Overall Rating Reporter
Overall Score
Liaison Lindsey Van Zile
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2023

STARS v2.2

Randolph College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Lindsey Van Zile
Sustainability Coordinator & Campus Projects
Sustainability
"---" 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:
The campus organic garden is an urban agriculture project. It is a living classroom and allows community members to produce food, including keeping the ever-popular chickens. The organic garden is utilized by the local public school system for field trips in discussing urban agriculture. Organic produce, herbs and eggs are donated to the Randolph College Food Pantry to help provide access to healthy organic foods to members of the Randolph community.

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:
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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:
We have plant-forward options with minimal (if any) meat in addition to a range of vegetarian/vegan options. Each year for Earth Day we host a low impact dining event highlighting local and/or plant-based products.

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:
Dining services offers vegan entrees at every meal at the dining hall.

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:
A television screen in the dining hall displays information about dining services' sustainable practices and how the community can pursue sustainable practices in their own lives. Additional signage accompanies all vegan, vegetarian, and plant-forward foods. All ingredients are detailed on the dining hall website.

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:
Waste is measured each day to minimize food loss and improve the efficiency of our dining services meals. We have hosted events to bring awareness to the issue of food waste.

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:
The Randolph College dining hall has eliminated trays.

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:
Although we do not donate food from the dining hall, community members can donate food to the food pantry.

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:
Our cooking oil is recycled for fuel.

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:
Starting in January 2018, Cheatham Dining Hall began donating its pre-consumer waste to Lynchburg Grows, a local urban sustainable farm, for composting.

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 plates, cups, and flatware in the dining hall are reusable.

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:
Students can buy a reusable to-go container for $5 when they want to carry food out of the dining hall. They can bring the to-go container back to the dining hall where they receive a token. The to-go containers are washed by the dining hall personnel and clean ones are available for students. Certified compostable service ware is provided at catering events.

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:
If community members bring their own mug to the cafe, they only pay the "refill" price for coffee.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
Randolph College's PanWorld club has partnered with dining services to feature dishes from our international students' home countries.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://randolph.campusdish.com/Sustainability.aspx

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.