Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 38.99
Liaison Hayley Berliner
Submission Date Oct. 28, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Trinity College (CT)
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.75 / 2.00 Hayley Berliner
Sustainability Coordinator
Finance & Operations
"---" 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:
We purchase only cage-free shell eggs, Monterrey Bay Aquariums Seafood Watch best choice or good alternative seafood, rbgh free milk and yogurt, Eco-certified coffee and reduced antibiotic poultry. We participate in waste-reduction programs and composting. We also donate unused food locally.

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:
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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:
The college created a community garden where anyone from the community can reserve a plot to grow their own produce. The department in charge of the garden also hosts educational series to further educate local gardeners.

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:
We offer vegan breakfast options and operate a plant based station, Rooted, for lunch and dinner 7 days /week. Rooted is focused on real, wholesome foods with minimally-processed ingredients that are completely plant-based. Recipes for this station revolve around flavor and bringing excitement to plant-based dining with international and comfort foods. This program brings a little bit of everything. With spices originating in the Middle East such as Baharat, to street food favorites like Pad Thai and comfort foods like “meat” loaf with creamy mashed potatoes, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy.

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:
We don’t market them as such but do have days on our menu cycle with reduced animal proteins.

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:
Harvest dinners, farm to table events

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:
Various signage about all of the sustainability initiatives we participate in.

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?:
No

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
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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)?:
No

A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
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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:
Waste Not is a web-based tool that will allow accounts to track and measure their food waste at the station level. Use this tool to take ownership of your product and food cost and tell each stations waste story to your client. Using Waste Not you will be able to pinpoint where the majority of your waste is coming from and why. Dining services has also partnered with the office of community service to run a Food Recovery Network program.

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:
Tray have been removed from all units.

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:
donated to local shelters through the Food Recovery 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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
We contract with Blue Earth composting diverting pre and post-consumer waste.

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:
We contract with Blue Earth composting diverting pre and post-consumer waste.

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:
We contract with Blue Earth composting diverting pre and post-consumer waste.

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:
Used in our all you care to eat resident dining facility.

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:
Not exclusively but many of our containers are compostable.

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:
There is a discount for using reusable coffee mugs in our retail operations.

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:
We use RTI technologies for cooking oil. Oil is delivered via truck to a bulk tank onsite then pumped into fryers. This reduces all of the packaging used when purchasing oil in jugs.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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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.