TAFE Queensland Robina Campus
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Robina Campus has a partnership with RABA Urban Farm which is located 8kms away. All organic waste from the bins and the commercial service areas is moved to our onsite composter. The compost is used on the herb garden beds at the restaurant with leftover compost sent to our partner RABA Urban Farm which uses the compost on our plot to grow herbs and vegetables for campus use. Educators and students visit the farm to complete learning projects and to volunteer their time to manage our plot.

The restaurant and cafe seek to source products from local, small/medium enterprises whenever possible. Our suppliers are featured on the restaurant website with a QR code used on menus to tell their stories and journey towards sustainability. All menus are seasonable and offer vegan and gluten-free options.

W: https://www.greenfields-dining.com.au/ and https://www.seedpodcafe.com.au/

At all times, all commercial venues (restaurant, cafe, and event centre) offer vegan options. Products are sourced from local, small/medium enterprises that can demonstrate ethical and sustainable practices. Proof of these practices is gathered through desktop research, reviews, and a survey.

To help promote plant-based options, Robina Campus has run events such as World Pulses Day where staff and students were invited to taste test Dahl. An information brochure including recipes was provided. A number of different dishes were prepared by our chefs for tasting as part of the celebrations.

As a project, the hospitality students (front and back of house) assisted educators to run a long table lunch at the local Mudgeeraba Show where sustainable practices were featured. Local produce was used for cooking over an open fire. The engineering department made the cookers. The event promoted the quality of students' training, the commercial service venues available, and the high food quality that can be produced from sustainable products and practices.

At all times, all commercial venues (restaurant, cafe, and event centre) offer vegan options. A range of vegan and plant-based options are included on both the restaurant and cafe menus with menus also modified based on seasonal available produce. Additionally, the campus has run workshops that promote sustainable plant-based food option alternatives such as World Pulses Day i.e. dahl options. QR codes are used on the menus to inform our customers about the local, small/medium businesses that are our suppliers.

In the café, single-container use is promoted with drink bottles, coffee cups, lunch boxes, and cutlery all available for sale. A discount is offered for every keep item brought into the Seedpod Café for the product purchased. The discount is attached to a hot beverage, cold beverage, or container for food that has been saved from a single use. This information is readily available in reports on a daily/monthly and yearly basis.

We procure sustainable and compostable single-use food and beverage packaging for the Seedpod Café. The preference is for customers to bring their keep item, but if this is not possible then we want to use a product that will fit the closed-loop system. Currently, most countries use a linear model of waste disposal. That is, we take, make, use and dispose of resources - giving them only one life before they are sent to landfill. Moving to a circular economy is about designing our waste and pollution and keeping resources at their highest value for as long as possible. Transitioning to a circular economy is a vital element in rethinking economic progress to sustain our planet for the future. 

Products purchased in takeaway containers or PET bottles can be tracked through the point of sale. Measures are conducted within waste management through the utilisation of segregated bins - landfill, 10c refundable, compostable organics, and other recycling. The number of consumable items (coffee cups, pet bottles, and takeaway containers) are discarded after a single use.

QR codes are used on the menus to inform our customers about the local, small/medium businesses that are our suppliers. Our ‘live training’ facilities run through the commercial services of a restaurant, café, and event venue, provide the opportunity for the community to connect directly with our students and to discuss the goals we are trying to achieve. We procure sustainable and compostable single-use food and beverage packaging for the Seedpod Café. The preference is for customers to bring their keep item, but if this is not possible then we want to use a product that will fit the closed-loop system.

Products purchased in takeaway containers or PET bottles can be tracked through the point of sale. Measures are conducted within waste management through the utilisation of segregated bins - landfill, 10c refundable, compostable organics and other recycling. The number of consumable items (coffee cups, pet bottles, and takeaway containers) are discarded after single use. A discount is offered for every keep item brought into the Seedpod Café for the product purchased. The discount is attached to a hot beverage, cold beverage, or container for food that has been saved from single use. This information is readily available in reports on a daily/monthly and yearly basis.

In addition to measuring environmental practices, we are also measuring our engagement, both on and off campus. Robina Campus runs a range of initiatives to promote the adoption of energy efficiency practices including a tour of the building for new students and visitors. The tour highlights the building features and the goals of the campus community. Weekly lunchbox workshop sessions are scheduled with partners such as the City of Gold Coast Council, Envirobank, and Behive.

The restaurant and café are live training facilities for our students. All students are trained in food waste prevention i.e. using the whole chicken to avoid waste. As part of their training, educators use embedded sustainability practices in their delivery so that students learn about food management practices. Leftover sauces and marinades each day are bottled and made available for sale at the Seedpod Cafe. Any organic waste is moved to our onsite composter. The compost is used on the herb gardens located at the restaurant with the gardens managed by both Early Childhood and Education and Cookery students. The additional compost is sent to our partner Raba Urban Farm and used on our plot at the farm for produce used at the restaurant and cafe.

Robina Campus uses 4 different bins for rubbish including organic waste. All organic waste from the bins and the commercial service areas is moved to our onsite composter. The compost is used on the herb gardens located at the restaurant with the gardens managed by both Early Childhood and Education and Cookery students. The additional compost is sent to our partner Raba Urban Farm and used on our plot at the farm for produce used at the restaurant and cafe.

