| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 54.23 |
| Liaison | Jeff Jeremiason |
| Submission Date | Nov. 30, 2021 |
Gustavus Adolphus College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.48 / 2.00 |
Kari
Wallin Sustainability Manager Facilities/Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation |
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:
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:
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?:
A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Gustavus supports small, local businesses within the St. Peter area when feasible. Much of this is made possible through the Co-op Partners Warehouse. The percentage was calculated taking the totals from My MN Farmer, Montgomery Orchard, CPW, and Equal Exchange; please refer to spreadsheet if needed)
Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
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?:
A brief description of the vegan dining program:
Within the Marketplace there is a designated vegan special every day for lunch and dinner that is on a 4 week rotation. In total, there are 56 different vegan specials offered over the course of a semester (some repeats of the most popular items).
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?:
A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
Examples of sustainability labeling come in the form of “nudge signage” reminding consumers which items are compostable from the Marketplace. Additionally, there is signage present indicating which products are Fair Trade, organic, vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free.
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?:
A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
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?:
A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
The Marketplace has an a la carte menu, removing trays would not have a large impact on quantities being purchased. The trays are present to make it easier for students to carry items to the dining room.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
A brief description of the food donation program:
Surplus bakery items to local nonprofit organizations present in St. Peter.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor divert food materials from the landfill, incinerator or sewer for animal feed or industrial uses?:
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Pre- and post-consumer food materials are collected and transported to our industrial composter and compactor to divert food materials from landfill, incinerator, or sewer.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Any waste from the cooking or preparing process is collected in designated bins located around the kitchen. These are emptied into larger kirbies outside; most of our compostable items get hauled away by Waste Management to a large compost facility, but some is also composted on campus.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
Post-consumer waste is ground up in our Somat machine and dispensed into designated bins. As with our pre-consumer waste, most of our compostable items get hauled away by Waste Management to a large compost facility, but some is also composted on campus.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
We utilize standard reusable metal utensils, plastic cups, and ceramic plates and bowls for use in our dining room.
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)?:
A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
GustieWare: We provide plastic reusable containers at no charge to students, and dining service employees collect containers from designated bins located around campus in academic buildings and residential halls for re-use.
Additionally, all of our disposable containers are BPI certified 100% compostable.
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?:
A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
As an incentive to encourage students to use the reusable GustieWare containers (free to use), we charge a small amount for disposable compostable containers.
A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs 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.