Farm is served.
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?:
A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Charlie's Produce is a regional distributor. https://www.charliesproduce.com
Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
CWU dining has run a series of Instagram posts on CWUEats promoting dining's plant based meal options, which was done in collaboration with a student from the Sustainability Certificate. Dining has also hosted harvest dinners in the fall featuring primarily food from the Wildcat Neighborhood Farm.
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?:
A brief description of the vegan dining program:
Vegan entrees are available at every meal.
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?:
A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
There are signs and stickers to indicate when produce from the farm is used.
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?:
A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
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?:
A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
CWU is a retail dining operation and with the exception of the salad bar all the items are served in consistent portions.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
A brief description of the food donation program:
Dining donates leftover food from end-of-service to the PUSH food pantry on campus.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor divert food materials from the landfill, incinerator or sewer for animal feed or industrial uses?:
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Dining has a cooking oil recycling program.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
A system was planned for installation in 2020, but was delayed due to COVID and changes in the available budget at this time do not allow this program to move forward.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
Prior to March 2020, Dining used reusable service ware for it's primary dining room, however since the pandemic have been using single-use takeaway containers. They have begun phasing reusable ware back into operations.
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)?:
A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
Dining utilizes all tree-zero or certified compostable takeaway products, however they are not composted and still go to the landfill.
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?:
A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
Dining often partners with other campus departments for culturally diverse events or meals (recently a Ukraine focused event 2022). They are actively working with local organizations to find solutions for food waste diversion and collection. The Dining team is focused on promoting wellness through their Fresh Bar concept as well as one-off events.
Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
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.