Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 41.59
Liaison Adam Maurer
Submission Date Dec. 18, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Seattle Central College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.25 / 2.00 Adam Maurer
District Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1: Sustainable Dining Initiatives 

Sustainable Dining Policy

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
No

A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
---

On-Campus Sourcing 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
No

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
---

Local Community Engagement 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a farmers market, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, and/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 college hosts a Sunday, year round farmers market. It is run by the Neighborhood Farmers Market group and is located on the public sidewalks and entryways on Broadway Street on the Seattle Central campus. The farmers market has been on campus for 5 years and they recently signed a 1.5 year lease extension.

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?:
No

A brief description of the vegan dining program:
n/a

Low-Impact Dining Events 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
No

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
---

Sustainability-Themed Meals 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
The Seattle Culinary Academy hosted two Earth To Dinner events in late 2016 and early 2017. The dinners aimed to demonstrate sustainably conscious food and encourage conversation. "Now more than ever we need to keep Climate Change on the table! The purpose of this event is to do just that. We are looking forward to engaged discussion around the topic of climate change with a specific focus on food security. The evening will begin with a fabulous climate-aware dinner created by the students of Seattle Culinary Academy. During dinner, table topics will serve as prompts for engaged conversation. Following dinner, we will hear from several local individuals who are engaged locally in efforts, covering a wide range of strategies, but all designed as step-in-the-right-direction solutions to our warming world."

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?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
---

Labeling and Signage 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor inform customers about low impact food choices and sustainability practices through labeling and signage in dining halls?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
The Seattle Culinary Academy labels their grass fed beef, locally sourced food, and other sustainability attributes about their food on their menu.

Outreach and Education 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
The Seattle Culinary Academy hosted two Earth To Dinner events in late 2016 and early 2017. The dinners aimed to demonstrate sustainably conscious food and encourage conversation. "Now more than ever we need to keep Climate Change on the table! The purpose of this event is to do just that. We are looking forward to engaged discussion around the topic of climate change with a specific focus on food security. The evening will begin with a fabulous climate-aware dinner created by the students of Seattle Culinary Academy. During dinner, table topics will serve as prompts for engaged conversation. Following dinner, we will hear from several local individuals who are engaged locally in efforts, covering a wide range of strategies, but all designed as step-in-the-right-direction solutions to our warming world"

Other Initiatives 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have other sustainability-related initiatives (e.g. health and wellness initiatives, making culturally diverse options available)?:
No

A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
---

Part 2: Food and Dining Waste 

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?:
No

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
We don't currently participate in a formal competition or commitment, but all of our dining locations compost back of house. The Seattle Culinary Academy separates out vermicomposting appropriate materials for our Plant Science Lab vermicompost system.

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?:
No

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

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:
All food fit for consumption that is leftover on Fridays, but will not keep until Monday are donated to local food banks. Additionally, all dining locations donate food at the end of each quarter to local food banks.

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 (e.g. converting cooking oil to fuel, on-site anaerobic digestion)?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Used cooking oil from all dining prep areas is collected and picked up by a third party to be recycled.

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:
All food preparation areas have compost collection bins that are serviced by a third party and taken to a industrial compost facility.

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:
All dining major dining areas have foo+compostables collection bins with signage. They are emptied by our custodial staff and then taken to a third party industrial compost facility

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:
The Seattle Culinary Academy uses china and reusable utensils for dine in meals

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:
All dining service ware is certified compostable as per City of Seattle ordinance. The compostable service ware is accepted by our third party industrial compost facility

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor offer discounts or other incentives to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in “to-go” food service operations?:
No

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

Other Materials Management Initiatives 

Has the institution or its primary dining services contractor implemented other materials management initiatives to minimize waste not covered above (e.g. working with vendors and other entities to reduce waste from food packaging)?:
No

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
---

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.