Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 63.92
Liaison Rania Assariotaki
Submission Date Dec. 15, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

The American College of Greece
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.13 / 2.00 Ourania Assariotaki
Sustainability Manager
Office of Public Affairs
"---" 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:
Deipnosofistirion, ACG Contractor for dining operates with sustainable dining and distribution policies , including surplus distribution of food within their NGO "Perisseyma Kardias" http://www.dipnosofistirion.gr http://perisseuma-kardias.gr/to-programma/

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?:
No

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
---

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 limited but exist: Salads, steamed vegetable mix and potato dishes with proper signage.

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:
Based on the ACG Sustainability Pledge and Best Practices the community is sensitized to go Meatless on Mondays (MM) http://www.acg.edu/about-acg/sustainability-at-acg/acg-sustainability-pledge/

Sustainability-Themed Meals 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
---

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:
Third Party Verified organic produce is labeled as are vegetarian and vegan options next to each dish. At the gates to the dining area there is labeling as to the ISO certification of products and services as well as the food sharing program "Perisseyma Kardias".

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 ACG Heatlth and wellness centers educates students as to support learning about sustainable food systems with workshops as: Nutrition & Cooking Demonstrations Workshops, displays and cooking demonstrations are offered on a regular basis throughout the year. Seeking Simplicity A discussion on how to move away from processed foods and take your diet back to basics. Sunshine in a Jar/Yogurt Delight A cooking demonstration on how to use whole fruits and minimal amount of sugar to create the perfect orange marmalade dessert. A cooking demonstration on simple ways to make yogurt more exciting. Why Soup Students learned the importance of incorporating healthy soups in their diet and the basic steps to prepare homemade soups. The Art of Arabic Appetizers Introduced students to Healthy Arabic food: Hummus, Fatoush, and Tabouleh. The Art of Greek Mezedes Directed towards the international students who spend the Summer Session at Deree, this session taught students how to make healthy Greek appetizers: Greek Salad, Dakos, and Tzatziki. Sprouting A workshop, as part of Sustainability Week, that discussed the amazing health benefits of sprouts and demonstrated how to sprout at home.

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:
Seasonal variation in produce are observed for quality and financial purposes: The quality of the produce purchased seasonally is much higher and has a lower price which allows Dipnosofistirio to keep their prices relatively low.

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:
---

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:
They engage in CSR activities through Dipnosofitirio’s charitable foundation:"Perisseyma Kardias" Left-over food from the colleges events also are distributed to the municipal "soup Kitchen" as well as to the "Boroume" Network

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)?:
No

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
---

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:
---

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:
---

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 cutlery and dishes as well as the glasses are reusable china and metal cutlery

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:
---

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:
Based on the ACG Waste reduction campaign, encouragement to the constituency to use reusable materials and the contractors have oblidged to re-fill containers from even competing companies. In addition to this, the Center of Excellence for Sustainability has made available thermos and re-usable drinking containers.

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.