Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Jenny Isler
Submission Date March 1, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Clark University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Michael Newmark
Dining Services Director
Sodexo, Clark Dining Services
"---" 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:
https://clarkdining.sodexomyway.com/explore/sustainability

On-Campus Sourcing 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
Yes

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
Clark Dining Services proudly adopts Freight Farms to add to its sustainability initiatives. The Leafy Green Machine is a fully functional hydroponic farm built inside an up-cycled shipping container & configured for the immediate growth of a variety of leafy crops. With its innovative climate technology & growing equipment, the optimum growing condition is achieved 365 days a year irrespective of outside weather. The produce from the Leafy Green Machine is seamlessly integrated into current operations & used at various campus dining locations. Freight Farms was developed and incubated at Clark University by Brad McNamara who is a Clark Alumni, and is headquartered at Boston.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
The Local Root, a student-run venture founded in 2012, partners with Massachusetts-based farm-direct distributor, Lettuce Be Local, as well as other local farms and producers companies such as Elzire's Acres and Birchtree Bread, to bring local, fresh, and organic food to the Clark University community via weekly Farm Stands, Mobile Markets, and subscription box services.

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:
A separate area is maintained for vegan food preparation, storage, serving and cleaning. Refrigeration, equipment, utensils and serviceware are all kept separately. In the dining hall, the vegan selections, including those in the separated self-serve area, are clearly identified. All daily menus include a range of vegan options. In the cafe, vegan options are packaged and marked. We have a Kosher kitchen, too!

Low-Impact Dining Events 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
We do "Less Meat" Mondays and a variety of other low-impact and intermediate-focused meal events throughout the academic year.

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:
There is the annual Sustainable Supper, an open to all pot luck where each dish must include local and/or organic ingredients. This is a student-led event. Clark Dining Services also features Food Day information tabling with local vendors and all-local meals through the day in the fall semester and the in spring semester throughout Earth Week has local and regional meals on the menu.

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:
---

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:
A large red capital "L" sticker is on all cafeteria options that are locally sourced. An RFC sticker is on all items that meet RFC qualifications. Additionally, there are posters and flyers and info sheets everywhere in the cafeteria and dining hall.

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?:
No

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
---

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, halal, kosher, atre all available at all meals and a nutritionist is on staff.

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:
the kitchen is on LeanPath software, and it has had dramatic results, reducing pre-consumer production waste by 56% in the first year!

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:
We're trayless, and the food is plated rather than served on the food line in the cafeteria.

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:
Qualified (by state and local law) food items from Dining and catering services is donated to Rachel's Kitchen, a local food bank, which makes a bi-weekly pick up. Non-qualified items are donated to employees or staff. Clark is a Food Recovery Network registered partner.

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:
Al waste vegetable oil is picked up by a local energy co-op and turned into biofuel for use in locally owned vehicles, as well as use in home heating oil for underserved Worcester residents for free.

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:
In each of the preparation areas of the kitchen there are three color-coded bins: green for compostable organic materials, gray for trash, yellow for recyclables. The bins sit in the middle of the prep tables so all workers can access them easily. All workers are trained and certified by the Sustainability Coordinator bi-annually; peer-to-peer training also occurs. All food waste and paper go into the green bin. A designated employee is responsible for collecting the recyclables and the organics; he checks the bins regularly.

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:
In the dining hall everything that comes through the dish line is scraped into a compost collection bin by dining services staff - there are no other bins in use since everything is compostable or washable. There are also compost and recyclable bins right outside the dish line if a student wants to scrape their own plates. In the Bistro there are compost and recycling bins. However, in Jazzman's Coffee Shop, there are recycling bins but no composting capability. In both the Bistro and the coffee shop, all take-out containers are compostable, as are all cups and silverware - however, when someone takes food to eat elsewhere, there are not composting facilities readily available. For example if a student takes a sandwich to their room they would have to return to the cafeteria or the cafe to compost the leftovers and the containers.

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 either reusable or compostable. 100% of it. All operations.

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:
We provide exchangable Green to Go reusable containers in the cafe to students, faculty and staff.There is no take out from the cafeteria.

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:
Of course reusable mugs get a beverage discount at the cafe.

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:
---

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://www.clarkdining.com/sustainability.html

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.