Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.39
Liaison Patrice Langevin
Submission Date March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

Pitzer College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.75 / 2.00 Patrice Langevin
Associate Vice President of Facilities & Capital Projects
Facilities and Capital Projects
"---" 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:
Huerta Del Valle is an urban agriculture project mentioned in our community partnership section

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:
It is listed on this website
https://pitzer.cafebonappetit.com/wellness/#sustainability

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:
Every Monday and Wednesday we participate in the Food Recovery Network and deliver left over food to local charities

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
10

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:
We have Meatless Mondays, but everyday a low impact option is available, Mondays they are all meatless

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 dining options are offered at every meal and are available to all members of the campus community. There are also a dedicated vegan / vegetarian sections in the dining hall food areas. All menu items that are vegan friendly and vegetarian friendly are labeled as such.
Common items during breakfast include soyrizo, black beans, lentils, tofu scrambles, breads, vegan coffee cakes, sweet potato hash browns, cauliflower & quinoa hash browns, oatmeal, smoothies, and sliced fruits. Lunch, brunch, and dinner items include a diverse salad bar with vegetables, grains, and legumes; house made vegan burgers at the grill; a vegan soup option; various raw and grilled vegetables at the custom deli bar with vegan spread and bread options during the day; vegan entrees and grains on our hot entrees station, as well as vegetables sauteed in a small amount of olive oil rather than butter. Exhibition stations at lunch and dinner feature tofu as a protein option, as well as a vegan sauce option. Vegan friendly alternatives to dairy include soy milk and almond milk (both available throughout the day), as well as vegan cheese in some dishes. Vegan menu options are also available with our catering services. Additional custom vegan menu options are offered upon request for catering.

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:
All food is labelled and advertised as sustainable and icons are used on daily menus on television monitors, hard copy displayed menus throughout the dining hall, and on the online menus.

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:
Pre-consumer food waste that is appropriate for composting is collected from the dining hall kitchen area. While this program was in place during the performance year, food waste volume/weight was not tracked. We also participate in the Food Recovery program

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:
Trays have been eliminated and we only use reusable plates, cups and silverware

Food donation 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
No

A brief description of the food donation program:
We do not have enough food waste to do this service.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Pre-consumer food waste is collected at the McConnell Dining Hall. Dining hall staff are trained twice a year on which foods can go into the food waste bins and educational signage is posted in the food preparation areas.

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:
Post-consumer food waste is collected at the McConnell Dining Hall. Food waste bins are located next to the waste bins and educational signage details denote what can/cannot be placed into the food waste bins.

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:
All dine-in service ware is reusable.

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:
By paying a small deposit, students can utilize reusable containers made from recycled plastic for to-go meals, or purchase compostable containers made from recycled materials. Students can then bring the dirty recycled plastic container back to the dining hall in exchange for a clean one, or dispose of the compostable cardboard container in a recycling bin anywhere on campus.

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?:
No

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
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Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
We have eliminated all straws.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
http://pitzer.cafebonappetit.com/

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.