Food & Dining
Introduction
Modern industrial food production often has deleterious environmental and social impacts. Institutions can use their food purchases to support their local economies; encourage safe, environmentally friendly and humane farming methods; and help eliminate unsafe working conditions and alleviate poverty for farmers. These actions help reduce environmental impacts, preserve regional farmland, improve local food security, and support fair and resilient food systems. Dining services can also support sustainable food systems by preventing food waste and diverting food materials from the waste stream, by making low impact dining options available, and by educating its customers about more sustainable options and practices.
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Tribe Truck Farm
- College of William & Mary (VA)
Tribe Truck Farm is a micro-farm in the bed of a pickup truck. The main goal of this project is to initiate a dialogue within the William and Mary community ...
- Posted June 4, 2015
- Case Studies
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UA Compost Cats: Students Creating Community Partnerships to Turn Garbage into Gardens and Foster Local Food Security
- University of Arizona (AZ)
Located 60 miles from the largest, landlocked port for food in North America, the student-run Compost Cats program has now forged partnerships with the City of Tucson, San Xavier Co-op ...
- Posted April 12, 2014
- Case Studies
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Aquaponic food production as an integrating context for campus sustainability
- Allegheny College (PA)
The Food for Sustainability project at Allegheny College utilizes aquaponic systems for indoor, year round tilapia and lettuce production. The products are sold to Parkhurst Dining Services and are incorporated ...
- Posted April 11, 2014
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Envisioning Sustainability: Implementing a Campus Community Food System at Virginia Tech
- Virginia Tech (VA)
Virginia Tech, founded in 1872 as a land grant institution, has not lost its local roots. With a nationally recognized college of Agriculture & Life Sciences, the campus has its ...
- Posted April 10, 2014
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GreenHouse Food Buying Club
- University of Vermont (VT)
- Sodexo USA (MD)
A student initiated program that allows on-campus students from a specific Residential Learning Community (RLC) to use a portion of their mandated meal plans to purchase a "CSA". The "CSA ...
- Posted March 28, 2014
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UCI Zero Waste Food Court Pilot Program
- University of California, Irvine (CA)
The University of California, Irvine launched a pilot program for post-consumer waste diversion in retail dining in 2013. The program achieved Zero Waste under the University of California Office of ...
- Posted March 28, 2014
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Students for Environmental Sustainability
- Kennesaw State University (GA)
The project is a student lead initiative aimed at improving culinary sustainability education and practices among students in both universities and k-12 institutions. The project has three primary focuses on ...
- Posted March 8, 2014
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Food Scraps Recovery at Kean University
- Kean University (NJ)
Kean University began a comprehensive on-campus food scraps composting project in January 2010. Food scraps are processed in an in-vessel composting system that requires just five days to convert them ...
- Posted May 14, 2013
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Sustainable Urban Eco-Garden at St. Louis Community College
- St. Louis Community College (MO)
St. Louis Community College, Florissant Valley campus, has created an educational, sustainable eco-garden that provides opportunities for participants to engage in raising food as well as providing native habitat for ...
- Posted May 10, 2013
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Sustainable Packaging at the University of Florida
- University of Florida (FL)
Gator Dining Services-ARAMARK at the University of Florida eliminated foam containers from campus dining operations, making UF the only ARAMARK foam- free dining operation in the south region. Foam products ...
- Posted May 10, 2013
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Foam Free Dining at the University of Florida
- University of Florida (FL)
- Aramark (PA)
Gator Dining Services at the University of Florida (UF) eliminated foam containers from campus dining operations, making the University of Florida the only ARAMARK foam- free dining operation in the ...
- Posted July 2, 2012
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WE Over ME Farm
- Paul Quinn College (TX)
Surrounded by a food desert, Paul Quinn College has assumed the responsibility to provide the residents of Highland Hills/southern Dallas within the zip code of 75241, access to healthy ...
- Posted July 2, 2012
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Public-Private Food Waste Composting Program
- Illinois State University (IL)
- Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)
The goal of this project was to provide a viable option for businesses and institutions to divert their food waste from the solid waste stream. McLean County is a prime ...
