Overall Rating	Silver - expired
Overall Score	48.46
Liaison	Gabrielle Lommel
Submission Date	Dec. 16, 2020

STARS v2.2

Concordia College - Moorhead
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	1.68 / 2.00	Nicole Crouch Director of Dining Services Dining Services

"---" 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?:

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:

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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?:

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 local companies for a variety of products: Mehl's bakery for gluten free products. We also purchase from Breadsmith for specialty bread products. Our honey is solely purchased from Three Bears Honey in Moorhead.

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

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:

We have vegetarian entrees at every station that are clearly labeled. We feature vegetarian week at our Explore station, and increase plant based food options during Earth Week.

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:

Every day we feature a different vegan menu at our Sizzle station.

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:

Local and/or organic foods labeled at point of sale/service.

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:

Concordia has set a campus-wide food waste goal to reduce food waste by 50% in the dining hall by 2020. Through intern-led food waste audits, the College will continue to track the progress over the next few years.

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:

Anderson Commons, our main dining center, has been a trayless facility since 2009. This efficient move saves the campus 200,000 gallons of water each year and eliminates 150 pounds of wasted food each day.

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:

Overproduced food that cannot be frozen for future menus is donated to the Great Plains Food Bank through their food recovery program which Concordia College was instrumental in establishing over 25 years ago. Bakery items are delivered once or twice per week to the Gladys Ray Shelter in Fargo.

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:

Used fryer oil goes to Midwest Grease which is used to make biofuel or animal feed.

Composting

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:

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Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:

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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 main dining hall utilizes only reusable service ware. The sole cafeteria on campus, Anderson Commons is a trayless dining facility, which has reduced customer plate waste by 10%. Anderson Commons does not offer disposable ware in the primary cafeteria. - Note that this has changed due to COVID-19, but goal is to move back to fully reusable as soon as we are able.

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:

The Green To-Go program is a reusable to-go container program for the Maize. This program offers a new option of sustainable dining for Maize customers.

To get started:
1. Deposit $5 in cash or at the Maize cashier. You will receive a
token.
2. Trade in the token to a Maize employee at the counter when you order your meal, and they will serve it in the Green To-Go.
3. Return your Green To-Go to The Maize cashier for a new token you can redeem for a container the next time you want to use Green To-Go. The process repeats every time you visit the Maize.

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?:

Yes

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

The Reusable Mug Program in the The Maize and Coffee Stop offers a $0.30 discount when customers use their own mug.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:

Dining services incorporates diverse cultures into their menus weekly to be available to the campus.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs 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.