Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.39
Liaison Ciara Tennis
Submission Date Dec. 31, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Eastern Connecticut State University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.75 / 2.00 Josephine Brickner
Intern
Institute for Sustainable Energy
"---" 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:
Eastern has a sustainable dining policy focused on the 3 R's with a primary focus on reduction. This includes reducing food waste as well as other waste, such as disposable trays and utensils. The sustainable dining policy is located here:https://www.dineoncampus.com/easternct/sustainability Sustainable Seafood: Only sustainable seafood is offered on our menus. Endangered or even threatened species are not served. Cage Free Shell Eggs: Chartwells is committed to taking a stand on animal welfare by offering HFAC certified cage free shell eggs. Zero Trans Fats Oils: Chartwells uses oils that contain zero trans fats. Local Food Sourcing: By focusing on local purchasing, we are able to reduce the miles required for delivery vehicles to deliver our products Restricted Antibiotics: We only serves chicken and turkey that has been produced with restricted use of antibiotics, especially as a growth additive in feed. rBGH Free Milk: We serve fluid milk from cows that have been certified to be free of artificial growth hormones rBGH and rBST whenever possible.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
The campus holds an annual farmer's market.

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:
Chartwells offers a component within the dining hall known as Rooted! which is a vegetarian concept. This has been in existence since 2010 and brings a variety of meat free dishes to students. http://www.eatlearnlive.com/Eat_Nourish_the_Body_CHE.cfm The dining hall also features meatless Monday's throughout the semester which are promoted through Facebook, and in dining hall signage.

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:
The dining hall features Meatless Monday's throughout the semester which are promoted through Facebook, and in dining hall signage. In addition, Chartwells has institute zero waste events for regular annual campus functions (e.g., President's picnic, campus holiday party, alumni/reunion).

Sustainability-Themed Meals 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
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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?:
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:
The dining hall utilizes signage informing students about the importance of composting their food before they leave the 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?:
Yes

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
The "Be A Flexitarian" initiative encourages our guests to eat no meat at least once a week. This initiative helps diminish the environmental impact of animal production, especially as it relates to beef and greenhouse gas emissions. Love Food Not Waste campaign is designed to increase the awareness of our guests and address concerns about the waste that is created and its cost impact. The campaign focuses on four key areas of waste: food, water, energy and packaging. Our Love Food Not Waste campaign addresses ways that our staff and guests can reduce the amount of waste they produce by encouraging them to change their dining behaviors.

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)?:
No

A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
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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 dining hall partners with the campus' Center for Community Engagement on a Food Recovery Program where all usable leftovers are donated to the Covenant Soup Kitchen. Trim Trax is a food waste reduction program that is used by Chartwells to track, measure and reduce the amount of kitchen food waste in our facilities. It is designed to increase operational efficiencies and create awareness about reducing food waste and its environmental impact. This program has been extremely successful to date in reducing waste year over year. Eastern also participates in Project Clean Plate a program that teaches students not to waste food in the all-you-can-eat dining area. Incentives are given to students who return a clean plate to the tray return during the program's implementation period.

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:
In 2015, Eastern's dining hall, Hurley Hall, implemented a trayless dining initiative, where students do not use trays to carry their food in the dining hall. Not only does this help to reduce water waste in washing the trays, but it also helps to limit the amount of food that students take, in an effort that they will only take what they plan to eat. Also, Eastern is part of the Clean Plate initiative, in which students are encouraged to eat all of the food on their plate.

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:
At certain times of the year there may be an employee food donation request for the Willimantic Covenant Soup Kitchen. In 2017, the Warrior Food Recovery program was born. Leftover, usable food is donated twice a week from the dining hall to the local Willimantic Covenant Soup Kitchen. As of May 2018, 2,718.7 Ibs of food have been donated. http://www.easternct.edu/sustainability/dining-and-dorms/

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:
As of May 2017, Eastern Connecticut State University sends all of its pre-meal and post consumer food waste to Quantum Biopower, a food waste recycling center located in Southington, CT.

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:
Eastern Connecticut State University now participates in the composting of both pre- and post consumer waste.

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:
As of May 2017, Eastern Connecticut State University sends all of its pre-meal and post consumer food waste from Hurley Dining Hall to Quantum Biopower, a food waste recycling center located in Southington, CT.

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:
Eastern utilizes reusable silverware 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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
Eastern's to-go containers and cups are 100% recyclable. As of 2017, Eastern's to-go containers are now reusable as well. Students can purchase the plastic to-go containers and use them to take food out of the dining hall. They may return their dirty container for a new, clean one and the dining hall staff will wash the dirty containers on-site for reuse.

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:
In the Student Center's Campus Perks Café, students receive a discount when they bring their own, reusable coffee (or tea) cup.

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:
The dining hall now uses reusable to-go containers, which reduces the waste created by the previously used disposable to-go containers.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
https://www.dineoncampus.com/easternct/sustainability

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
This information was verified by emailing Joe Salvaggio on 9/24/2018. See more: https://www.dineoncampus.com/easternct/sustainability http://www.easternct.edu/sustainability/dining-and-dorms/

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.