Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 47.76
Liaison Sarah Temple
Submission Date March 1, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Louisiana State University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Sarah Temple
Manager
Campus Sustainability
"---" 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:
Yes, By sourcing food and products locally or regionally from family farms and minority vendors and women owned businesses, LSU Dining is able to provide the freshest, highest quality foods and products that fiscally support the local community. As a responsible brand, LSU Dining also provides many food choices that are produced by means of higher ethical standards. Our purchasing policies, food sourcing, environmentally friendly programs and facility operations are all connected under the Balanced U Sustainability cycle that addresses environmental impact and healthy living at every point in our patrons’ lives.

On-Campus Sourcing 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
Yes

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
The student-run Hill Farm Teaching Facility grows vegetables, hydroponics and other greens that are integrated into the Dining Hall menus where possible. The Hill Farm also provides food for campus events. The Dairy Store provides milk from smart cows to produce ice cream.

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:
Farmer’s Market takes place in Free Speech Alley in front of the LSU Student Union. The Farmer’s Market gives the LSU community the opportunity to purchase fresh produce in the heart of campus. In addition, the Hill Farm students have their own farmer's market in the Fall and Spring semesters to sell the vegetables and fruit they grow.

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:
Yes, both on campus dining halls offer this, on the daily menu it is noted what the options are.

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:
LSU Campus Sustainability has kicked off a Zero Waste Event program, and LSU Dining is a fully engaged partner. All LSU Departments are encouraged to host Zero Waste events by coordinating with Sustainability and Dining. In April, the first Zero Waste Event was held to demonstrate for organizations how to hold zero waste / low impact events. Only compostable utensils, plates and cups were used. All food was prepared using the Hill Farm LSU garden, and all food was composted using the black solider fly composting process.

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:
LSU Sustainability works with LSU Dining and Hill Farm to hold events where the food is prepared using freshly-grown food from Hill Farm, and all food waste is composted. The first such meal was held in April 2019 and we will have one per semester.

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:
Hill Farmers Market- All organically grown student run food.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
Yes, the go trayless program, and the reusable silverware signs/bins.

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?:
Yes

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

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:
Yes, a policy that shifts the company's seafood purchases away from threatened fish species and toward sustainability sourced supplies recommended by The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program. We believe in the importance of contributing to and protecting our environment, and we are strongly committed to developing policies that support sustainability. Seafood Watch publishes lists of seafood that are the best choices, as well as good alternatives and species to avoid.

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:
Yes, Trim Trax is back-of-the house program designed specifically by our corporate team to measure, track, and reduce food waste at the unit level. It is applicable to all operating units. By making waste more visible and attaching a financial value, this program is successful in reducing waste and help offset rising food costs.

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:
Yes, trayless dining is implemented

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 LSU Food Pantry has been committed to eliminating food insecurities at LSU since 2013. The food pantry provides the most essential food items for food-insecure students on LSU's campus.

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Cooking oil recovery Food recovery network

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:
LSU uses Organix Recycling to pick up ALL pre-consumer food waste from LSU dining halls (the 459, the 5, and the Student Union). This food waste is brought to local farms. LSU diverted more than 50 tons of food waste over the past 12 months as part of this 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:
In January 2019, Campus Sustainability partnered with LSU Entomology to start a post-consumer food waste composting program using black solider fly. All post consumer food waste from dining halls is collected and brought to a greenhouse where it is processed using black solider fly larvae. Compost/fertilizer made from this process is then given to LSU Landscaping, and used on the grounds at LSU.

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:
Yes, the student union and dining halls all implement reusable service ware.

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:
Yes, On The Geaux offers reusable containers for food.

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:
As part of the "Refills not Landfills" program, LSU Dining offers a discount to students who show that they have a reusable mug. Students can receive a $0.99 drip coffee.

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)?:
No

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
---

Optional Fields 

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

Additional documentation to support the submission:
REVISED_FOODWASTEPROCESS.pptx

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.