Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 48.37
Liaison Calandra Lake
Submission Date Dec. 20, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

College of William & Mary
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Stephen Moyer
Operations Manager, Commons
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:
Since its founding, Sodexo’s commitment to Corporate Responsibility has been central to its fundamentals, underpinning its development as a responsible company. These commitments are reflected in the Group’s mission: to improve quality of life for employees and all those it serves throughout the world and to contribute to the economic, social and environmental development of the communities, regions and countries where it operates. Sodexo tracks the implementation and measures the impact of its actions in the 80 countries in which it operates through its Corporate Responsibility roadmap, the Better Tomorrow Plan. The Better Tomorrow Plan is comprised of three core pillars: 1. We Are: the fundamentals that serve as the cornerstone of a responsible company. 2. We Do: four priority commitments for action: · our commitments as an employer; · our commitments to nutrition, health and wellness; · our commitments to local communities; · our commitments to the environment. 3. We Engage: dialogue and joint actions with our stakeholders.

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:
Dining Services sources herbs from the on campus herb garden, located near the Commons Dining Hall.

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:
W&M rents 4 rows at KelRae Farm, located about 10 miles from the campus. Students, faculty, and staff participate in the cultivation and harvest of produce that is then used in the dining halls.

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:
Both resident dining halls have vegan stations that provide complete-protein options at every meal.

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:
Meatless Mondays focus on reducing our meat consumption and showcasing the variety of vegetarian options that are available on our campus. It also provides education on the impacts of raising and processing meat. Outreach includes tabling in the dining halls, blogging and a listserv.

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:
Each fall, Sodexo hosts a Farm to Fork meal showcasing locally and sustainability sourced foods on the Sunken Garden served family style with composting and food recovery.

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:
Item identifier cards display what is sourced locally and are placed with the food daily. Information on rotating digital screens and a sustainability wall with up-to-date information.

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:
Tabling in the dining halls for Meatless Mondays and a sustainability series inviting vendors to present on their sustainable practices.

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:
The campus dietitian provides semesterly Food for Thought newsletters, offers individual nutritional counseling, and has a blog, HealthyBYTE. Sodexo participates in a Global Chef Program which brings chefs from around the world once a semester.

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:
W&M uses a Food Management System to determine proper portions to reduce food waste. We also participate in LeanPath using their practices on pre-consumer waste, all post-consumer waste is composted. We hold education events to reduce the likelihood of post-consumer waste through Weigh the Waste where students can see how much they waste and will hopefully factor this in to their future decisions. Food Recovery Network works with many locations on campus to recover food.

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:
W&M has been practicing trayless dining for many years, reducing resource use and 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:
Food Recovery Network works with many locations on campus to collect food that would otherwise have gone to waste. Campus Kitchens has also worked with Dining Services to recover food.

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:
All dining hall cooking oil is used for biofuel through the company GoGreen.

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 food trimmings during food production and food prep are collected by Natural Organic Process Enterprises, a third party vendor that delivers the waste for composting.

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:
Everything that comes through the tray-return is sorted and post-consumer food along with compostable items are separated for composting purposes. Food stations also have composting containers for staff to deposit food waste.

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 serviceware in dining halls 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:
W&M utilizes the Choose-to-Reuse clamshell containers for dining halls on campus.

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:
Retail cafes on campus offer a discount for reusable containers as do concessions stands in large athletic venues.

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
Using our Sustainable Packaging Tool, our managers are able to select compostable alternatives for single use disposables. We work with our vendors to ensure packaging waste is limited, while still ensuring safe products. For example, we worked with EcoLab to develop an environmentally superior set of dishwashing products and supporting systems that use 95% less packaging and material than comparable products.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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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.