Through embedded sustainability activities in class and education messages on TV screens around campus, staff and students learn to divert food material waste along with methods to minimise food waste. Weekly lunchbox workshop sessions with partners City of Gold Coast Council, Envirobank, and Beehive add further depth to the awareness and understanding being developed on campus.

At the Green Fields restaurant, all service ware is reusable and washed for repeated use. We procure sustainable and compostable single-use food and beverage packaging for the Seedpod Café. The preference is for customers to bring their keep item, but if this is not possible then we want to use a product that will fit the closed-loop system.

Robina campus runs a commercial restaurant, café and events centre and do not use any trays. We offer a child's menu and a special offer to over 50's every Wednesday. Gluten free and vegetarian options are always on offer.

Food safety laws in Australia limit what can be donated.

Robina Campus uses 4 different bins for rubbish including organic waste. All organic waste from the bins and the commercial service areas is moved to our onsite composter. The compost is used on the herb gardens located at the restaurant with the gardens managed by both Early Childhood and Education and Cookery students. The additional compost is sent to our partner Raba Urban Farm and used on our plot at the farm for produce used at the restaurant and cafe.

Through embedded sustainability activities in class and education messages on TV screens around campus, staff and students learn to divert food material waste along with methods to minimise food waste. Weekly lunchbox workshop sessions with partners City of Gold Coast Council, Envirobank, and Beehive add further depth to the awareness and understanding being developed on campus.

Students preparing food for consumers (restaurant, cafe, and event centre) are educated about minimising food waste through its food preparation practices. for example, when dissecting a chicken for cooking, students are taught how all parts of the chicken can be used to minimise waste.

Students are educated how organic waste is moved to our onsite composter and the uses for the compost.

All organic waste from the bins and the commercial service areas is moved to our onsite composter. The compost is used on the herb garden beds at the restaurant with leftover compost sent to our partner RABA Urban Farm which uses the compost on our plot to grow herbs and vegetables for campus use.

Any sauces or marinades left over from restaurant service are bottled and sold at the Seedpod Cafe.

At the Green Fields restaurant, all service ware is reusable and washed for repeated use. We procure sustainable and compostable single-use food and beverage packaging for the Seedpod Café. The preference is for customers to bring their keep item, but if this is not possible then we want to use a product that will fit the closed-loop system.

In the café, single-container use is promoted with drink bottles, coffee cups, lunch boxes, and cutlery all available for sale. Discounts apply if staff and students use the containers. If throw-away containers are needed, a no-plastic policy applies. Robina Campus seeks to use compostable containers at all times.

Products purchased in takeaway containers or PET bottles can be tracked through the point of sale. Measures are conducted within waste management through the utilisation of segregated bins - landfill, 10c refundable, compostable organics, and other recycling. The number of consumable items (coffee cups, pet bottles, and takeaway containers) are discarded after a single use. A discount is offered for every keep item brought into the Seedpod Café for the product purchased. The discount is attached to a hot beverage, cold beverage, or container for food that has been saved from a single use. This information is readily available in reports on a daily/monthly and yearly basis.

In the café, single-container use is promoted with drink bottles, coffee cups, lunch boxes, and cutlery all available for sale. A discount is offered for every keep item brought into the Seedpod Café for the product purchased. The discount is attached to a hot beverage, cold beverage, or container for food that has been saved from a single use. This information is readily available in reports on a daily/monthly and yearly basis.

Robina Campus cookery students prepare and cook 2 cakes per annum for each of the local special schools - Mudgeeraba and Currumbin.

Robina Campus runs a range of commercial services which are open to the community. Robina Campus's Green Fields Restaurant and Seedpod Café plus the Robina Event Centre are 'live' training sites for our students. All students (cookery, hospitality, events) have completed sustainability activities through embedded curriculum practices. For example, cookery students learn how to use all parts of produce like a chicken to minimise waste. Leftover sauces and marinades from the Green Fields Restaurant are made available for sale at the Seedpod Cafe.

The set lunch menu, included in the attachment, for Green Fields Restaurant is a way to meet our customer budgets especially with the current cost of living and for target groups like pensioners. The menu is a way to incorporate the current cooking training i.e. Asian dishes, which the students are undertaking. This allows Robina Campus to not overorder food supplies, decrease waste, and reduce our footprint. Every item on the menu is made by the students including marinades and sauces. If there are additional marinades and sauces left, these are packaged and sold at the Seedpod Cafe thus reflecting our no-waste policy.

The restaurant and cafe seek to source products from local, small/medium enterprises whenever possible. Our suppliers are featured on the restaurant website with a QR code used on menus to tell their stories and journey towards sustainability. All menus are seasonable and offer vegan and gluten-free options.

Recycling and organic waste are a feature of the facilities including single-use products available at the cafe. Robina Campus enforces a 'no plastic' policy. A link to videos and attached images demonstrate these commitments.

W: https://www.greenfields-dining.com.au/ and https://www.seedpodcafe.com.au/