| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.78 |
| Liaison | Lisa Mitten |
| Submission Date | March 8, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
State University of New York at New Paltz
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.75 / 2.00 |
Lisa
Mitten Campus Sustainability Coordinator Office of Campus Sustainability |
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
A commitment to an exceptional dining experience that is good for the consumer and good for the planet was formalized with Sodexo's Better Tomorrow Plan. The Better Tomorrow Plan includes 18 commitments for a brighter future by focusing on four key priorities: health, planet, community, and our people. Commitments to action fall into four categories:
Develop our People and Promote Diversity
Nutrition, Health, and Wellness
Local Communities
Environment
Sustainable commitments include: sustainable seafood, waste reduction, sustainable supplies, reducing energy usage and emissions, and sustainable water usage.
http://www.tomorrowstarts2day.com/people.html
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
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?:
A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
SUNY New Paltz Farmers’ Market takes place weekly on campus and provides the campus community with access to a diverse array of healthy, local, and sustainably grown and produced products. The market also aims to educate the campus community about the benefits of such local and sustainable agriculture to personal health, the community, the environment, and the local economy. https://www.facebook.com/SUNYNPFarmersMarket
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:
Sodexo strives to increase the vegan options for our students campus wide. Currently vegan meals are available at Hasbrouck Dining Hall, Element 93, Tokyo Sushi (vegan rolls), Salad Toss and The Roost at Ridgeview.
Hasbrouck Dining Hall is accessible to all students and staff on campus and has a vegan station called the "Wild Mushroom", which is 100% vegan and is operational during all open hours at the dining hall. All of the vegan and vegetarian food options in Hasbrouck, both at the "Wild Mushroom" and elsewhere, are labeled accordingly. At lunch and dinner there are complete protein options - brown rice is always available, hummus is always available, and the hot entrees almost always involve beans and/or tofu. In addition, there are always different kinds of beans and tofu available on the salad bar. There is also a vegan soup daily, which varies and is always labeled accordingly. Three different vegan salads are offered on a daily basis at the Wild Mushroom station. These salads are often whole grain based salads (quinoa, barley, brown rice, etc), or bean-based salads. Veggie burgers are available by request and the chef has been working on a homemade version. There are sunflower seeds on the salad bar and peanut butter for sandwiches, bagels, fruits etc. For breakfast there is oatmeal and/or cream of wheat, whole grain bread, English muffins, bagels, cereals, and fruits.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
A brief description of the low impact dining events:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
Sodexo hosts at least one local foods harvest dinner each semester.
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 inform customers about low impact food choices and sustainability practices through labeling and signage in dining halls?:
A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
Dining services provide signage for local, organic, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and Mindful (healthy) options.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
SUNY New Paltz Dining Services participates with multiple campus departments and student groups to promote learning and research to better educate students about food waste. During the fall 2017 semester we created a food waste video that displayed at Hasbrouck Dining Hall to educate students about the ramifications of food waste. We have also created a compost bin contest and teamed up with 3D Printing lab to help execute this project.
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)?:
A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
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:
Sodexo has signed onto the EPA Food Recovery Challenge.
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:
Hasbrouck Dining Hall is an all-you-can-eat dining hall and is a trayless dining facility.
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:
SUNY New Paltz Dining services was just Food Recovery Verified by the Food Recovery Network for their work with New Paltz Reuse and Recycling Center and on campus food pantry. Surplus food is donated to feed people.
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)?:
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Used cooking oil from dining operations is picked up by a bio-gas company. The cooking oil is turned into fuel oil.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
All pre-consumer waste generated from the Catering Department and at the Student Union and Hasbrouck Dining Hall is collected and picked up six days per week during the academic year and sent to a local compost 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:
Post-consumer compost from Hasbrouck Dining Hall is picked up 6 days a week throughout the year and a few times a week when classes are not in session.
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 used in Hasbrouck Dining Hall.
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:
Sodexo launched reusable to-go food containers in the fall of 2013 that continue to be used today.
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?:
A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
Discounts are offered at a variety of campus locations for using reusable mugs for hot drinks.
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)?:
A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
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.