San Francisco State University
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

In addition to the many initiatives we take on as a company, we have implemented the following programs specific to San Francisco State University. The Sustainability Management and Reporting Tool (SMART) is a comprehensive, yet easy to use dashboard that provides baseline sustainability performance, prioritizes initiatives, and tracks continuous improvement in four key areas -- carbon and energy, water, waste, and healthy and sustainable food and environments. Waste Reduction Efforts Recycling On campus we recycle the following products: cardboard, glass, aluminum, paper and plastic. Composting Food waste in landfills creates more methane, a greenhouse gas which is 21x more potent that CO2. (www.epa.gov) Our first priority is to reduce food waste. We compost food waste that is unavoidable which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and can also be used to amend soil thereby increasing drought tolerance, improving soil structure and health as well as reducing need for water and fertilizers. Weigh the Waste Periodically throughout the school year, we conduct a Weigh the Waste event. During the event, we weigh all of the uneaten food from guest's plates. We consolidate the findings and report back to the community. We tie this to an awareness campaign that informs guests about food waste and its impact to our environment and our communities. We hold frequent campaigns in which we compare out results (and hopefully see our waste decline). Trayless Dining We are a trayless campus. Customers without trays typically waste less food and beverages. It is also a healthier approach to eating, as we all know that at times our eyes are bigger than our stomach. Trayless dining also reduces the amount of water and detergents needed to wash trays as well as saves energy. APEX Dishwashing System APEX combines technology and products designed to save water and energy, minimize the impact of products on the environment, and has a built-in method of measuring results. The APEX management approach uses a tablet PC and wireless technology to communicate with the system's controller to download, process and analyze data to establish each foodservice operation's "rack-to-guest ratio". By monitoring and improving this ratio, the system helps reduce the amount of water and energy used at each facility, and improve total operational efficiency. Recycling Fryer Oil into Biofuel French fries to fuel. Our fryer oil us recycled into biodiesel that is used to power a variety of vehicles- from delivery fleets to farm equipment, Choose to Reuse Choose to Reuse is a reusable container program designed to reduce waste and help achieve Sodexo's Better Tomorrow commitments by replacing single-use disposable food and beverage containers with reusable containers. Energy Reduction Efforts Daylighting The windows in out dining room allows us to enjoy a tremendous amount of natural light while dining. Natural light not only provides a more comfortable environment, it also reduces our energy usage by allowing us to turn off the lights. On/Off Protocol To save energy, we only turn our equipment on when it is needed and turn it off as soon as we are finished using it for the day. No Idling at Loading Docks Working with our vendors, our catering staff and our campus facility services staff make sure all vehicles are turned off while they are parked in our loading dock. Local/Seasonal/Responsible Sourcing Local Suppliers We work closely with local produce distributors to maximize the fruits and vegetables purchased from local farms. We also purchase from local dairies, and participate in farm to school initiatives. Tracking local purchases helps us to meet our Better Tomorrow Plan commitment of 20% local purchase by 2020. Seafood ImageSustainable Fish and Seafood We are committed to serving sustainable seafood and fish. By 2015 100% of our fish and seafood will be sustainably certified by the Marine Stewardship Council or the Best Agriculture Practices. We do not purchase any at-risk species. Local Dairy All of our fluid milk is purchase from local dairies that do not use rBST. Organic Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soul and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled 'organic', a Govermnent-approved certifier inspects the farm where to food is grown to make sure the farmer us following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Look for the menu icon identifying organic foods. Sustainable Catering We feature menus that are locally grown, seasonal, organic, vegetarian and/or well balanced. We use china serviceware whenever possible, but if necessary, we try to use compostable and/or recycleable disposableware. We try to eliminate bottled beverages when possible by replacing them with pitcher of drinks and reusable glassware. Each season we unveil a ceterin menu that highlights the season's bounty. not only does it increase variety, it also features food that is in season.

SF State's Real Food Challenge completed their calculation based on City Eats, the Sodexo-operated dining center that serves the residential communities on campus. Data is from 2016.