Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 57.85
Liaison Chad Carwein
Submission Date Jan. 17, 2023

STARS v2.2

East Carolina University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.55 / 2.00 Chad Carwein
University Sustainability Manager
HSC Facilities Services
"---" 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:
Strawberries on 903 offers a CSA program to faculty and staff at ECU. Subscribers receive a box of produce each week of a 12 week season running from May through July. The assortment of produce will vary throughout the season and contain a wide variety of seasonal items. Subscribers can purchase a Community Supported Agriculture Agreement – Grower Agreement for 12 weeks for $250. The prices of the produce will reflect value of seasonal items. See below for details about produce selections in each month of the 12-week program:

May Produce:
Asparagus, cabbage, strawberries, spring onions, sweet onions, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, garden peas, beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, kale and lettuce

June Produce:
Yellow squash, patty-pan squash, zucchini squash, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, beets, sweet onions, carrots, cucumbers (slicers, pickles and burpless), tomatoes (slicer and grape), lettuce, cauliflower, blueberries and peaches

July Produce:
Squash, zucchini, eggplant, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, cantaloupe, watermelons, peppers( bell, banana, and hot), green beans, butterbeans, lettuce, blueberries and peaches

More information is available here: http://strawberrieson903.com/products/community-supported-agriculture-program/

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?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
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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?:
No

A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
ECU Dining used to host the Villa Verde food truck on campus weekly. Villa Verde is a small family-owned business that is focused on serving our community, rather than just making money off of it. They are committed to Jesus Christ, and because of that they are willing to work hard to make sure they offer the best quality food possible. Due to their commitment to their community, they believe in something bigger than just making money, and that’s why they will always offer affordable prices.

Villa Verde is part of Pitt Independent Eateries, which is a group of local restaurants that have vision to be a "Platform for Good" and providing service to the community.

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
1

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:
Aramark has been hosting Meatless Mondays in the two Dining Halls on campus for the past several years. They also host cooking demonstrations and have several promotional efforts to encourage students to eat plant-forward options.

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:
ECU Dining Services currently offers a vegan entrée on our main service line at lunch and dinner at both dining halls every day of the week. These dishes often contain rice, beans, soy, hummus and pita, or an ancient grain variety. At breakfast we have added firm tofu to our omelet station (also offered all day) so that a tofu scramble will be available. Other typical protein offerings throughout the day include beans variety, soy milk, peanut butter, and some nuts. We also have a robust salad bar at both residential dining halls. At West End Dining Hall we offer an Asian hibachi station that has rice and tofu as well. Both dining halls serve vegan friendly cereals such as Rice Krispies and Corn Pops.

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:
Aramark promotes sustainability practices through a rotating "Green Thread" board. In both Dining Halls, there are large maps of North Carolina that highlight the local and regional farms that they source food products from. There are also small placards located next to stations that offer locally sourced food indicating where the food came from.

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?:
No

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
Aramark used to utilize the LeanPath Program and track food waste on a daily basis, but they have stopped using that due to staff shortages and program transitions.

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:
By dining trayless since 2007, ECU Dining Services minimizes food waste, conserves energy and water, and reduces the amount of cleaning chemicals entering the sewer system.

Food donation 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
No

A brief description of the food donation program:
Weekly protein donations used to be collected by student volunteers and taken to the Campus Kitchen where donations were sorted and delivered to the following local meal providers: Ronald McDonald House, Joy's Soup Kitchen, Operation Sunshine, and Little Willy's Center.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
ECU Dining Services has a third-party company called “Filta Fry” that picks up and recycles oil within NC. This program was put into place about 1 year ago.
https://www.gofilta.com/filtafry-a-leader-in-fryer-filtration-and-management

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:
After a successful, student-led composting pilot program was ran from November 2021 through April 2022, ECU has contracted Terra Bella, Inc. to collect pre-consumer food waste. Terra Bella was started by an ECU alum who received a $60,000 grant for NC DEQ plus 50% matching funds by private investors. ECU became her first client in August 2022 and she hopes to eventually expand to collect food waste from retail outlets and residential customers. Terra Bella picks up food waste from both dining halls at ECU three times per week.

https://terrabellacompost.com/

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
No

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
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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 flatware and service ware used in ECU Dining Facilities is washed and reused.

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:
Following the COVID-19 pandemic and drastic increase in disposable to-go ware, ECU Dining Services signed a contract with OZZI resuable to-go program.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
All freshman starting in Fall 2016 receive a reusable water bottle from ECU Dining Services. Students, staff and faculty receive a 10% discount at Starbucks for bringing a reusable mug.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
For the past two years, the Sustainability Manager has been doing monthly programming in both of the dining halls. One event hosted each semester is honey tastings from our campus beehives. We bring in jars of honey to sample with reusable utensils that the students get to keep, and we have our observation hive with live bees in it on display. Another event hosted twice per semester is "Weigh Your Waste". Students scrape their leftovers and napkins into clear containers on scales and we weigh the food waste for a lunch period at both dining halls. By doing this, students can see the weights building up and visualize the impact of food waste. Also, ECU Dining and Student Government Association (SGA) have partnered and will begin a "Swipe Out Hunger" initiative in January 2023 where students with extra dining hall swipes can donate them to our Purple Pantry on campus.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://dining.ecu.edu/sustainability/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data Sources:

Celia Daniels, ECU Dining Services Director
Kelvin Tarukwasha, Aramark District Manager
Sarah Barkley, Aramark Program Specialist

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.