Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	80.84
Liaison	Teddy Lhoutellier
Submission Date	April 26, 2024

STARS v2.2

University of Miami
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	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

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 hosts a weekly farmer's market throughout the academic year.

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:

The Archivist café is committed to educating the campus community about Fair Trade practices. Aside from selling Fair Trade coffee and chocolate, the café experience also includes educational signage throughout to educate students about sustainability and Fair Trade practices.

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:

We purchase locally as well as support minority- and women-owned businesses. We have several subcontractors who are SMEs. Sushi Maki and Vicky Café, local vendors, have kiosks in our food court, and our Subway is owned by a local businessperson. Outside of our food court, Half Moon Empanadas, a local minority-owned business, operates two carts and one brick-and-mortar operation.

Through Freedom Fresh, the vegetables used in the dining halls are purchased from local farms within 350 miles of the University. The Greener Fields Together program through Freedom Fresh allows UM Dining to support smaller local farms in getting tools to better their operations.

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:

The University has stations in each of our resident dining halls that serve only plant-based options. We also provide vegan food options for the community during Food Day and Earth Day events.

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:

The University has stations in each of our resident dining halls that serve only plant-based options.

Plant Based Canes (PBC) is the University of Miami’s student-led voice for plant-based eating. The group aims to provide education and outreach to promote the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle and to provide a sense of community to those who currently follow the lifestyle. This group is advised by UM Dining's Manager.

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:

There are four icons on signage in the dining halls - balanced, vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan. There is also information on the website outlining UM Dining's practices.

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:

We track waste through our Waste Not 2.0 program. This is a program through Compass, the main company that Chartwells is a subsidiary of.

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 - in fact, the University has not used trays in over ten years! 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 is partnered with the Miami Rescue Mission to serve food to homeless shelters in the region.

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?:

Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:

We collect all used cooking oil on campus and divert it from the landfill to be converted into fuel. In FY23 we diverted 14.4 tons of used cooking oil.

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:

One of our dining halls have a pre-consumer composting program through Compost for Life. This is sent to Compost for Life's composting facility.

Smoothie King sends banana peels to the on-campus Sustainability Garden. Starbucks sends coffee grounds to the on-campus Sustainability Garden. This compost is used as soil amendment in the garden.

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:

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:

The University's dining halls use reusable China and silverware in place of trays. Eliminating trays in dining halls has reduced unwanted food waste by 23%.

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 branded tree-free take-out containers in retail locations.

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?:

Yes

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

Einstein Bros. and Starbucks offer discounts if customers bring reusable mugs.

Optional Fields

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

Campus gardens are located on the Coral Gables (main) campus, the Rosenstiel campus, and the Miller School of Medicine campus.

Student Government ECO Agency has developed a food alert program for the campus food pantry. If students have leftover food from parties, they can notify the network.

UM Dining has eliminated all Styrofoam system wide, has sourced new lids for beverages to reduce straw usage, and does not use any plastic bags.

Take out dining was redesigned by replacing "bottomless" containers with pre-portioned grab-and-go options, reducing the total about of food taken out of dining halls by 37.5%.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs 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.