| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 46.71 |
| Liaison | Matthew Harmin |
| Submission Date | May 14, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Goucher College
OP-22: Waste Minimization
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.01 / 5.00 |
Carol
Crouse Office of Communications Assistant Office of Communications |
Waste generated::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 18.49 Tons | 4.34 Tons |
| Materials composted | 56.19 Tons | 70.97 Tons |
| Materials reused, donated or re-sold | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 288.91 Tons | 316.91 Tons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 1,149 | 1,150 |
| Number of residential employees | 10 | 10 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 1,821.40 | 1,789.10 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 555 | 541 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 230 | 212 |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | Jan. 1, 2013 | Dec. 31, 2013 |
| Baseline Year | Jan. 1, 2009 | Dec. 31, 2013 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
The baseline year was adopted in 2009, when the majority of this information began to be recorded.
A brief description of any (non-food) waste audits employed by the institution:
A brief description of any institutional procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A brief description of any surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Various offices frequently do swaps of materials, including general supplies as well as furniture.
A brief description of the institution's efforts to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Faculty are encouraged to do so, as students have limits on how many pages they can print per semester.
A brief description of any limits on paper and ink consumption employed by the institution:
students are accountable for what they print (swipe card), limit on what students can print, mandate double-sided printing, student handbooks now online
A brief description of any programs employed by the institution to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Goucher has a free store where students can drop off and pick up items.
A brief description of any other (non-food) waste minimization strategies employed by the institution:
Furniture and other items are fixed and re-purposed whenever possible. Rather than dispose of unused/replaced items, they are offered to the campus community for use on the campus first, for personal use secondly.
Example:
Extra Furniture for Use and Sale
After all the moves that have happened at Goucher in the past year or so, Facilities Management Services (FMS) is making some extra furniture available to community members for campus use or for personal use.
Goucher staff and faculty may come tag items on Monday, May 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second floor of Froelicher Hall (ACE’s previous location). Items that are needed on campus may be claimed on a first-come, first-served basis. Items for personal use will be sold to the highest bidder. Priority goes to requests for on-campus use. The “inventory” includes many file cabinets, but also some chairs and bookcases and a few tables.
All furniture comes in “as-is” condition. If an item is going to be used on campus, FMS can put in a work order to have it moved to the staff or faculty member’s work space. Community members can pick up items bought for personal use on Tuesday, May 13, and Wednesday, May 14, 4-6 p.m.
Items not picked up will be recycled or donated to charity.
A brief description of any food waste audits employed by the institution:
We have recently completed a food waste audit to tally over consumption by diners in our largest dining hall. The aim of this audit was to increase awareness of what we take and then what we throw away. By weighing each diners disposable items we demonstrated the need to choose less food to minimize waste.
A brief description of any programs and/or practices to track and reduce pre-consumer food waste in the form of kitchen food waste, prep waste and spoilage:
We cook to order so that we minimize "leftover" foods that are not consumable for the next meal period. Cooking on demand makes for fresher food and minimizes waste.
A brief description of programs and/or practices to track and reduce post-consumer food waste:
With our food recovery network program we weigh and track all edible "leftover" food items that are for this donation.
A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable and/or third party certified compostable to-go containers for to-go food and beverage items (in conjunction with a composting program):
We are trayless and we are active with reusable 3 compartment containers. Students bring in a used container, then we return a clean and sanitized one for their next meal.
A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable service ware for “dine in” meals and reusable and/or third party certified compostable service ware for to-go meals (in conjunction with a composting program):
The majority of to go wares and containers are biodegrable.
A brief description of any discounts offered to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in to-go food service operations:
A brief description of other dining services waste minimization programs and initiatives:
Once again we practice a cook on demand style of service in our doining halls and we have multiple control points in all outlets to minimize waste and production errors.
The website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization initiatives is available:
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.