Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 52.07
Liaison Jonathan Miller
Submission Date Oct. 27, 2022

STARS v2.2

Nova Southeastern University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.75 / 2.00 Tatum Hedrick
Student Sustainability Coordinator
Physical Plant
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Sustainable dining initiatives

Local community engagement

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
With support from our produce vendor, we showcase a farmers market on campus once a semester featuring many local and sustainable products including our perfectly imperfect produce.

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:
The shop, Greens, etc. offers a variety of clean, minimally processed, menu selections with a focus on well-being and sustainability. These delicious meals are made to fuel the body and mind. Individually crafted, you have complete control of what you put into your body. Great for vegetarians, vegans, and allergen-sensitive guests. Located in the U.C. food court.
https://dineoncampus.com/nsu/vegan--vegetarian-highlights

Inclusive and local sourcing

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Nova Southeastern University sources fruits, vegetables, and in particular, tomatoes from local, small enterprises.

One example is J and C Tropicals, a family owned business with a gross income of approximately $90,000 annually. It is is located in Homestead, FL (61 mi), and production methods include sustainable farming standards set by the Food Alliance Certification.

CIE provides tomatoes from Florida growers and meets the standards set by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Fair Food Program.

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
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Low-impact dining

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
Various Mondays throughout the semester will be chosen and we will host a meatless Monday option for students at Food Bar or Training bar location in the University Center Food Court.

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:
We have 12 different food vendors on campus that consistently serve vegan/vegetarian options to allow the campus to be inclusive and marketable to our many vegan students. These include: Fresh Corner, Greens Etc., Create, Rooted, 2Mato, Starbucks, Flight Deck Pub, Market College Avenue, HPD Cafe, Sushi Maki, Einstein Bros Bagels, and Subway. The first 8 of which are available in the campus dining hall, with the others sprinkled around campus. Vegan options are available all over campus with great variety here at NSU.
https://dineoncampus.com/nsu/vegan--vegetarian-highlights

Labelling and signage 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
Through a partnership with our nutritionist, we host various round table sessions to communicate sustainable practices and healthy eating. Menu items are also labeled through Webstrition online vegan /vegetarian, foods made without gluten, etc. for students to make healthy eating choices.

Each month, the university dining hall features signage with a local produce of the month, highlighting the nutritional value as well as benefit of eating local. Collaboration with the Green Sharks Student Sustainability Club occurs during special events to encourage sustainable dining throughout the year in addition to monthly campaigns by the dining program.

Part 2. Food waste minimization and recovery

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:
Nova Southeastern University currently participates in waste tracking through the annual Recyclemania competition. The Office of Facilities Management in partnership with the Green Sharks Student Sustainability Club also hosts a waste audit every year. This event is hosted in the outdoor library quad and encourages students to get involved with quantifying waste and determining potential diversion rates of the contents of the waste and recycling receptacles throughout the dining hall and university center.

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:
Nova Southeastern University is currently a trayless campus.

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:
Through Food recovery network and various organizations on campus, the dining provider participates in food donation programs.

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?:
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?:
No

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
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Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
No

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
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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:
Each student is given a reusable plate at the beginning of the year, and trays are reused within the cafeteria.

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:
The Shark Dining program utilizes the Lock-It plate system as a reusable takeaway container program. A container was provided for free to each residential student on campus and there are additional opportunities throughout the year for other students, faculty, and staff to purchase the containers.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
Bring your own cup program in place for discounted refills on beverages.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
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Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
http://www.dineoncampus.com/nova

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.