| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.01 |
| Liaison | Kelsey Beal |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Indiana University Bloomington
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.88 / 2.00 |
Daniel
Knudsen Professor and Chair, Department of Geography Geography |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Part 1: Sustainable Dining Initiatives
Sustainable Dining Policy
Yes
A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
Go Green
Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends on our natural environment. To support sustainability, we're working to:
improve our waste reduction through recycling and composting, and
source ingredients and menu items locally and regionally
Not only do these activities benefit the environment, they also benefit our community and provide you the freshest foods possible.
http://www.dining.indiana.edu/gogreen.cfml
On-Campus Sourcing
Yes
A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
We provide Hilltop Gardens with over 300 gallons (or about 1,500 pounds) of pre-consumer food waste for composting each week. To accomplish this, our staff actively search for any compostable materials such as fruit rinds, coffee grinds and filters, egg shells, and leftover vegetables. These waste items are transported to Hilltop Gardens, where they are composted.
Composting has many benefits, like:
Sending less waste to landfills
Producing less methane gas from landfills, which causes global warming
Providing free fertilizer for gardens
Hilltop Gardens uses this compost on its fruit and vegetable gardens. Some of the produce from these gardens then comes back to us to create a full-circle operation in sustainability.
http://www.indiana.edu/~landscap/hilltop/about/index.shtml
Local Community Engagement
Yes
A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
The IU Campus Garden Initiative currently oversees one edible gardening space on the IU Bloomington campus: The Hilltop Garden.
http://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/programs/campus-garden-initiative/index.php
Vegan Dining Program
Yes
A brief description of the vegan dining program:
Bloomington, Indiana has been ranked as the “4th Most Veg-Friendly Small City in North America" and Indiana University Bloomington has been ranked as the Most Vegetarian-Friendly College in America, and are regularly ranked in the top ten vegetarian-friendly universities every year.
Students with VegIU put together a Guide to Vegetarian Eating on IU Campus and Vegetarian Restaurant Options in Bloomington list. Some examples of vegetarian and vegan dining options include:
The Eat Right dining concept (RPS) features a vegan or vegetarian entrée at least twice each week. Flamingo’s Grill offers regular and egg white omelets with veggies, as well as garden burgers. Also, the stir-fry at Pacific Rim offers tofu as a protein option. The Chile Garlic, Sesame, Teriyaki, Chili Oil, and Sweet & Sour sauces do not contain animal products. The Eat Right breakfast bar at Wright, Gresham, and Read Hoosier Café is available Monday-Friday from 7-10 a.m., and offers fresh fruit, low fat yogurt, homemade granola lightly sweetened with honey, and hot cereal. Edmondson Dining Room at Collins specializes in vegetarian and vegan fare and serves a variety of soups, salads, entrees, and desserts appropriate for the vegan or vegetarian diet. Landes Dining Room at Read offers a vegetarian option daily and serves a vegan dessert at least once a week.
A more complete list of vegetarian and vegan options can be found at:
http://www.indiana.edu/~vegiu/eating-on-campus.php.
Low-Impact Dining Events
No
A brief description of the low impact dining events:
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Sustainability-Themed Meals
No
A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
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Sustainability-Themed Outlet
No
A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
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Labeling and Signage
Yes
A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
There is signage advertising and encouraging use of re-usable cups available to students at the dining halls.
Outreach and Education
Yes
A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
Every year IU hosts Big Red Eats Green, which is an effort to show IU students where they can find local food and eat in a sustainable way.
Other Initiatives
Yes
A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
Healthy IU - vending machines
Part 2: Food and Dining Waste
Food Recovery Program
Yes
A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
Pre-consumer food waste from most dining facilities goes to the Hilltop Garden and Nature Center (on campus), where it is composted and used in the garden.
Trayless Dining and Portion Modifications
Yes
A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
Most but not all of the dining halls use a trayless dining program. This ensures students take only what they can carry, resulting in less excess food and less food waste.
Food Donation
Yes
A brief description of the food donation program:
Residential Programs and Services (RPS) dining has worked with Hoosier Hills Food Bank for many years. RPS strives to use all of the food items purchased, but there are times when it is necessary to call the Food Bank for pick up so items are not wasted. Tudor Room in the Indiana Memorial Union, and the Hoosier Room at Athletics, also donate leftover food to the Food Bank or other local organizations.
Food Materials Diversion
Yes
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Cooking oil
Composting
Yes
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Pre-consumer food waste from a number of dining locations is sent to Hilltop Garden and Nature Center (on campus) for composting and use in the garden.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
No
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
Post-consumer composting is done at a number of IU Athletics events, but at this time, not in the primary dining locations on campus.
Dine-In Service Ware
Yes
A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
Some facilities serve primarily on reusable service-ware (metal silverware, ceramic dishes), including Collins Living-Learning Center, and the Woodlands in Forrest Quadrangle.
Take-Away Materials
No
A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
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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:
Reusable containers can be filled with soda or tea for just 59 cents at any Residential Programs and Services dining location. There is also a discount on coffee purchases with reusable mugs.
Other Materials Management Initiatives
Yes
A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
IU Convenience stores sell refillable water bottles and reusable bags to minimize plastic waste.
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.