Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 38.03
Liaison Bradley Flamm
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

West Chester University of Pennsylvania
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.88 / 2.00 Bradley Flamm
Director of Sustainability
Office of the President
"---" 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, WCU's dining services contractor, writes that it "works to continually develop and implement sustainable solutions. Through Green Thread, our environmental sustainability platform, (https://westchester.campusdish.com/Sustainability) we bring innovative and efficient solutions to life. We are passionately focused on reducing the environmental impact within our operations. Here are just a few ways we work to make our campus more environmentally conscious: Local Purchasing: We offer many varieties of sustainable foods to nourish students in a way that also feeds the future. --Locally Sourced, Fairly Traded, and Organic Products served daily. -Cage Free Eggs -Fair Trade Coffee -Local products purchased - .64 cents of every dollar spent on products and services last year went to local companies Renewable Energy: We are lucky to be part of West Chester University's push for Geothermal Energy on campus. Waste Oil Recycling: With our partner, Waste Oil Recyclers, Inc., we were able to recycle over 3,000 gallons of waste oil, resulting in a CO2 savings equivalent to planting over 7,000 trees. Food Management Software: We have implemented this technology to help us keep track of student consumption, so that we can more accurately forecast the amount of food to prepare. This helps us serve students with the foods they love most, while reducing the amount of food that gets wasted. We are Trayless: Removing trays in our dining hall reduces water usage, and helps individuals to choose only the amount of food that they really can eat. Automatic Lights: Whenever possible, we install automatic lights to reduce energy when rooms are not in use. Energy Efficient Equipment: West Chester University Dining is committed to using equipment and technologies that reduce our environmental footprint. Bulk Packaging: Wherever possible, we purchase products in bulk to reduce packaging production and waste. Reusable To-Go Containers: Our To-Go program has been very popular, enabling busy students to bring along their own mug or bag, reducing the amount of disposables produced and wasted. We also offer a discount at many locations, for using your own mug or bag! 100% Post Consumer Recycled Copier Paper: We made the switch to use 100% PCR Copier paper in our dining operations. See more at https://www.aramark.com/en/about-us/corporate-responsibility/environmental-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:
---

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:
---

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:
Lindsay's Garden was founded by a student who was passionate about "eating the rainbow". This station in WCU's dining hall promotes eating foods that have a variety of color offering fresh vegetables, whole grains and plant based proteins.

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:
Sustainable Fish Friday – WCU Dining’s residential dining hall offers sustainable seafood from Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program’s Best Choices list. Plant Forward LTO – Highlights plant based proteins encouraging students to incorporate more plant based proteins into their diets.

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:
Farm to Fork Dinner- WCU Dining’s dining hall hosts farm to fork dinners offering local specialty food products with an emphasis on farmer to chef relationships.

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:
New Street Catering offers a sustainable menu that features Certified Humane and locally grown foods.

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:
WCU Dining runs a program, Rammy's Pick that promotes and guides students towards making more health conscious and environmentally friendly choices on campus. This is done through the placement of Rammy's Pick logos on emphasized products at participating WCU Dining locations. Educational material and sampling events highlight current and new Rammy's Pick offerings.

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:
---

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:
In addition to Rammy's Pick, WCU Dining hosts montly health and wellness/sustainability events educating students on a varitey of sustainablilty topics

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:
WCU Dining participates in Aramark's Wipe out Waste Plus program using the LeanPath system to help track and drive down food waste

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:
Since 2009, all WCU Dining locations have gone trayless in efforts to reduce water usage, and to encourage students to take only the amount of food they can eat.

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:
Partnered with the University and Safe Harbor to donate foods when safe and applicable. In the spring semester of 2018, a student organization began partnering with the Food Recovery Network to recover leftover food from campus retail outlets (including Starbucks and Eco-Grounds) on Friday afternoons.

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:
WCU Dining engages in waste vegetable oil recycling practices since 2008. 100% of our fryer oil from the Diner, Lawrence Dining Hall and Ram's Head Food Court is recycled

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:
WCU Dining partnered with West Chester Borough in a 12 month long pre-consumer composting pilot program. The Borough hauled our diverted food waste to a local conservatory garden twice a week. Looking to permanently engage in composting efforts. The pilot program existed at the beginning of this reporting period, but ended in September 2017.

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:
---

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:
All service ware in Lawrence Dining Hall is reusable.

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:
Guests can purchase our reusable eco-containers for a $5 fee. These containers can be used in the Dining Hall for when guests need to take their meal on the go. Guests are given a clean container in exchange for their used container .

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:
Juice'd Up Club – Customers who purchased Juice’d Up tumbler receive exclusive monthly offers and a discount every time they bring in their tumbler Reusable Mug Program – If customers bring in their own reusable coffee mug they receive a discount and punch card. Offered at all coffee locations on campus

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:
---

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
https://westchester.campusdish.com/en/Sustainability

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data Source: Taylor Neis (Neis-Taylor@aramark.com)

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.