Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 59.95
Liaison Mari Acob-Nash
Submission Date Dec. 14, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

North Seattle College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.50 / 2.00 Tim Albertson
Sustainability Coordinator
Student Development 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?:
No

A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
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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:
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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:
The college hosted the CSA Oxbow from 2012-2016. Also, the college offers 6 plots to students/staff/faculty on the campus P-Patch garden.

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:
Vegan meal options are included in the daily menu, often made from the local-family owned supplier Molly's. http://www.growntoeat.com/

Low-Impact Dining Events 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
No

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
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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:
As part of the Sustainable Food Forum on 2/23/17, a sustainable food luncheon was catered to over 125 students from the local co-op.

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:
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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:
In the works for 2017-18: Spring 2017 Student survey results suggested to include nutritional, distance and 3rd party certification information.

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:
2016-17 Food Initiative included student leaders engaging the campus on sustainable food systems. The Sustainability Office provided co-curricular support to an instructor that chose sustainable food as a theme. Also, Phi Theta Kappa chose food as its yearly theme, which included a film series.

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:
NSC's primary vendor, Food Services of America (FSA) has a written sustainability policy. FSA is the first broadline food distributor in the U.S. to be certified for its sustainable agricultural and food handling practices. http://www.fsafood.com/main/aboutus/sustainability.aspx Food Alliance, a national non-profit agency offering the most comprehensive certification in North America, has certified FSA Seattle and FSA Portland as a result of an audit in these areas: Traceability of Food Alliance Certified products Provision of safe and fair working conditions Reduction of toxic and hazardous materials Conservation of energy Conservation of water Quality control and food safety Continuous improvement practices

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:
Minimal food is wasted as this is considered lost revenue. Procedures include selling items to a capacity each day and a no-risk agreement with our packaged food vendor. "We automatically assess what sells and what doesn't and we adjust your delivery every week. And, at the end of the day, we’ll buy back anything that didn’t sell and share it with homeless shelters here in town." http://www.growntoeat.com/wholesale/

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:
Trayless dining

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:
Campus P-Patch gleans crops on Fridays and distributes to families in need through its Giving Garden program. Packaged food vendor: "We automatically assess what sells and what doesn't and we adjust your delivery every week. And, at the end of the day, we’ll buy back anything that didn’t sell and share it with homeless shelters here in town." http://www.growntoeat.com/wholesale/

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:
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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 cafeteria staff composts all pre consumer food scraps. We also started post-consumer compost collection and divert approximately 2 yards of compost per week from the waste stream.

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:
North has seven composting containers in the cafeteria. North also offers compostable tableware.

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:
N/A

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 to-go plates, cups, clamshells, cutlery are compostable.

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:
Students are offered a $0.25 discount on beverages in the cafeteria and the cafe if they use their own cup.

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:
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Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.