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

STARS v2.1

Emerson College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Dawn Sajdyk
District Manager
Emerson Dining
"---" 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:
Sodexo works to reduce environmental impacts at client sites, promote sustainable sourcing practices and optimize natural resource consumption. Sodexo has identified eight commitments for protecting the environment: Supplier code of conduct Local, seasonal or sustainable products Sustainable fish and seafood Sustainable equipment and supplies Energy and emissions Water and effluents Organic waste Non-organic waste http://www.sodexousa.com/home/corporate-responsibility/sustainable-development/environment.html

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:
We have plans to start sourcing from a hydroponic 'Freight Farm' to be installed on campus by 2018.

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:
Sodexo purchases 100% of the fish and seafood on campus from Red's Best, a Boston based seafood wholesaler that aggregates from small, community-based fishing boats and supply only sustainable catches to sustain fisheries. Emerson features Red's Best products every Friday and has a demo with a Red's Best fisherman and fresh seafood once per semester in the dining hall. https://www.redsbest.com/redsbest/about-us/?___store=default

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:
Sodexo offers vegan items in our 3 cafes and in our dining hall. The dining hall features an entirely vegan food station with a wok and has a vegetarian/vegan option for every entree station. Plant based foods are regularly featured as demos in the dining hall, sponsored by Sodexo's nutritionist, student groups and the sustainability coordinator.

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:
Sodexo hosts a Meatless Monday each semester and meatless meals on Earth Day. Sodexo sponsors environmentally-themed events such as the Vegan Food Fest and Green Gala with free vegan food.

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:
Sustainable seafood is the entree theme each Friday and different local produce are featured weekly in the fall. Each month has a different sustainability theme, highlighted by the demo table. Themes include fair trade, local produce, local & sustainable seafood, organic products, and vegan products.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
The "Vegan Station" is an entirely animal-product-free station at our main Dining Hall. The Vegan Station offers students a variety of vegetables, grains, nuts and beans, vegetable proteins, and sauces.

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:
Signage shows vegan and vegetarian options and local products are highlighted on the menu and through signage.

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:
Sodexo's weekly demos in the dining hall inform students about sustainable food systems. The college's sustainability coordinator and the Eco Rep student employees host events to inform students about sustainable food. There is a Vegan Club and Real Food Challenge team that research our local food systems sustainability. Sustainable campus dining is an ongoing project for an environmental studies course each spring.

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:
Health and wellness is featured regularly through demos and signage in the dining hall. A nutritionist demos each month with healthy recipes to cook up in the residence hall kitchens.

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:
Composting is practiced both in the back of house and front of house in the dining hall and three cafes. The waste is audited and reported on monthly.

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:
Trayless dining since 2011 Weigh the waste program and waste monitor programs each year in the disposal area of the dining hall and cafes to educate student dining center patrons. Weigh the waste creates a visual display of plate waste and waste monitoring provides in person instruction on proper disposal.

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:
We donate leftover food from catered events to the nearby St. Francis House. The sustainability coordinator coordinates donations and the Eco Reps organize and transport the donations. From January 2017 - January 2018, Emerson donated 1419 pounds of food in this way. Emerson Dining Services is discussing food donation with Food For Free to organize donations from leftover unserved food in the dining center. Donations will tentatively begin in July 2018.

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:
Food waste is separated by the kitchens and by students in the eateries and collected by our waste hauler for composting. Cooking oil is picked up regularly by a oil recycling company.

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:
Pre consumer composting stations in all campus kitchens and prep rooms.

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:
Post consumer composting in dining hall, 3 cafes, and two event spaces.

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 dining hall features exclusively reusable service ware.

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:
All to-go containers and service ware in the 3 cafes is compostable.

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:
The cafes offer $0.20 discount for reusing a mug. The cafes and dining hall promote use of green reusable containers through raffles, sponsored by the sustainability coordinator.

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:
Sodexo has policies to reduce food packaging waste and number of trips for product delivery.

Optional Fields 

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

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.