Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.02
Liaison Beth Klein
Submission Date Feb. 25, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

State University of New York at Cortland
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Theresa Baker
Director of Dining Services
Auxiilliary Services Corp.
"---" 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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
https://www.cortlandasc.com/general-asc/sustainability-information

On-Campus Sourcing 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
Yes

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
SUNY Cortland's Auxiliary Service Corporation or ASC gets a selection of herbs from the campus model garden in the summer and fall. Due to limited size of the model garden, there is limited ability to provide more than this at this time.

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:
ASC partners with local farms to buy seasonal products by the acre. Each year we buy an acre of tomatoes from a local farm which harvests over 15,000 pounds of tomatoes for dining in August. This year we have expanded this project by adding summer squash, zucchini, and winter squash.

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 options are available in all campus dining facilities and are clearly marked on digital menu boards throughout campus. We have two vegetarian and vegan stations in our residential dining program which have a five week menu cycle. There was an extensive review of our dining program to add more vegan options in both residential and retail dining. Our residential dining program includes two vegan food stations.

Low-Impact Dining Events 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
Each semester we host events supporting local sustainable initiatives that are campus-wide. This past fall we added Campus Crunch Day featuring local apple farms and their products on campus in menus for entrees, salads, desserts, breads, beverages, and whole fruit.

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:
Each month our residential dining operations host a day long sustainable lunch and dinner. All local menu items and resources are clearly marked and noted. Residential dining hosts a spring semester sustainabilty week in conjunction with the campus community.

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:
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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:
Yes all our menu boards are digital. One of our icons on the menu boards highlights all products that are locally sourced. Dining also has designated areas in our operation that highlight key facts and information about local companies and farms we support.

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:
Dining partners with residential life to promote its green initiatives. Each year there are educational seminars highlighting dining's sustainable practices on campus. Our culinary staff visited a local farm this summer to learn more about it's organic and sustainable practices. Dining services partners with an alumni program called "water for life". A portion of the sales of reusable water bottles is given to an Alumni founded charity that drills water wells in Africa.

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
Our healthy dining program focuses on the importance of local fresh fruit, vegetables, and alternative proteins. The program includes promotional tables, signage, educational information and free product sampling. Dining services also sent our culinary team to Sea to Table to learn more about sustainable seafood practices.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
We use the Lean Path food waste management system. All pre-consumer food waste is weighed, categorized, and reviewed by production teams for future prevention. It has been very effective.

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:
Our practice is that no trays are available for use at any dining facility. All food waste is pulped and weighed. Portion sizes have been reduced and meal plans have been changed to prevent overeating and food waste.

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:
We donate unused perishables to the local food bank over extended breaks in the academic calendar.

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:
Our fryer oil is donated to a local farmer who uses it to heat his house and power his tractor.

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 scraps are collected daily for composting and sent weekly to a local 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:
ASC has two pulpers in our two main dining facilities. These pulpers capture all edible food waste and process the food waste to be picked up and ready to deliver to local compost company in area.

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 Residential dining facilities and catering use reusable service ware. All napkins used in the dining hall are recyclable.

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:
Biodegradable and compostable serviceware is used in all retail dining operations.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
A 15% discount is offered for all coffee dispensed into reusable mugs/cups.

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
Limit portions per station to 1 each visit - customers may visit as often as they like.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://cortlandasc.com/menus/

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.