Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.08
Liaison Katherine Straub
Submission Date Aug. 21, 2020

STARS v2.2

Susquehanna University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.55 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Sustainable dining initiatives

Local community engagement

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?:
No

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
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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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Inclusive and local sourcing

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
There are many partnerships with local farmers, growers, and distributors. These local vendors include Dries Orchard, Jack & Jill ice cream, Valley Farms, Georgie’s Bagels, and Kegel's Produce. Scholarly Grounds, our on-campus coffee shop, features locally sourced coffee and espresso beverages by Fresh Roasted Coffee, LLC.

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
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Low-impact dining

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
Vegan options are available at every meal. The vegan dining station is front and center when you first walk into the cafeteria's food service area. A rotating selection of vegan meals are offered there and diverse plant-based proteins in an array of styles and tastes are available to all students. Throughout the year vegan foods are highlighted such a hummus, plant based specialty burgers, and a plant forward lunch which provided limited animal-based proteins.

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 provided in the dining programs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. “VEG-OUT” days are held, where the main cafeteria-style dining hall offers primarily plant proteins and students and staff are strongly encouraged to participate in a meal with less (or no) meat. There are many opportunities throughout each academic year for students and staff to learn about the importance of plant-forward eating and to sample plant-based proteins. Over 17% of all food and beverage purchases on campus are plant-based.

Labelling and signage 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
• Aramark posts signs in the main dining facility that promote its sustainability practices including locally sourced foods as well as the distribution of food waste to a local pig farmer. There are several educational events and opportunities throughout each academic year for students and staff to learn about the importance of low impact food choices. SU Dining Services actively posts about their sustainability efforts on their Instagram page and more specific information can be found on the website https://susqu.campusdish.com/Sustainability

Part 2. Food waste minimization and recovery

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:
Aramark uses LeanPath technology to reduce food waste – LeanPath enables commercial kitchens to reduce food waste and operate more sustainably by measuring the amount of food wasted and setting specific goals for how to reduce that amount.

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:
Trayless dining in Evert dining room has been in place for over 10 years.

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:
A portion of the leftover food from the dining hall is donated to Meals on Wheels. At the end of the fall and spring semesters, perishable food items (that would otherwise be wasted) are donated to local food pantries.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
About 60% of the food waste from our main dining room is sent to a local pig farmer who operates a 12 pig farm in the area.

Composting 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
No

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
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Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
No

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
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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 main dining hall has reusable service ware. Additionally, Dining Services encourages students and staff to bring a reusable cup/mug to all dining locations in effort to reduce waste from single-use cups.

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)?:
No

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
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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?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
Dining Services encourages students and staff to bring a reusable cup/mug to all dining locations in effort to reduce waste from single-use cup. Our on-campus coffee shop, Scholarly Grounds, provides a 10% off discount when a purchase is made with a reusable cup. Our on-campus Starbucks retail location discounts 10¢ for every purchase made with a reusable cup. Also, many opportunities are given throughout each academic year for students to win a free reusable cup/mug.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
“Misfit” produce (produce that may be blemished or misshaped but still in suitable condition for consumption) is often used in alternative form to prevent food waste.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://susqu.campusdish.com/Sustainability/WhatWeAreDoing

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.