Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	83.12
Liaison	Richard Manton
Submission Date	Sept. 12, 2024

STARS v2.2

Ollscoil na Gaillimhe - University of Galway
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	1.88 / 2.00	Ann Duggan Director of Commerical Services Commercial Services

"---" 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:

The University of Galway Organic Gardening Society was established in 2010 with the aim of developing a space to grow organic fruit and vegetables on campus. This is the first Organic Garden to be set up in an Irish University Campus. In 2024, a new, larger space was provided for the Organic Garden (see photo below).

Members of the society learn to grow their own fruit and vegetables in a sustainable and organic manner. They welcome members of the wider public to participate in the garden as well. The community of gardeners get the chance to meet like-minded people, enjoy the mental and physical benefits of working in an outdoor space and, of course, enjoy the vegetable-shaped benefits of their labour.

https://www.universityofgalway.ie/sustainability/studentsresources/studentgroupssocieties/

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:

SAOL Café is an on-site sustainability-themed social enterprise. SAOL Café is the first social inclusion café in a third level institution in Ireland. Since its opening in 2015, the café has provided a safe environment for people from all backgrounds to learn soft and hard skills in the hospitality industry. SAOL Café provides an opportunity for people who would not normally be considered for employment in the hospitality industry.

https://saolcafe.ie/

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:

University of Galway is home to several catering outlets, all of which purchase food and beverages from local SMEs.

One of the cafés on campus is SAOL Café, a sustainability-themed social enterprise. SAOL Café is the first social inclusion café in a third level institution in Ireland. Since its opening in 2015, the café has provided a safe environment for people from all backgrounds to learn soft and hard skills in the hospitality industry. SAOL Café provides an opportunity for people who would not normally be considered for employment in the hospitality industry.

https://saolcafe.ie/

Also, Masterchefs, one of the large caterers on campus, sources its produce from a local organic farm: https://www.masterchefs.ie/ellan-farm

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:

Sodexo who operate An Bhialann, the largest restaurant on campus with capacity for 800, offer a dedicated vegan salad bar with daily fresh salad choices including items such as vegan sushi. Regular promotions are hosted to highlight sustainability and vegan options such as Meat Free Fridays and guest pop up counters including Veganuary where plant based vegan menus are served. Sample menus include Korean Spiced Boa Buns with shredded, sticky, sesame glazed pulled oats with crunchy veg and kimchi with vegan flapjacks available.

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:

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:

Our caterers ensure sustainability labelling is prominent in both kitchens and dining halls encouraging diners to end food waste. Students see signage encouraging them to only take what they can eat and staff are advised of alternative options to binning food such as three simple steps; wrap, label and freeze for staff. Menus incorporate sustainability credentials such as highlighting local meats and sustainable fish.

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:

University of Galway has a target to reduce food waste by 50% by 2025 and all University catering outlets implement food waste prevention systems. Most catering outlets are now using Leanpath, a food waste management solution that tracks waste and recommends actions to reduce waste. University of Galway collects food waste data from each catering outlet and engages with each to reduce food waste.

https://www.leanpath.com/

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?:

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:

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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:

University of Galway operates a food bank (the Student Pantry) which donates food, which would otherwise go to waste, to students.

Food is collected through FoodCloud, a system creating links with local supermarkets to redistribute food and reduce food waste. The collections consist of surplus food, food with damaged packaging, end of line items and food that is nearing its sell by and best before date.

With help and funding coming from the Student's Union, the project has successfully run over the course of the summer, allowing the initiative to reach more students in the University of Galway. This impressive initiative has a huge effect on combating carbon emissions through diverting food from landfills. This allows University of Galway students to live more sustainably at no cost.

The Student Pantry won an award for “Best Idea” at the University of Galway Society Awards 2022.

See here for an interview with the founder of the Student Pantry, Adam Mullins: https://impact.universityofgalway.ie/articles/the-student-pantry-a-solution-to-food-waste/

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?:

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:

University of Galway has a Organic / Green Waste stream which is centered around building a Circular Approach to waste management. Green waste such as grass, hedge cuttings and leaves are collected from our vast campus grounds and brought to our waste contractors composting facility. Here it is mixed with food waste from our campus restaurants to create a nutrient rich organic fertilizer. It is brought back to campus and used on the grounds.

https://www.universityofgalway.ie/buildings/service-helpdesk/recycling/#:~:text=Green%20waste%20such%20as%20grass,a%20nutrient%20rich%20organic%20fertilizer.

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:

https://www.universityofgalway.ie/buildings/service-helpdesk/recycling/#:~:text=Green%20waste%20such%20as%20grass,a%20nutrient%20rich%20organic%20fertilizer.

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:

As of September 2024, single-use cups have been banned from all catering outlets. Customers have the option to use a ceramic cup or bring their own reusable cup. To support this, the University has installed publicly accessible cup-washers around campus.

https://www.universityofgalway.ie/sustainability/projectsinitiatives/useyourmug/

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:

Compostable cups/plates are manufactured using polylactic acid made from totally renewable resources like corns, potatoes and other plants. These compostable cups also use less energy, and release less harmful pollution than conventional plastic cups. For example, manufacturing bio-based plastic from corn takes only half as much energy as manufacturing conventional plastic from petroleum.

Crystallized Poly Lactic Acid, is a fully compostable cutlery made from corn starch which is heat resistant up to 85 degrees without deforming. At the end of their useful life, CPLA products can be either recycled or composted in industrial composting facilities. The range includes several colours, forks, knives and spoons.

Polybags' range of compostable bags are derived from natural, renewable resources to reduce the impact of the packaging on the environment. This renewable packaging is manufactured from sugar cane, potato starch and other renewable resources that can be converted into chemicals and polymers using conversion processes similar to those of traditional polythene. Ideal for collecting food waste, this ultra-green packaging is biodegradable and compostable, meeting EU compostability standard EN13432.

https://www.anbhialann.com/sustainability

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:

Previously, there was a discount available for using reusable cups. However, from above, disposable cups have been banned on campus and therefore this incentive is no longer required.

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:

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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.