Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 36.50
Liaison Katy Everett
Submission Date Oct. 26, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Eureka College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.25 / 2.00 Katy Everett
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
Science and Mathematics
"---" 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:
Leila sending asap: Better Tomorrow 20-25 Assessment

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:
---

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:
---

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 options are available at every meal time in the Dickinson Commons cafeteria. Vegan options are also available in the Burgoo during meal plan hours and a la carte vegan items are available outside of meal plan hours. Vegan items in the Commons are marked with a green VG symbol on the signage accompanying each food item.

Low-Impact Dining Events 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
No

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
---

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 the 2016/17 academic year, the Arts and Lectures Board at Eureka College held a series of farm to table dinners including students, faculty, staff, and administration. These meals sourced meat from a local farm (Wettstein Farms). These meals were centered around discussion of: arts, culture, and environmental sustainability.

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:
---

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 Commons Dining Hall at Eureka College has a variety of sustainability signage including: - Benefits of trayless dining - Locally sourced food - Information on previous study done by dining services where food waste was weighed - Recycling plastic and cardboard - Large amount of campus food scraps are given to a local resident who feeds her chickens with the material.

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:
Currently students are conducting pilot composting in our dining hall and fliers and information have been posted in the hall and through email and classroom presentations. The College offers a senior seminar focused on food systems and a 300-level Environmental Studies seminar on Food and Justice issues.

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:
Culturally diverse options are becoming more frequent on our menu and many more vegetarian and vegan options have been introduced this fall (one vegetarian hot meal per day rather than only the salad bar).

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?:
No

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
None

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:
The Commons are trayless and have smaller sized plates and bowls available to limit portion size and food waste. Food is also served, rather then self-serve to limit waste/portion size.

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:
None

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:
Produce scraps from the primary dining hall are donated to a local family for their chickens to consume.

Composting 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
No

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
None

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:
Currently in the pilot stage - initiative driven by student researcher and Environmental Science professor.

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:
Plates, bowls, and silverware are used in the Eureka College Commons dining hall that are washed and disinfected daily for reuse.

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:
None

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?:
No

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
None

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:
None

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
https://eurekacollege.sodexomyway.com/images/WeeklyMenu_tcm1296-39943.htm

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
This data was found by looking at the food and beverage purchasing from September 2015-August 2016. This information was compiled by John Boswell and Riley Francis.

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.