Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 37.54
Liaison Matthew Shockey
Submission Date Dec. 17, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Indiana University South Bend
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.25 / 2.00 Michelle Shedd
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:
"At Sodexo, our 425,000 employees make things better, safer, healthier and easier for 75 million consumers around the world. We’re passionate about raising the quality of life for everyone – and it’s part of what we do every day. We know we can only meaningfully improve lives if we make good decisions. And that means thinking about the needs of tomorrow as well as today. That is why we monitor our progress through our corporate responsibility roadmap, called Better Tomorrow 2025. It gives us, and all those we work with, a shared focus on our long-term future. It all adds up to a better tomorrow for everyone involved. Better for the individuals we employ and serve. Better for our communities. Better for the world around us and the resources we all share. Ultimately, doing what we do best, every day, means a better tomorrow for everyone." Sodexo has no published policies, but refers to their standard practices as "approaches." See Reducing Our Environmental Impact (https://www.sodexo.com/home/positive-impact/sustainability/reducing-environmental-impact.html) and Responsible Sourcing (https://www.sodexo.com/home/positive-impact/sustainability/responsible-sourcing.html) as examples.

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:
---

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
As neighbors, IU South Bend and the South Bend Farmers Market work to support each other through events and outreach.

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?:
No

A brief description of the vegan dining program:
---

Low-Impact Dining Events 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
At IU South Bend Sodexo offers China for an extra fee and have catered Zero Waste meals on campus for special events (i.e. Earth Day Service Day breakfast and lunch, 2018).

Sustainability-Themed Meals 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
Sodexo hosts Catered Zero Waste meals on the IU South Bend campus for special events when it is requested.

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:
---

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?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
---

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?:
No

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
---

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:
Sodexo offers Stir-Fry which provides an Asian option daily and our homestyle station features culturally diverse meals as well.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
The WasteWatch powered by Leanpath Program prevents on average 50% of food wasted. Using the program, Sodexo teams can rapidly and easily capture food waste data, giving clear insights into what is being wasted in their kitchens and why. https://reports.aashe.org/tool/indiana-university-south-bend-in/submission/6814/OP/food-dining/OP-8/

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?:
No

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
---

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:
The IU South Bend dining services has donated food resources to the campus food pantry.

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)?:
No

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
---

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:
The Center for a Sustainable Future has implemented a campus wide food scrap composting program aimed at diverting pre-consumer food waste from landfills. Dining Services staff utilize lidded buckets to collect prep scraps and deposit them into the compost tumblers on campus.

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:
---

Dine-In Service Ware 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
No

A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
IU South Bend does not utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” 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)?:
No

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
---

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:
IU South Bend Dining services has a program called BYO mug which offers a discount on coffee refills for individuals that bring their own Mug.

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:
Programs were put in place to reduce waste with Simply to Go making food in house, which cuts down on waste and product packaging.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
---

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data for this credit was retrieved from the Operations Manager of Dining Services, and the Administrative Assistant of Dining Services.

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.