Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 48.57
Liaison Jennifer McMillin
Submission Date June 15, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Cleveland State University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.75 / 2.00 Jennifer McMillin
Director of Sustainability
Facilities l Architect l Safety l Technology
"---" 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:
Chartwells adheres to Compass Group's Sustainability platform which includes the following principles: Source ingredients from local and regional sources as a first choice Source proteins from suppliers that promote the humane welfare of farm animals Source foods that are produced with minimal use or free of chemicals and antibiotics Source seafood from a sustainable supply chain Act to support campaigns that reward the efforts of farmers and laborers Reduce CO2e emissions in the kitchens we operate by pursuing ongoing client participation to implement the Carbon Foodprint Toolkit. Encourage our supply chain to reduce the volume of primary and secondary packing and increase packing that can be recycle, composted or reused. http://www.chartwellshighered.com/sustainability http://issuu.com/becompass/docs/sustainability_platform_v5/1?e=0/12420280

On-Campus Sourcing 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
No

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
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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?:
No

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
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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 and vegetarian options are offered across campus at all dining locations. The dining menu is built via a tool called Webtrition in which we are able to filter, select, prepare, serve and label vegan and vegetarian foods for our guests. https://new.dineoncampus.com/csu/vegetarian-dining

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:
Chartwells highlights meatless meal options on menus as part of their "Flexitarian" program. A flexitarian is someone who actively incorporates meatless meals into their diet but is not fully vegetarian. By eating one meat‐free meal a week, Chartwells believes that we can make an impact on our health and the environment.

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:
In recognition of Earth Day, the Viking Marketplace promotes their "Eat Local" menu to highlight some of the local farms and food producers from around the Northeast Ohio region.

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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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:
CSU Dining posts information in the dining hall to encourage informed choices and outline the resulting impact on the natural environment. Signage includes information on local purchasing, fair trade coffee and sustainable seafood programs. The Viking Marketplace offers information on their sustainability initiatives and the day's meals that feature local products and vendors.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
We have recently begun participating in "Stop Food Waste Day." This program helps consumers to learn about best practices and techniques for reducing or eliminating food waste in their homes, at school, and in the workplace.

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:
CSU Dining is proud to use only cage free eggs, antibiotic-free and free-range chicken and pork products, along with hormone free dairy products. They partner with the Monterey Bay Aquariums' Seafood Watch program to assure that all seafood served complies with strict sustainability requirements. CSU Dining uses only trans-fat free products, from cooking oils to baked goods. 'Balanced-dishes' offers easily identifiable foods that are low in calories, sodium, fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. The new DineOnCampus App lets users integrate the foods from our menu directly into Fitness tracking apps like MyFitnessPal.

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:
Compass Group has developed Trim Trax, a food waste reduction program to reduce waste, cut operating costs, and reduce their carbon footprint. It is designed to be implemented and executed by staff to increase engagement and operational efficiency, as well as create awareness about the environmental impact of food waste. The program tracks and measures food waste costs at college cafeterias in the following categories including: - Production waste (food thrown out prior to cooking/service such as vegetable peelings) - Over produced (unusable food that has already gone through production and must be disposed of) - Unused/out-of-date inventory (expired, spoiled or overcooked) - Open category (A product or station category identified by the food service director or chef that could benefit from improvement) By collecting all waste and measuring the total, management can monitor how much edible food is being wasted. The program allows for continuous feedback and serves as a great educational tool for all involved. http://www.dineoncampus.com/Site_ContentFiles/Waste%20reduction%20practices.pdf

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:
CSU Dining is dedicated to reducing waste and the Viking Marketplace is a tray-less dining facility.

Food Donation 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
No

A brief description of the food donation program:
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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:
100% of cooking oil is recycled.

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 late 2016, CSU began composting food scraps from the kitchens of three major facilities on campus, the Student Center which houses the main kitchens for CSU Dining and Catering, the Wolstein Arena, and Elements Bistro. On average, the program diverts 1000 pounds of organic material from landfill per week.

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:
Excess food left on plates in the dining hall is scraped off and composted. At this time, there are no other publicly available post-consumer composting receptacles available.

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 Viking Marketplace uses metal cutlery and porcelain plates for dine in meals.

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)?:
No

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
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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:
CSU Dining offers a discounted rate for coffee purchased with a reusable mug.

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:
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Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
https://new.dineoncampus.com/csu/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.