Northland College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
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?:
A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
Members of the Northland College campus garden crew actively sell produce at the Ashland Farmer's Market, taking place every Saturday throughout the growing season.
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:
The food outlet is the Hulings Rice Food Center.
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:
Northland College purchases from small-scale local farmers as well as works to source sustainable food items.
Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
The cafeteria host multiple meatless days throughout the year--typically they are hosted on Wednesday and called Why Not Wednesday.
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:
Chartwells has one FTE employee that is responsible for having multiple vegan options available at every meal served. We have offered full vegan dining options since 1995.
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:
All food items that are served in the cafeteria containing local ingredients are marked with a green circle sticker that says Eat Local. This allows guests to see where local items are being featured during a meal--whether it is a hamburger, lettuce on the salad bar, or just onions in a casserole, there is a visual reminder of where local items can be found on the menu.
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:
Campus-wide food recovery competitions are student led initiatives. They not only raise awareness of food-related issues, but students learn management and leadership skills by interacting with the local community. Northland College is an official chapter of the Food Recovery Network.
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:
There have been no trays at Northland College for over 10 years.
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:
Northland College students under the guidance of the Food Recovery Network collect excess food leftover after meals from Chartwells and preserve it for usage at The Brick, our local food shelf.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor divert food materials from the landfill, incinerator or sewer for animal feed or industrial uses?:
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
All plate waste is composted through the Food Processing/Composting Facility on campus (Hulings Rice Food Center). No food materials go to the landfill, sewer, or incinerator.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
We track and compost all pre-consumer food waste, and have done so since 1994.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
Northland College collects post-consumer food waste for use in our new composting facility. Between July 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017, the College composted about 28,000 pounds of food scraps. This is expected to increase dramatically in the years to come.
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:
All cafeteria service ware is reusable. Furthermore, service ware used outside the cafeteria for on-campus special events is also reusable.
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:
We have for purchase an eco-clam shell for to-go meals. This is a reusable, commercially washable container. See attachment.
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:
We offer a discount program on beverages if the customer brings in his/her own container. The only way to remove food from the dining area is in one of the eco-containers explained above.
A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
Chartwells currently uses the tracking program called Waste Not, this keeps track of all products that are wasted thru production, over production, and product loss. These are tracked daily in quarts of waste by each associate and then converted into dollars. These weekly results are then used and compared to help set waste reduction goals throughout the year and raise awareness to waste In each area.
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.