Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.97
Liaison Teddy Lhoutellier
Submission Date March 13, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Miami
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Teddy Lhoutellier
Sustainability Manager
Environmental Health and Safety
"---" 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're working towards and setting new goals not only to better ourselves as a company, but to create a more sustainable food system and healthier planet for future generations." Chartwells https://new.dineoncampus.com/miami/sustainability

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:
Farmers Market is held once a week through the Academic Year

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:
Vegetarian Committee meets monthly. Vegetarian retail concept called Fresh Fusion offers vegan options on their menu. Vegetarian options are available at all meals in the all-you-care-to-eat dining halls. Dining Service Director is adviser to student group - Plant Based Canes

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:
Provide Vegan foods for the community during Food Day and Earth Day events.

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:
Seasonally local farmers produces on the menu, advertised at the dining halls entrances.

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:
Vegetarian Retail Concept - Fresh Fusion

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:
Sustainable Icons used on menus. Local foods identified.

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:
Field trip to local farms. Imperfectly Delicious Produce utilized and advertised.

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:
Food Recovery Network, Cage Free Eggs, Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, Local Produce procurement.

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:
Food Recovery Network UM chapter has teamed up with Feeding South Florida to host Thanksgiving Food Drives. The Food Recovery Network is an organization on campus whose goal is to reduce food insecurity and food waste in our community. Over 30% of everything we produce ends up in the trash, meanwhile there are over 200,000 people who are food insecure living in Miami-Dade county alone!

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:
There are no trays anywhere on our campus The two main dining halls are Tray-less. This program was developed in cooperation with Student Government and Dining Services. The purpose of this program is to reduce food waste and water/energy use associated with the use of dining hall trays

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:
UM Dining has been partnering with the MIAMI RESCUE MISSION to serve food to homeless shelters in the region. In 2018 alone, our Dining Halls, our Food Court and Catering services donated 103,481 Lbs of food to this great organization. The Miami Rescue Mission Campus has served the homeless and needy since 1922. The administration offices, Center for Men, Center for Women and Children, Jeffrey A. Tew Education Center, Community Activity Center-which provides out of school and summer programs for children, Food Warehouse, Health Clinic, and Thrift Stores are located in a three block area off NW 1st Ave. and NW 20th Street.

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:
The Hecht Dining hall is equipped with a Bio Digester that converts all pre-consumer food scrap into grey water, offsetting tons of solid waste from landfills, and also avoiding greenhouse gases release.

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:
Starbucks Small Coffee Ground composting program run by students and the office of sustainability: Coffee is added as soil amendment in some of our green spaces.

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:
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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:
Resident dining programs uses reusable china and silverware.

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:
We offer Emerald Brand Tree Free take-out containers in retail locations. Emerald Brand Tree Free take-out napkins in retail.

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:
Einstein's and Starbucks offer a discount if customers bring their reusable mugs.

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:
Trimtrax is our program for measuring waste of food during production. The University also uses a vendor to recycle used fryer grease.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
https://new.dineoncampus.com/miami/sustainability

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.