| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 51.59 |
| Liaison | Maria Mendes |
| Submission Date | Aug. 4, 2022 |
Red River College Polytechnic
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.10 / 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:
The Sustainability Office hosts an annual Farmers' Market at the Notre Dame Campus. The market features local vendors selling produce, grains, baked goods and other items. Honey made by bees on campus is also sold at the market. The market has been on hold during the pandemic.
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:
In the cold food section, there are always plant forward options available for meals including salads and vegetarian sandwich options. Daily hot food specials have vegetarian alternatives at least twice a week.
Catering menu offers several plant forward options in every category - breakfast, sandwiches and wraps, fresh greens, pizza and flatbreads, platters, and entrees.
Due to the pandemic, several options have been limited. However, in September 2022 there will be a plant based vegan/vegetarian station in the main cafeteria.
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:
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:
Packaging identifies vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options.
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:
Cold station - Food Services tracks the number of items that are discarded daily. The data is used immediately to adjust the amount of food prepared to reduce waste. This is done very quickly to eliminate as much waste as possible - by Tuesday of each week.
Hot station – There is minimal waste in the hot stations. Whatever is not used is repurposed for the following days (i.e leftover pork loin may become pulled pork the next day).
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:
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:
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:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
RRC has operated a pre-consumer compost program at the Notre Dame Campus since 2002. The organic waste from our kitchens (e.g. fruit and veggie scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds) is collected daily and composted on site by our Grounds department. The finished compost is used to fertilize the college’s grounds and flower beds.
At the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute at our Exchange District Campus, there is a pre- and post-consumer composting program. Organic waste is collected from culinary labs, as well as from the front and back of house of the food court and restaurant and picked up by a contractor to be composted in an industrial facility.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
The Paterson GlobalFoods Institute does have a post-consumer composting program, however the primary dining services contractor at the main campus does not currently have a program for post-consumer organic waste.
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 service ware is available at the main cafeteria at the Notre Dame Campus and at the PGI . This included plates, bowls, cutlery and glassware (at PGI). Reusable dishes were removed during the pandemic, but is planned to return in fall 2022.
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:
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:
A 10 cent discount is applied to tea and coffee purchases using a reusable mug.
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.