Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.53
Liaison Tanja Srebotnjak
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Harvey Mudd College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.63 / 2.00 Miguel Ruvalcaba
General Manager
Dining Services
"---" 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:
Our dining services contractor is Sodexo, who has made "Better Tomorrow Commitments." One component of these commitments has to do with Environment, and another is Nutrition, Health, and Wellness.

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?:
No

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
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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:
Our primary dining services contractor makes sure that vegan and vegetarian dining options are made available at each and every meal at the dining hall. All meal options are given clear, visible designations for dining hall customers.

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:
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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:
Near the food service area in the dining hall, there is a large display that provides educational material on local, organic, and sustainable dining and food options. In addition, most napkin dispensers have similar and varied information related to food sustainability.

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 Hixon Center for Sustainable Environmental Design hosted a summer Social Justice Fellowship whose research focused on food access, student hunger and malnutrition. The literature review and subsequent surveying included in the work also featured research on sustainable food sourcing and food systems and how that plays into food accessibility and hunger on campus.

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:
There is a designated Office of Health and Wellness in our Division of Student Affairs, as well as a Food Committee from students on campus, that has some level of involvement in the food options available from our primary dining services contractor. Some of their work has promoted an increased presence of diverse and nutritious vegan and vegetarian options in the dining hall.

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:
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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:
Within the last three years, the dining hall removed trays from visibility in the food service area of the dining hall. Customers have to specifically request for a tray from dining services staff.

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:
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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:
In summer 2017, a dehydrator was installed in the dining hall. The dehydrator allows us to process nearly 200 lbs. of pre and post-consumer food waste each day, and we are able to use the output for on-campus landscaping. Food on campus that is not fed into the dehydrator is hauled off for composting off-site.

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:
Food waste bins and signage have been installed in the kitchen spaces in the dining hall. Dining staff disposes of left over food scraps into those compost bins. Some of that is inserted into the dehydrator, and the rest is hauled off-campus by the City of Claremont.

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:
Compost bins have been installed at the dish return station in the dining hall. With the help of installed signage, dining hall customers are asked to sort their food waste into the compost bins. Some of that is inserted into the dehydrator, and the rest is hauled off-campus by the City of Claremont.

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:
Students can rent out a reusable take-out container and cup for the year. Students male a small deposit, and can exchange their containers each time they return to the dining hall. Students get their deposit reimbursed when they return their container and/or cup at the end of the school year.

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:
Alongside our reusable takeout items, biodegradable takeout containers, cups, and service ware are available for use for all dining hall customers.

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:
As of 2018, there are now discounts in place at the Harvey Mudd College cafe and at the late night dining venue, Jay's Place, that provides small discounts to students who bring reusable canteens or mugs for beverages.

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:
There is an ongoing effort between our dining services management and the sustainability directors of ASHMC (Associated Students of Harvey Mudd College) to minimize single-use items, disposables, and non-recyclable packaging items in all dining venues on campus. While the effort in its early stages, there have already been decisive efforts to remove certain single-use items from our dining hall and to move towards bulk items for certain services (e.g., half and half creamer pitchers instead of single packs).

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
https://hmc.sodexomyway.com/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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