Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	65.31
Liaison	Jamila Aghrili
Submission Date	June 1, 2022

STARS v2.2

Western Caspian University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	1.50 / 2.00

"---" 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:

Baku hosts a local farmers’ market on campus. The market is part of the Baku's Market network and is held weekly during the season

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:

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:

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:

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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:

WCU's Subsidiary Farming and Experimental Gardening and Landscape grounds at our Human Development Centre provides students and faculty with fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables produced at the University’s own farm in an environmentally friendly manner. Annual vegetables, fruits, and greens production. Thanks to this initiative, students and staff are offered fresh, affordable products in the University canteens with options for vegetarians and vegans.

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:

Thanks to this initiative, students and staff are offered fresh, affordable products in the University canteens with options for vegetarians and vegans.

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:

We apply our "Green Philosophy" in food supply as well. As for the food itself, the "green canteen" which we introduce to students and staff, is provided with bio-products from the Vegetable and Experimental Horticulture and Landscape fields, where we grow our products in environmentally friendly conditions. By delivering our fresh, seasonal products directly from vegetable gardens to the table we reduce CO2 pollution related to the transportation. Students can enjoy a three-course meal at discounted prices. We also offer dishes for vegans and vegetarians.

Vegans and vegetarians are offered foods without animal meat.

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:

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?:

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:

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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:

Western Caspian University has provided assistance to about 60 low-income families.
According to the decision of the Board of Trustees of the University, in accordance with the traditions of the great leader, the values of humanism and charity, about 60 low-income families in need were identified and provided with 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?:

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:

N/A

Composting

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

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:

N/A

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:

N/A

Dine-in service ware

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:

N/A

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:

Self-service

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:

N/A

Optional Fields

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

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Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:

https://wcu.edu.az/en/page/goal-climate-action

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.