Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.65
Liaison Nina Hartwig
Submission Date Nov. 27, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 John Gardner
Sustainability Planning & Policy Analyst
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:
UW-Milwaukee is committed to sustainability and its practice in our daily operations. Sustainability is the human enterprise of living to meet today’s needs without compromising the needs of future generations; to be ecologically sound, socially just, culturally affirming, politically doable and economically viable. We demonstrate our commitment to sustainability through such measures as local food purchasing, resource recovery (recycling), composting food wastes, energy reduction and continually exploring ideas to promote and support sustainability initiatives.​ Food purchased through the L.O.C.A.L. (Living, Operating Consuming Acquiring Locally) concept puts an emphasis on utilizing products, services and equipment from Wisconsin provided that these products are of high quality and economically just. We team up with local companies such as Jones Dairy Farm, Johnsonville, Straus, La Coppa, etc. that utilize Wisconsin based products so that we are getting fresh and local foods to support our state’s economy. Purchasing criteria for cleaning products (assessment of energy/water savings in alternative equipment choices) and providing students with up-to-date information on nutritional choices (to aid students in assessing environmental impact of food choices) are focused on within the Education & Safety section.

On-Campus Sourcing 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
Yes

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
Restaurant Operations operates both rooftop and ground-level gardens at Sandburg Residence Hall. Gardens are maintained by Restaurant Operations staff throughout the summer and produce is incorporated into meals throughout the growing season.

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:
UWM supports a number of urban agriculture projects, including partnerships through Learn, Earn Grow with urban ag farms at Vincent High School and Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club. The Student Union has hosted a farmers market each fall the last several years.

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:
In October 2017, UWM received an A-grade recognition from peta2. Every Café in the residence facilities offer – Local hummus, fresh cut fruit bars, fresh whole fruit bars, fresh salad bars including (Vinegar(s), Olive oils, non- meat proteins, variety of vegetables, variety of greens). In addition, during Lunch and Dinner the cafes offer at least one daily vegan selection per meal. Examples include, but not limited to: Vegan Wrap + Grapes, southwest Quinoa salad, wild ride blend, spring potato salad, Daily Deli bar w/ vegan ciabbata bread, roasted vegetable salad, asparagus peanut pilaf, sesame rice noodle stir fry, daily fresh cooked vegetables, baked potato bar, garlic rice, rice noodle stir fry, Build your own Tator Tot Bar. The Restaurant Operations Website lists specific meals that are vegan & vegetarian.

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:
UWM Restaurant Operations has hosted meat-free Mondays.

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:
Restaurant Operations has hosted a number of sustainability-themed meals including the most recent award-winning themed-meal-A Freshwater Odyssey. For Earth Day 2019, a sustainability-themed meal featuring an organic grain bowl made from all-natural ingredients was featured.

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:
UWM features healthy food options in RESTOR convenience stores at Cambridge Commons, Riverview, NWQ, and Sandburg.

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:
Dietary and sustainability labeling and signage is standard at all campus dining locations for all meal items. Signage includes: Gluten Free, Nuts, Vegetarian, Fish & Shellfish, Vegan, Nutritional Choice, LOCAL (Living Operating Consuming Acquiring Locally).

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:
UWM's Office of Sustainability developed the Learn, Earn, Grow program in partnership with MPS, MATC, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee and Cream City Conservation Corps to help high school students learn how to grow fruits and vegetables, learn about sustainable, local food systems, and promote youth development and leadership.

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:
Restaurant Operations offers Halal and Kosher specialty meal plans strives to make culturally diverse options available (per RO website: "Making students feel at home by using concepts that they’re familiar with, such as the *build your own bowl style, but at the same time diversifying the menu with foods that they might not have tried before such as tamales, Korean bowl, African stew bowl etc. Our foods reflects the diversity of our campus all while being scratch made and custom built the way our customer’s desire").

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?:
No

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
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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?:
No

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
UWM dining employs per item purchase practices to reduce post-consumer food waste.

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:
Food donation from campus sources goes to a local food ministry. Food Recovery Network at UWM recovers food from Sandburg Café and the Student Union Restaurants. Food Recovery Network partnered with the non-profit organization Just One More Ministry that recovers food from UWM, various companies, and local citizens. The food is then redistributed to over 40 other organizations around the greater Milwaukee area, who give that food to people that are in need of food assistance.

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 UWM Union diverts used cooking oil for conversion to fuel through a third-party vendor.

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:
UWM has an on-site composting operation that makes the soil needed for all campus gardens. Food waste is collected from the Sandburg Hall cafe and campus "Grind" coffee shops. The on-campus hoop house diverted over 21 tons of pre-consumer food waste in FY2018 from campus sources.

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:
Compost Crusader collects all post consumer food from campus restaurant locations, with its primary collection at Sandburg Hall, which houses the main campus kitchen.

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:
Reusable silverware is offered in all residence hall dining facilities. Compostable ware is available upon request for Catering.

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:
UWM dining services provides BPI-certified compostable containers and napkins for to-go eating.

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:
All of Restaurant Operations' residential dining facilities & Grind Operations offer a discount for using reusable mugs or 22oz cups for sodas and coffees.

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:
UWM Restaurant Operations implements batch cooking and made-to-order meals to minimize waste. This type of cooking prepares very small amounts at a time by using specifically designed recipes that focus on quality and consistency.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://uwm.edu/dining/dietary-info/

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.