Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 52.28
Liaison Jamie Jacquart
Submission Date March 5, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Kirby Roberts
Director of Marketing & Catering
Dining Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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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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:

Red's Best Local Fish
Meet the Fisherman
Love your Ocean
Stop Food Waste Day
Project Clean Plate


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:

We encourage responsible and sustainable practices in our supply chains. Our purchasing initiatives provide food choices, which celebrate flavor, affirm cultural traditions, support local communities, include local purchasing, fair trade coffee and sustainable seafood programs. Eat Local
A year long, cross-sector campaign that kicks off in the fall and continues throughout the rest of the year. We are fully commited to buying local to help support the viability of the mid-sized American family farmers and local communities. We promote local produce and create awareness of its many benefits. We are committed to buying locally grown produce when available and in-season. Food that is grown local is fresher, reduces the carbon footprint, and supports local farmers and farms who use more sustainable growing practices.


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

Used in conjunction with trayless dining, this program held once a semester helps reduce food waste in our resident dining halls and create awareness among students. Food waste is monitored at the disposal area and an estimate of wasted goods are recorded and posted in the servery showing students week-by-week results. The posted results educate students about how much wasted food is thrown out on a daily basis which could be prevented.

While achieving zero waste is hard, there are many small changes we can make that together can make a big impact. We celebrate stopfoodwasteday each year in the dining hall.


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 dining options are available at every meal at all food service locations, including retail and resident main dining locations. In our resident dining hall, we have a whole station, Plant Based, that serves hot vegan meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.


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:

Our app and website: dineoncampus.com/umassd feed directly to our menu screens at each serving station. The app, website and menu boards informs customers of the labelling and signage used in the dining hall.


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:

Project Clean Plate
Used in conjunction with trayless dining, this program held once a semester helps reduce food waste in our resident dining halls and create awareness among students. Food waste is monitored at the disposal area and an estimate of wasted goods are recorded and posted in the servery showing students week-by-week results. The posted results educate students about how much wasted food is thrown out on a daily basis which could be prevented.

Stop Food Waste Day
Did you know the United States throws away 40% of the food it produces? While achieving zero waste is hard, there are many small changes we can make that together can make a big impact. Learn what changes you can make in your daily life that will save the land, oil, water and labor that went into getting the food you purchase from the farm to the kitchen at stopfoodwasteday.com.


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:

The university's food vendor, Chartwells does not use trays in the main dining areas, and promotes a "Clean Plate" program to reduce food waste.

Trayless Dining
Trayless dining curtails food waste, promotes healthier eating habits through portion control, and reduces the amount of water and energy used for washing the trays. Going trayless in our dining facilities is just one of the ways we combat food waste.


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:

Leftover and surplus food is donated to the local food bank.

Meals with Dignity for Arnie's Cupboard
In 2018 - 2019 Spring semester, UMass Dartmouth Dining Services launched an exciting new segment of its Sustainabilty and Community Partnership Platform. We made a commitment to expand services at the University's onsite food pantry, Arnie's Cupboard. We added a prepared meal program for anyone who may be experiening food insecurity. Student volunteers meet dining services twice a week to take leftovers from the resident dining program and turn them into a complete meal. They package and deliver them to the cupboard. The students and dining services prepare the meals twice a week depending on the number of leftovers.

Grounds to Ground
We sell more than 11,620 cups of coffee per week! To throw out over 15,687 pounds of used coffee grinds seemed wasteful so UMass Dartmouth Dining Services partnered with Sid Wainer to recycle our coffee grinds. Composting the coffee grinds gives what otherwise would take up space in a landfill a chance to make something grow into something with purpose. In total, we collect about our grounds daily in bins and our farmer partner comes twice a week to pick up the coffee grounds.

On the Go Leftovers
UMass Dartmouth Dining Services takes all unpurchased On the Go products and puts them together for donation. Every Wednesday and Saturday, Pacific Union - Anchor Ministries picks up On the Go leftovers from UMass Dartmouth and brings it to New Bedford. P.A.W. Minstries and St. Paul’s food truck, Mobile Ministries, who deliver food on a daily basis and feed the needy and homeless. The truck is loaded with food, drinks, clothing, blankets, and other necessities.

Silverbrook Farm
Food that goes through the carousal in The Marketplace goes to the Dishroom. The associates put it onto the trough. All food waste goes through a pulper which turns the food into a sawdust, pulp. Both the pulp, the fruit peelings from the kitchen and leftovers from the kitchen goes to Silverbrook Farms, located in Dartmouth. They then use it on the farm for compost.


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:

Silverbrook Farm
Food that goes through the carousal in The Marketplace goes to the Dishroom. The associates put it onto the trough. All food waste goes through a pulper which turns the food into a sawdust, pulp. Both the pulp, the fruit peelings from the kitchen and leftovers from the kitchen goes to Silverbrook Farms, located in Dartmouth. They then use it on the farm for compost.


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:

All kitchen scraps are collected separately and taken by a farmer adjacent to the campus.

Silverbrook Farm
Food that goes through the carousal in The Marketplace goes to the Dishroom. The associates put it onto the trough. All food waste goes through a pulper which turns the food into a sawdust, pulp. Both the pulp, the fruit peelings from the kitchen and leftovers from the kitchen goes to Silverbrook Farms, located in Dartmouth. They then use it on the farm for compost.


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:

Post consumer food waste is collected and pulped at the main dining facility. It is then collected by the local farmer for compost. Our special Grounds to Ground program is collected and then used in farms on campus and off campus.


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:

Trayless dining curtails food waste, promotes healthier eating habits through portion control, and reduces the amount of water and energy used for washing the trays. Going trayless in our dining facilities is just one of the ways we combat food waste.


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:

We offer (outside of COVID19) a to go program with reusable containers for our guests.


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?:
No

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
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A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:

UMass Dartmouth Dining Services takes all unpurchased On the Go products and puts them together for donation. Every Wednesday and Saturday, Pacific Union - Anchor Ministries picks up On the Go leftovers from UMass Dartmouth and brings it to New Bedford. P.A.W. Ministries and St. Paul’s food truck, Mobile Ministries, who deliver food on a daily basis and feed the needy and homeless. The truck is loaded with food, drinks, clothing, blankets, and other necessities.


Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Kirby Roberts
Director of Marketing and Catering
Chartwells


Kirby Roberts
Director of Marketing and Catering
Chartwells

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.