| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.63 |
| Liaison | Amy Dvorak |
| Submission Date | June 30, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Lewis & Clark College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Amy
Dvorak Sustainability Manager Facilities |
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
http://lewisandclark.cafebonappetit.com/wellness/
Farm to Fork is a company-wide initiative to buy locally, formalized in 1999. Our first choice is to purchase seasonal ingredients from small, owner-operated farms and ranches within a 150-mile radius of your café. Food grown locally is fresher, better tasting, and often has greater nutritional value. Our commitment to local food is about preserving biodiversity, protecting open space, supporting family farmers, and keeping money invested in your community. Bon Appétit aims to spend at least 20 cents of every dollar with our network of over a thousand Farm to Fork suppliers. By doing so, we aim to strengthen our regional food systems so that everyone in our communities can eat well not just today, but for the future.
A sustainable future for food service means flavorful food that’s healthy and economically viable for all, produced through practices that respect farmers, workers, and animals; nourish the community; and replenish our shared natural resources for future generations.
—Bon Appétit Management Company’s definition of sustainability
Our path toward greater social responsibility and sustainability started as a quest for flavor. When you cook from scratch, you want the freshest ingredients. That led us to launch our Farm to Fork program back in 1999, long before local food became the phenomenon it is today. Working directly with farmers and ranchers opened our eyes to the many problems of our modern food supply: while it is abundant and cheap, it has many hidden costs, such as environmental pollution and worker abuse.
We want to play a part in making it better.
Leading by example
We are proud to be the first food service company to commit to:
Supporting local agriculture (with a defined purchasing target), since 1999
Striving to serve only seafood that meets Seafood Watch® sustainability guidelines for commercial buyers, since 2002
Reducing antibiotic use in farm animals (2003)
Serving rBGH-free milk (2003)
Switching to cage-free shell eggs (2005) and cage-free liquid eggs (2016)
Tackling food’s role in climate change (2007)
Addressing farmworkers’ rights (2009)
Switching to humanely raised ground beef (2012)
Phasing out pork raised with gestation crates (early 2016)
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
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?:
A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
The institution hosts a CSA and/or supports local CSAs. The dining services contractor works with local food providers - often leading farms tours for students.
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?:
A brief description of the vegan dining program:
Vegan options are provided in numerous locations throughout campus everyday including the primary food services location, Fields Dining. Vegan dishes as well as vegetarian, gluten free, local, etc are labeled. Bon Appetit at L&C has received numerous awards for its vegan-friendliness.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
A brief description of the low impact dining events:
Yes, low carbon and meatless mondays are both events/marketing programs that occur in the dining facilities.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
Associated with sustainability events.
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?:
A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
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?:
A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
Table tents, daily menus, and informational boards all demonstrate sustainable food information.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
The dining services contractor hosts numerous events throughout the year to showcase local food, reduce food waste and highlight food donation activities. The institution supports students interested in learning and research around food. Specifically, students are provided with monthly data on food waste.
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)?:
A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
Yes, wellness and nutrition information is made available via the website.
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?:
A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
A proprietary system for tracking and reducing pre-consumer food waste is employed by the institution's dining/food services provider.
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?:
A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
Trays are removed from some dining areas at specified times.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
A brief description of the food donation program:
The institution currently donates usable food to a local organization for low-income K-12 student populations.
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)?:
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Oil is reclaimed for fuel.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
The institution composts approximately 25,000 lbs of food each month from both pre and post consumer waste, this includes a campus wide composting in student and employee kitchens.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
The institution composts approximately 25,000 lbs of food each month from both pre and post consumer waste, this includes a campus wide composting in student and employee kitchens.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
Reusable service ware is available in dining locations however disposable is also available in to-go food areas.
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)?:
A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
Compostable to go containers are no longer approved by our municipality for composting in commercial settings.
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?:
A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
Discounts are provided in food service locations for the use of reusable containers.
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)?:
A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
The food services contractor works with multiple vendors to reduce food waste upstream of their facilities.
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:
2016 data
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.