Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	47.06
Liaison	Daniela Shebitz
Submission Date	Dec. 11, 2023

STARS v2.2

Kean University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	1.80 / 2.00	Suzanne Kupiec Director, EHS Environmental Health and Safety

"---" 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:

Kean University has an urban agriculture project that connects our greenhouse and community garden with students involved in classes, faculty-led research and our Environmental Alliance club.

The Office of Residence Life has created a community garden that allows students to get involved with planting, weeding, maintaining, and growing flowers, vegetables, and fruits that are either donated or used on campus. We have a faculty mentor in the Communications Department whose work focuses on that garden.

We also have hydroponic systems in our greenhouse in which leafy greens and tomatoes are grown throughout the year by students - for students. Students from our introductory environmental and sustainability courses visit the greenhouse to help plant and harvest the crops. These systems are also linked to a hydroponic lab led by a professor in the Department of Environmental and Sustainability Science.

Finally, we work with the local non-profit organization Groundwork Elizabeth which employs many of our students each semester to serve as urban farmers at their micro-farm located one mile from campus (at the Elmora Library in Elizabeth). In addition, many students intern with the organization for college credit to work on farming and local restoration activities. Faculty from DESS also conduct research on these urban farms.

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:

We have Farmer's Fridge on campus, offering fresh, sustainable and healthy meals all day, every day through vending machines and in the student center convenience store.
https://www.farmersfridge.com/locations/nj-kean-university-lounge/menu/

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?:

A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:

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

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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:

All kitchens have vegan options and products labeled as local.

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 Residences Dining Hall offers complete-protein vegan dining options during every meal. These items are identified with labeling at the point of selection. These labels include nutritional information.

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?:

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

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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:

Kean University composts all cafeteria food waste. The food scraps are mixed with wood chips and campus grounds waste into a custom-designed on-campus aerobic in-vessel digester. The end product is compost that is used on campus grounds and gardens.

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:

The Residences Dining Hall, Cougar's Den, Starbuck, and various kiosks around campus are all completely trayless.

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:

Surplus food is donated to our own local food pantry, the "Cougar 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?:

Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:

All food is composted through our in-vessel aerobic digestor composting system (FOR Solutions).

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:

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:

An on-site, custom-designed, aerobic in-vessel digester processes all food scraps generated on campus into compost, which is then used throughout campus in various landscaping projects. Post-consumer scraps are collected in 10-gallon buckets by food service workers who scrape plants returned by students via a automated plate return system. The buckets are transported via a cart to the composter.

https://www.kean.edu/academics/college-natural-applied-and-health-sciences/aerobic-vessel-composter

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:

We use actual dishes and cutlery within the main residence hall dining room.

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:

All dining halls operate with take-out containers made with compostable paper packaging. There is no plastic.

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:

The Starbucks franchise offers discounts to patrons who bring their reusable mugs.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:

Culturally diverse options including halal and kosher foods are always available in the dining halls.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:

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Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

https://www.farmersfridge.com/locations/nj-kean-university-lounge/menu/
https://dineoncampus.com/kean/halal-dining-options
https://dineoncampus.com/kean/delicious-without
https://www.kean.edu/offices/dining
https://www.kean.edu/composter

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.