Williams College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.80 / 2.00 |
Temesgen
Araya Dining Director Dining |
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:
Williams has hosted the Berkshire Grown Williamstown Winter Farmers Markets in November and December in the Towne Field House. For the past few years, first due to resurfacing of the field house floor and then due to Covid-19 visitor restrictions, the farmers market has taken place at a different location, but the Zilkha Center and Center for Environmental Studies both contribute as sponsors of these markets.
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:
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:
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:
Meatless Mondays have been a staple at Driscoll Dining Hall for many years. Mission Park will now host Meatless Monday throughout the school year for dinner.
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:
Yes, all three dining units and Fresh n go retail units provide / offer vegan options.
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:
Prior to the pandemic, Meatless Mondays were at Driscoll Dining Hall and they marketed the program with signage and labeling promoting local farms and products. The college also organized “150 Mile Meals” that sourced local foods. Prior to the pandemic, Driscoll Dining has invited local farmers to come to Driscoll to talk about their products and the importance of sustainability and Driscoll would feature a special dish in honor of the farmer.
Meatless Mondays are just restarting but in Mission Park, a dining hall on the other side of campus and they have not yet ramped up the MM marketing and promotion.
Dining promotes the items that are sourced locally such as Highlawn Farm milk and Dean's Beans organic coffee. The Signage posted, shows the location of the farm and the history of the product.
The dining halls also post signage about their compostable to-go ware.
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:
LeanPath measures pre- and post-consumer food waste in dining halls in order to provide information to everyone about the amounts of food waste being produced on campus - and to help change behaviors both in terms of food prep and on the consumer side. LeanPath is operating in 3 of the 3 dining halls and our catering operation in the Faculty House.
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:
Two of the three dining halls are trayless. Driscoll Dining Hall went trayless in 2008 and Mission Park in 2009.
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:
Williams Recovery of All Perishable Surplus (WRAPS) is a student volunteer organization associated with the Center for Learning in Action (CLiA) at Williams College. The mission is to simultaneously combat food insecurity in the Berkshires and reduce food waste on campus. Williams students established WRAPS in the early 2000s. In 2017, WRAPS formally integrated with The Campus Kitchen Project , an organization that works with campuses across the country to reduce food insecurity. The program picks up excess food from Williams's three dining halls three days a week and packages this food into individual frozen meals. Every Friday afternoon, volunteers deliver excess produce from a local grocery store and 120+ frozen meals to three community partners in North Adams, MA. http://ephwraps.org partners: http://ephwraps.org/#partner
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:
Dining Services has a pre-consumer food waste diversion program that is measured through LeanPath. Additionally there is a post-consumer food waste collection in the dish return area of Driscoll Dining Hall, Mission Park Dining Hall, and two dish return locations in the Paresky Student Center: near Whitman's Dining and Lee Snack Bar. Additionally there is one other collection area upstairs in the Paresky Center.
At the start of the pandemic, the college began compost collection in dorms. At the start of the 2021-2022 academic year, those bins were moved outside in strategic locations near residence halls in order to maximize collection and decrease odors in dorms.
In December 2021, the office coffee/tea composting program began in kitchenettes throughout campus.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Pre-consumer food waste is collected in all dining halls, measured through LeanPath, and transported to the Casella Organics facility in North Bennington.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
Post-consumer food waste is collected in dining halls, measured through LeanPath, and transported to the Casella Organics facility in North Bennington.
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:
For all dine-in meals, Williams provides reusable service ware.
We have marketed Meatless Mondays in the Past at Driscoll with Signage and Labeling promoting Local Farms and Products that we have menus. The students have had a Great Impact on delivering the message of sustainability and the impact of food choices to our community. We also did 150 Mile Dinners and Real Food Challenge on our Meatless Mondays. In the past, We have had local farmers come to Driscoll to talk about about their products and the importance of sustainability. We would feature a Special Dish in honor of our Guest Speaker.
As we are just starting Meatless Mondays back up again after two years off, we have not promoted it fully with signage and Labeling denoting the farms and vendors used in Creating our Meatless Monday Menus. Going Forward, we hope to highlight the sustainability aspect of our Meatless Monday.
We have always promoted the items that we source locally such as our Highlawn Farm Milk and Dean's Beans Organic Coffee. The Signage posted, shows the areas of location and the history of the product, with the Vendors concentration on Local, Organic and sustainability.
We also try our best in educating the students and Patrons on our post consumer Composting and minimizing our waste in all areas of the Dining Hall.
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:
Students can ask for a reusable to-go container at one of the three dining halls and are asked to return them for cleaning and reuse. The to-go service ware is compostable, but there are few compost collection locations outside of dining halls. We are working on a holistic campus composting solution, but are not there yet. We have added several new reusable container pick up locations throughout the dining hall.
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:
Formerly the college offered a discount to customers who brought a reusable mug to the Lee Snack Bar and the Eco-Cafe receive a $0.49 discount. That program has been paused. Customers at the student-run Goodrich Coffee Bar also receive a discount when they bring a reusable mug.
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.