- Posted June 26, 2012
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Owens Community College HARVEST Project
- Owens Community College (OH)
The Owens Community College Harvest Project seeks to "Help all People Reap the Value of Education through Service and working Together." Our on campus food pantry and community garden serve ...
- Posted June 22, 2012
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Growing a Local and Sustainable Food System at Appalachian State University
- Appalachian State University (NC)
Appalachian Food Services is working with the Office of Sustainability to incorporate local and sustainably produced food products into our campus dining with an overall goal of improving the campus ...
- Posted June 10, 2011
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Aggieware - Moving to Zero Waste Events within UC Davis Student Housing
- University of California, Davis (CA)
Aggieware, the reusable tableware program, was created by UC Davis Student Housing for use with all student programs in the residence halls to reach the University of California's goal ...
- Posted July 1, 2010
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EcoMug at Western Michigan University: The First Decade
- Western Michigan University (MI)
In 2009, Western Michigan University created a novel, and as far as we know unprecedented, waste reduction initiative. During the first few weeks of school, each incoming student is given ...
- Posted July 1, 2010
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Implementing pre and post consumer composting, local food, recycling and trayless programs within ISU dining at Iowa State University
- Iowa State University (IA)
ISU Dining has been actively expanding efforts in waste reduction, recycling, and encouraging local businesses. Farm to ISU, our local food program, works with local farmers to increase the amount ...
- Posted June 30, 2010
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Implementing Vermicomposting in Luther College Residence Halls
- Luther College (IA)
Luther students have started disposing of fruit and vegetable waste in worm composting bins installed in seven of Luther's residence halls by students from the Luther Sustainability program.
Students ...
- Posted June 30, 2010
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Closing the Nutrient Cycle at Appalachian State University
- Appalachian State University (NC)
Students of ASU's Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Program sell produce that they grow at the Program's teaching and research farm on campus to students, faculty, and visitors. This ...
- Posted June 24, 2010
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A Sustainable Thanksgiving Feast: Preserving Heritage Turkeys
- Emory University (GA)
For the second year in a row Emory has partnered with Heritage Foods USA to present the Thanksgiving Heritage Harvest Feast. The Feast features Heritage turkeys, an older breed of ...
- Posted June 16, 2010
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community. Additional content and advanced benchmarking tools will be added to this tab over time.
Benchmarking Data
The following links connect to specific Content Displays on the STARS website (AASHE membership and log-in required).
- Percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures on products that are third party verified or both local and community-based
- Percentage of total dining service food expenditures on conventional animal products
Programs and Initiatives
The following links connect to specific Content Displays on the STARS website (AASHE membership and log-in required).
- Sustainable food and beverage purchasing programs
- Sustainable food and beverage inventories
- Methodologies used to track/inventory sustainable food and beverage purchases
- Vegan dining programs
- Initiatives to reduce food waste
- Tracking and reducing pre-consumer food waste
- Tracking and reducing post-consumer food waste
- Donating food to feed people
- Pre-consumer food waste composting
- Post-consumer food waste composting
- Using reusable service ware for "dine in" meals
- Providing reusable and/or third party certified compostable containers and service ware for "to go" meals
- Discounts for customers who use reusable containers
Scores
The following link connects to the Score Display on the STARS website (AASHE membership and log-in required).
Food & Dining Partners
AGreenOZZI, LLC
Narragansett, RIBusiness Affiliate
Aramark
Philadelphia, PABusiness Affiliate
Creative Dining Services
Zeelend, MIBusiness Affiliate
Eagle Protect PBC
South Lake Tahoe, CABusiness Affiliate
Eco-Products
Boulder, COBusiness Affiliate
Fair Trade Colleges & Universities
Oakland, CABusiness Affiliate
Land O'Lakes, Inc.
Arden Hills, MNBusiness Affiliate
Preserve
Waltham, MABusiness Affiliate
The Campus Kitchens Project
Washington, DCBusiness Affiliate