Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	63.89
Liaison	Christa Rieck
Submission Date	March 3, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Houston
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	2.00 / 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?:

Yes

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

The University of Houston and Chartwells HigherEd partner to hold a farmers market on campus once per month. This market hosts 12-18 vendors from Houston or other connecting cities. All food and non-food items are made of goods procured within Houston or a connecting city. Vendors offer a variety of items from produce, prepared foods, jewelry, clothing and beauty products.

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?:

Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:

UH Dining operates various stations throughout the week that serve 100% plant based dining options as both a sustainability initiative as well as catering to customers that do not eat meat.

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:

UH Dining purchases all baked goods from a Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME). The Campus Farmers market also hosts a variety of SMEs.

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

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:

To promote meatless Mondays, both dining halls offer sustainably sourced fish dishes.

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:

UH Dining operates various stations throughout the week that solely focus on serving 100% plant based dining options. This is to cater to customers that do not eat animal products and as a sustainability initiative.

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:

UH Dining has signage for: LEED Silver Certified dining building, local farmers, cage-free shell eggs (HFAC), sustainable seafood (Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program green or yellow rating), RBGH free milk and yogurt, reduced antibiotic chicken and turkey, Fair trade and Eco-certified coffee and compost.

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:

UH Dining employs WasteNot 2.0 at their waste measuring system. UH Dining's Waste Warrior program and ZeroWaste commitment uses the information from WasteNot 2.0 to then inform staff and customers on ways to decrease waste. Additionally, food waste is composted at our residential dining halls, diverting it from landfills

Additionally, UH's Food Recovery Network recovers unused food from retail providers across campus and donates to various shelters and organization in the surround Third Ward.

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:

UH Dining only uses reusable plates/cups/silverware in the dining halls. Menu forecasts are adjusted weekly to decrease overproduction. Additionally, UH Dining employs standardized recipes that promote specific serving sizes per students to decrease over portioning.

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:

UH has various on-campus food pantries and support off-campus organizations such as Second Servings to ensure that unused food is donated instead of throwing it away.

https://uh.edu/education/peepspantry/

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:

UH Dining composts all food waste in residential dining halls. Composting includes: fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meats, bones and post-consumer composable products.

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:

Food waste/scraps from kitchen production in residential dining are composted

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:

UH Dining composts all food waste in residential dining halls. Composting includes: fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meats, bones and post-consumer composable products.

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:

UH Dining only uses reusable plates/cups/silverware for residential dining halls.

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:

About 75% of the time UH Dining uses BPI certified or equivalent composable to-go containers and silverware.

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?:

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:

---

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:

University of Houston Dining Service’s approach to social responsibility and sustainability is tied into our overall Balanced U wellness programming. Through a variety of innovative programs and policies, we work closely with the communities we serve to reduce the impact our operations have on the world around us. Our focus on recycling, resource conservation, and waste reduction not only helps us operate more efficiently, but it also lets us ensure that the resources we use today will be available for future generations. Our Balanced U Sustainability approach addresses four basic tenets of sustainable and socially responsible business practices. https://new.dineoncampus.com/uh/sustainability

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:

https://dineoncampus.com/uh/social-responsibility

Additional documentation to support the submission:

MenuWorks_Category_Analysis_Fall_2021.xlsx

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.