Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.65
Liaison Michael Amadori
Submission Date March 5, 2021

STARS v2.2

Hobart and William Smith Colleges
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Michael Amadori
Sustainability Manager
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Sustainable dining initiatives

Local community engagement

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
Since 2013, the Finger Lakes Institute Food Systems Program coordinate a campus farmer's market each fall during HWS Food Week and each spring during HWS Earth Week. Various local farmers and food vendors, as well as Sodexo and other campus sustainability clubs and offices, are invited to participate in the campus farmer's market.
http://www.hws.edu/studentlife/hwsfoodweek.aspx

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:
HWS Dining services offers, 7 days a week for lunch and dinner, one vegetarian and one vegan option at their Basil Station line. HWS has also added more plant-based items to the daily menu, including, vegan waffles, tofu scrambles, condiments and ice cream; oat milk substitutes; and sustainable Aspretto coffee. HWS Dining Services also offers local bagels, dairy, fish, and apple all day, every day in our resident dining hall. In Retail units, HWS Dining Services offers local juices and dairy products, including but not limited to, Red jacket Juices, and Chaboni Yogurts.

Inclusive and local sourcing

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
We cater to the Geneva Boys and Girls club at a discounted rate for daily dinner meals.

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
5

Low-impact dining

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
Every Monday is Meatless Monday, where dining services menu is primarily made up of 60% vegetarian and/or vegan options offered Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Wellness Wednesdays are another HWS Dining Services sustainability themed dining event, where the menu is primarily made up of healthy entrees. Dining Services mindful entrees limit sugar, dairy, fat, and calories. Dining services has also enhanced their sustainable and plant-based menu items with at least 10 NEW items added this year.

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:
The main dining hall has a vegetarian line that always offers a vegan option. In addition, students may select a variety of self-serve options, ranging from oatmeal to salads, which are available throughout the day. HWS Sodexo is rated A by peta2 for the quality of service at our Basil Vegan station, offering daily menu variety throughout the academic year. HWS Sodexo offers Mindful options which include vegan items. Mindful offerings meet stringent nutritional criteria based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Each Mindful item is limited in calories, has fewer than 30% of calories from fat, fewer than 10% of calories from saturated fat, and is restricted in sodium and cholesterol. Mindful vegan offerings contain no meat, fish, eggs, milk or other animal-derived products such as honey.

Labelling and signage 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
Posters are hung daily in the dining hall, vegan/vegetarian labels are used to identify vegetarian and vegan entrees on HWS dining services daily menus, local foods labeled are also used throughout the dining hall, which highlight our in-season food products, such as local dairy products (offered everyday-all day), fruit from local orchards such as red jacket, and freshly baked, in –house, pastries, breads, and doughs.

Part 2. Food waste minimization and recovery

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:
HWS Dining Services has implemented and sustained our LeanPath program, which tracks our daily waste and provides areas where we can improve, reducing our organic waste.

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:
There is only one dining hall on campus. It was just renovated over the summer of 2017 and is 100% trayless.

http://www2.hws.edu/hws-opens-new-dining-facilities-2/

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:
All surplus food at kitchen closedowns is donated to local charities. We have donated to Catholic Charities Soup Kitchen, St. Mary's Church, and House of Concern in recent years. We have also donated soup and bread to the Catholic Charities for their annul Empty bowls program, which spreads hunger awareness. Around holidays, Salvation Army and center of concern for Geneva fundraisers are implemented and donations are provided either through non-perishable items or monetary donations.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
HWS Dining Services participates in composting through Natural Upcycle, where our kitchen staff is properly trained to compost food scraps, and our dishwashers are trained as well, to compost food scraps and other compostable materials from customers.

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:
All pre-consumer food waste is captured by Dining Services and diverted to compost totes easily accessible to the kitchen. The newly implemented Lean Path has also identified ways to decrease pre-consumer waste.

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 receptacles for food scraps and napkins are located at all retail dining facilities as a part of a 3-bin waste collection system. Post-consumer food waste in the HWS main dining hall is managed by the dishline staff. The organics are pulped and diverted to compost totes.

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:
Yes, HWS Dining Services Resident dining hall only uses reusable service ware, plates, bowls, cups, and other cutlery. In HWS retail units, compostable and recyclable utensils, containers, and beverage cups are used when washable reusable service ware is not applicable, especially with to-go meals.

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:
Yes, HWS Dining Services Resident dining hall only uses reusable service ware, plates, bowls, cups, and other cutlery. In HWS retail units, compostable and recyclable utensils, containers, and beverage cups are used when washable reusable service ware is not applicable, especially with to-go meals.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
Yes, HWS Dining Services has a discounted rate for majority of beverage refills (all beverages except specialty beverages for food safety reasons) when using a reusable tumbler in our retail units.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
HWS Dining Services resident dining hall recently installed a Trayless dish return line, which has helped save water and energy. HWS Resident Dining Hall has also recently banned all plastic straws, started to wrap fresh fruits in our to-go area with compostable "plastic" wrap, and started purchasing compostable wax paper liners for our grill line.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://hwsdining.sodexomyway.com/explore/sustainability

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Hobart and William Smith students continue to enjoy the updated spaces, food stations and increased functionality. The facility includes upgrades to the main dining hall and servery such as a larger, more open dining environment with additional student seating, improved natural lighting, and a new common room to support faculty, staff and campus gatherings. The allergy friendly zone includes “Simple Servings,” which provides food choices for those with allergies or gluten intolerance, while “My Zone” has been designed as a “pantry” where food items needed by those with allergies or special considerations can be housed with precautions against cross-contamination. To accommodate the busy lives of students, there’s also Grab & Go option. The project has followed LEED principles and includes elements that reflect the Colleges’ commitment to sustainability and the environment. These features include environmentally sensitive finishes (paint, carpets, flooring, wood), LED lighting for new fixtures, energy efficient equipment, trayless dining and a new dishwasher that saves both energy and water consumption. In partnership with the IT Services, the space now features more robust wifi and more electrical outlets for charging convenience.

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