Overall Rating	Bronze - expired
Overall Score	44.43
Liaison	John Stolz
Submission Date	March 4, 2020
Executive Letter	Download

STARS v2.1

Duquesne University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	1.88 / 2.00	Carissa Lange Graduate Assistant Center for Environmental Research & Education (CERE)

"---" 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:

To enhance the freshness of our food offerings without compromising our commitment to quality, Parkhurst maintains an innovative local purchasing program we call FarmSource™. FarmSource™. is an initiative to seek and build partnerships with some of the finest local growers, family-owned farms and producers of food in our communities. Our FarmSource™ initiative enabled us to develop a model to direct local products from our partners into the hands of our suppliers and onto the plates of our guests. This program greatly reduces the distance food travels from harvest to table. We strive to empower our suppliers to focus their purchasing efforts on procuring from local food producers. Today, we work with more than 250 local farmers and producers, all within a 250-mile radius of our locations. We are proud to source more than 20% of our food locally, which represents $23.6 million in local purchases. We are a leader in the dining industry when it comes to sustainability. Company-wide programs aim to reduce our environmental impact through lowered energy usage, decreased waste, and local sourcing. Sometimes, small steps have a big impact. That’s where our EcoSteps program comes in. EcoSteps illustrates the progress we have made to address sustainable food service, "green" our dining operations, and expand our role as a socially responsible organization. Preserving our planet’s resources for future generations is of the utmost importance. We took our first big EcoStep in 2002, when we developed our FarmSource program to put locally-produced products onto our guests’ plates. Since then, we’ve expanded FarmSource and taken many more steps toward sustainability. By involving ourselves within the communities we serve, we form personal relationships with new and creative artisans that are producing unique, high-quality goods. Our Forged Partners are food makers and farmers that are looking to venture into new geography. They are family-owned and operated, they share our values, and, most importantly, they share our high culinary standards and passion for food. We love that we are able to help these businesses expand their distribution and bring their exciting and creative products to the guests across our region, in turn offering our client partners a specialized retail product mix that stands apart from their competition.

On-Campus Sourcing

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:

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?:

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:

Duquesne University has received an A+ from PETA2 for Vegan Friendly Dining options at every meal in the campus' main dining Hall. (2019 is the fourth consecutive year that Duquesne has been awarded this rating.)

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:

Duquesne University's Main Dining hall hosts "weigh the waste" days every month to track food waste, as well as offering primarily local and fair trade dining options during Founders week.

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:

In April, the main dining hall hosts Earth Week themed sustainable meals.

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?:

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:

---

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:

Information about locally sourced foods through the FarmSource Program and the composting opportunities are featured throughout the dining hall.

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?:

Yes

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:

Parkhurst, Duquesne University's catering partner works with Sustainable Pittsburgh to find more sustainable food system solutions in Western Pennsylvania.

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:

Parkhurst works with the Living Well Allegheny, a local initiative to improve the health and wellness of those in Allegheny County (where Duquesne University is located.)

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:

Duquesne University's Main Dining hall hosts "weigh the waste" days every month to track food waste and better prevent it.

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:

Duquesne University's dining hall does not offer trays and offers mindful portions with calorie counts so that students only collect their desired amount of food.

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:

Yes, leftover but still good food is donated to populations in need through Saint Vincent DePaul through Duquesne Campus Ministries.

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:

Duquesne University collects all fryer oil on campus to be 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:

Yes, Duquesne University collects pre-consumer waste at the main dining hall and at the dining options in the Student Union Building.

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:

Yes, Duquesne University collects post-consumer waste at the main dining hall as students return their plates.

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 dine-in meals in the main dining hall and most catering events feature reusable service ware.

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:

All to-go containers are BPI-certifed compostable.

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:

The two Duquesne University Starbucks locations offer reduced pricing when customers bring their own reusable mug.

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)?:

Yes

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:

Duquense University's main dining hall focuses on detailed culinary batch cooking, scratch made food produced in small batches throughout the day to fight food waste.

Optional Fields

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.