| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 46.13 |
| Liaison | Traci Knabenshue |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2021 |
West Virginia University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.50 / 2.00 |
Tiffany
Peden HR and Communication Manager WVU Dining Services |
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?:
A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
WVU holds two farmer's markets on campus. One is weekly at the Health Sciences Center and is organized by WVU Medicine, WVU's affiliated hospital system. The second is on the downtown campus on a different weekday in the fall semester and is run by WVU Student Life. WVU Dining sets up a table at each market and offers free samples of a dish made from farmer's market ingredients.
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?:
A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
WVU has three sustainability-themed restaurant concepts on campus. Mindful Cafe is at the Health Sciences Center and focuses on clean eating and meals that are 600 calories or less. The Greenhouse is a grab-and-go concept that focuses on smoothies, vegetarian and vegan options, and gluten-free offerings. The I Love Juice bar is just what it sounds-- a location focusing on juices and smoothies and uses many organic ingredients. In addition to these, The Blue Tomato, which is a pizza place located in the main student union, uses local produce for its vegetable toppings.
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?:
A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
WVU Dining offers Firsthand Coffee at select retail locations on campus. Firsthand is a WVU-started and worker-owned coffee company. It started in 2010 as a grassroots effort of a professor and his students and now sells to campus, coffee shops, retailers, restaurants, and community supported agriculture programs.
Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
WVU Dining typically hosts a 100-Mile Dinner at it's largest dining hall each academic year where plant-foward options are served and main ingredients are sourced within 100 miles from campus. Farmer's Market Fall Harvest Days is another multi-day dining event that highlights dishes from local farms.
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?:
A brief description of the vegan dining program:
Vegan and vegetarian options are available at each dining hall. Most 'Simple Servings' (allergen-friendly) options available on the line at each hall are vegetarian. WVU Dining uses a dining app called 'Bite' that can show students what vegetarian and vegan options are available each day at each hall. Students can also use this app to request Halal and Kosher meals.
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?:
A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
Blackboards hung in each dining hall highlight ingredients that are sourced from local farms and partners each day they are on the buffet line.
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?:
A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
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?:
A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
WVU has four dining halls and they are all trayless dining. Dining Services made this transition back in 2012.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
A brief description of the food donation program:
WVU Dining partners with the a student chapter of the Food Recovery Network (FRN) to donate leftover food once per week in dining halls. The FRN then distributes it to local community organizations. They donate an average of 300 servings of food each week.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor divert food materials from the landfill, incinerator or sewer for animal feed or industrial uses?:
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
Reusable service ware is standard except for specific catering packages that are more grab-and-go.
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)?:
A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
WVW Dining uses a mix of compostable and traditional disposables for to-go meals. Coffee cups, soup containers, some napkins, and some cold drink cups are compostable versions (though we do not currently compost on campus). Disposable utensils and clamshell containers, and some other drink cups are traditional plastic that can be recycled if they are free of food and liquid contamination.
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?:
A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.