| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 48.02 |
| Liaison | Zachary Czuprynski |
| Submission Date | Feb. 4, 2022 |
Prescott College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.60 / 2.00 |
Zachary
Czuprynski Sustainability Coordinator Green Mountain Center for Sustainablity |
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:
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:
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:
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:
Students have hosted low-impact food events at the café to raise awareness about the ecological impacts of food choices. One recent event was a film showing and discussion that involved several student and community organizations. In this event, participants gathered in the dining hall to watch the film "Drive!" which exposes the overproduction of food through unsustainable systems resulting in wasted leftovers. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of sustainable farming practices and techniques in the midst of climate change crisis with conventional agriculture contributing substantially to ecological impacts. This event combined many different entities such as the Prescott College Garden and Compost Club, Slow Food Prescott, Agroecology, and Climate Advocacy Under the Law.
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:
Vegan dining is normal on campus. All event catering and all meals in the café have vegan selections for main dishes, soups, baked goods, and deserts.
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:
Signs in the café state that most produce is locally-sourced within state boundaries. During larger catering events when the food budget is greater, a greater proportion of food is sourced closer to Prescott, and labels are provided to indicate the source.
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:
The café prioritizes its food waste prevention system as outlined by the US EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy. First, café purchases are done frequently (more than once per week) to accommodate any fluctuations in food demand to prevent waste. Next, whatever food is leftover in the middle of the week is used to make a community soup lunch on Wednesday. At the end of the week, any pre-consumer leftovers are sent to local churches and food drives. Any additional pre-consumer food scraps are supplied to the campus compost system. Through this process, Prescott College's dining café regularly achieves near-zero pre-consumer food waste.
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:
All dining programs and facilities are 100% trayless and have been since 2004.
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:
The dining services is very efficient at recycling food within our system. On Wednesdays, the café hosts community soup lunches which is open to anyone from the Prescott community. This event helps to significantly reduce food waste. If there is any leftover food at the end of the week, it is donated to Catholic Charities and/or "Church on the Street" to be delivered to food insecure people in Prescott.
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:
Whole food waste that is not able eligible to be donated to organizations are used to feed the campus chickens.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Almost 100% of pre-consumer food waste, that is either not donated to a local organization or is not used to make a community meal, is composted on campus.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
There are clearly labeled, accessible composting bins on campus. We have two compost sites on campus where these bins are emptied and handled by student employees.
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:
Reusable dining ware is provided for dine in meals and events. The only exception where this was not the case was during COVID to protect the health and safety of students and staff.
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:
No reusable containers are provided, but we do provide to-go containers that are completely compostable and are made from post-consumer natural recycled fibers that are unwaxed. The café also provides paper straws instead of plastic.
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 have a reusable mug discount program. There is a 12% savings per cup (30 cents savings per cup).
A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
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.