Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 36.72
Liaison Lindsey Abernathy
Submission Date July 17, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Mississippi
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.13 / 2.00 Jade Chalkley
Sustainability Fellow
Office of Sustainability
"---" 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:
Aramark, the University of Mississippi’s dining contractor, has a published commitment to sustainability. Its "Green Thread" commitment includes responsible sourcing, waste minimization, efficient operations, and fleet management. Additionally, information about the commitment is located on the Ole Miss Dining website; Its main tenants are listed below. * No-Deforestation - Our no-deforestation commitment addresses the climate risks posed by deforestation. * Locally Sourced - We are committed to purchasing local produce, grown within 250 miles of our locations. * Humanely Raised - With policies for purchasing cage-free eggs, group-housed pork and other foods, we address animal welfare concerns. * Sustainable Seafood - We are committed to meeting our goal to source 100% sustainable seafood.

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?:
No

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
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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?:
No

A brief description of the vegan dining program:
While there are vegan options available in both retail and residential there is not a dining program centered around complete protein vegan options.

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:
In 2017, the Office of Sustainability partnered with Ole Miss Dining services for a Mostly Meatless Monday event at the Rebel Market. Rebel Market offered vegetarian and vegan lunch options, as well as an information table highlighting the environmental benefits of incorporating more plant-based meals into one’s diet, vegan and vegetarian recipes and an activity table where students, faculty, and staff, could plant an herb and take it home.

Sustainability-Themed Meals 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
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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:
There is signage in regards to eco kits (specifically the reusable clam shells and hot/cold cups) and has been signage about composting in the past.

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
The “World Cup” station at the Grill features various cultural options. Sushi and Asian cuisine are available at the Rebel Market. The "Exhibition" station at the Rebel Market and the Residential Colleges rotates cultural offerings. Ole Miss Dining is also looking to start Halal dinners at the Rebel Market and the Residential Colleges. There is also a digital board at the Rebel Market that students can interact with to learn more about Aramarks Healthy for Life initiatives.

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:
LeanPath is an essential tool employees use. It is integrated into day-to-day operations so everyone is used to recording food in the system before they throw it away or compost it.

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:
All Ole Miss dinning locations are trayless and modified menu portions were first implemented in 2009 and are continuously modified and adopted.

Food Donation 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
No

A brief description of the food donation program:
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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)?:
No

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
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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:
The pilot composting program at UM began in the fall of 2013 in the Marketplace at the Residential Colleges. The compost program has since expanded to collect pre-consumer food waste from other campus dining facilities including the Marketplace at the Residential Colleges, Rebel Market, Freshii, the Grill at 1810, Einstein’s, Ole Miss Catering and Lenoir Dining. Since 2013, the program has diverted more than 100,000 pounds of food waste from landfill. The Office of Sustainability employs a team of Green Student Interns to collect food material, including fruits, vegetables, grains, eggs, coffee grounds and more, and combines it with dry, nitrogenous materials such as wood chips and leaves. These materials decompose for the duration of the semester on a plot of land at the Maynard W. Quimby Medicinal Plant Garden on campus. The decomposed material creates a rich soil amendment, which is then used at various gardens both on and off campus.

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:
Residential dining locations utilize reuseable serviceware.

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:
Students can take part in Ole Miss Dining Reusable To-Go Container program by buying the reusable eco clamshell container for $5 from three campus dining locations: Rebel Market, the Marketplace at the RC, or the Grill at 1810.

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?:
No

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
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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)?:
No

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
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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:
You can find information about the Aramark "Green Thread" commitment and campus sustainability practices at https://olemiss.campusdish.com/Sustainability. You can find information about the UM Compost Program at https://sustain.olemiss.edu/composting-program/.

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.