| Overall Rating | Bronze |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 40.10 |
| Liaison | Laurie Kman |
| Submission Date | Oct. 2, 2024 |
Lewis University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.80 / 2.00 |
Laurie
Kman Manager of Facilities and Sustainability Facilities |
Part 1. Sustainable dining initiatives
Local community engagement
A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
Every year Sodexo will have a farmer's marker at our campus showcasing produce from local farmers
Sustainability-themed outlet
A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
Inclusive and local sourcing
A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Low-impact dining
A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
Yes, Sodexo hosts Meatless Mondays in which they will change their menu for that day.
Brown Dining Hall offers a salad bar and a Simple Servings Station dedicated to serving meals prepared without milk, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish, peanuts.
Vegan dining program
A brief description of the vegan dining program:
Sodexo's goal is to accomodate all dietary needs. Sodexo employs a dietitian to assist with any nutrional restrictions.
Labelling and signage
A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
We have labels on all of our bins in the dining areas indicating where their waste should go to divert from the landfill. This has helped educate student on making more informed decisions when it comes to their waste.
Part 2. Food waste minimization and recovery
Food recovery program
A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
Yes, Sodexo is using the LEAN system to minimizing food waste in their kitchen areas.
Trayless dining and portion modifications
A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
Yes, they have changed their menus to reduce portions in order to minimize the amount of food waste in the dining areas.
Food donation
A brief description of the food donation program:
The Community of Engaged Learning collects food donations year round and delivers them to their partnered food pantry. Especially, throughout the pandemic Lewis and our food service provider have been partnering to bring food donations to those in need.
Food materials diversion
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
All food materials are composted and cooking oil is picked up and recycled from our campus.
Composting
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
A food waste collection program began in October 2013 in our largest dining hall on campus, Charlie's Place. This program asked the kitchen staff to use compost bins for all food and paper waste created during meal prep at the dining hall. In August of 2014, the pre-consumer compost program moved to a new dining hall on campus, The Flight Deck, that began to host the catering and prep program for all campus dining halls. Currently both dining halls are still using the composting program. In 2017, composting began at the Student Center.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
In April 2014, Lewis University began collecting post-consumer food scraps at the largest dining hall on campus, Charlie's Place. Waste stations are placed throughout the dining hall with separate slots for food scraps, recyclables and landfill items. Faculty, staff, students and visitors use the dining hall year round and all are asked to sort their waste. In 2016, a post-consumer food scrap collection program began at the Flight Deck, as a natural progression of the pre-consumer program already in place at the building. In 2018, we added two additional locations for food-scrap collection.
Dine-in service ware
A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
Yes, they use glass plates and metal utensils for the Lewis community to use instead of only disposable utensils.
XPressnap dispensers are another solution to reducing energy and waste. They use 30% less paper than traditional napkin dispensing mechanisms. The great thing about these dispensers is that they help the environment while helping to keep costs down. The napkins are made of 100% recycled paper and the dispenser will encourage customers to take (and waste) less napkins.
Take-away materials
A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
Yes, the "to-go" meal containers are compostable and helps to minimize the amount of waste going into the landfill.
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?:
A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
Yes, we have a reusable mug program on campus where if they bring their mug they receive a discount when purchasing liquid drinks.
We also have a reusable container initiative where students are encouraged to bring in their reusable container for our all you can eat option.
Optional Fields
Yes, Sodexo hosts various events that promote health and wellness for students/staff that educates them on healthier eating habits.
Our Sustainablity Club sells bamboo reuseable cutlery and stainless steel reusable straws
Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.