Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 57.59
Liaison Maria Ayala
Submission Date Dec. 26, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Universidad San Francisco de Quito - USFQ
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.13 / 2.00 Carlos Ruales
Agroforestry Professor
Science and Engineering
"---" 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?:
No

A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
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On-Campus Sourcing 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
No

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
USFQ has a farm that is located away from its main campus but it does not serve dining services.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
USFQ hosts a farmers market available to the public every Thursday at noon from the products of USFQ's farm

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:
Currently there are 10 already pre-made vegetarian options in two of USFQ's restaurants: 1 Fiesta Salad 2 Souvlaki Salad 3 California Salad 4 Pasta Salad 5 Sánduche mediterráneo 6 Mushroom Grileed Cheese 7 Veggie Burguer 8 El Griego 9 Wrap Vegetariano 10 Ensalada Tabulé Because food is made from scratch every time, it can be subject to change. This means that people can ask to leave out any components not only for personal reasons but also for dietary restrictions such as lactose intolerance or allergies. There are both vegetarian and vegan options. This means vegetarian broth, veggies and rice plus Carve or tofu. These do not exclude dairy products. Salads are made to order thus people can leave out any animal products. There are sufficient grains such as Lupin an Andean grain that ranges from 32% to 52% of protein.

Low-Impact Dining Events 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
No

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
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Sustainability-Themed Meals 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
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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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
One of our professors and chefs, Esteban Tapia, runs the Slow Food movement here in Ecuador and hosts events for students and the local community. One of his main projects consists of the protection of the national Cacao. Article for support (in Spanish) https://www.slowfood.com/es/se-crea-en-ecuador-el-baluarte-slow-food-para-la-proteccion-del-cacao-nacional-del-choco/

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?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
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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:
One of our professors and chefs, Esteban Tapia, runs the Slow Food movement here in Ecuador and hosts events for students and the local community. One of his main projects consists of the protection of the national Cacao. Article for support (in Spanish) https://www.slowfood.com/es/se-crea-en-ecuador-el-baluarte-slow-food-para-la-proteccion-del-cacao-nacional-del-choco/ https://noticias.usfq.edu.ec/2018/11/como-la-usfq-contribuye-con-el.html

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:
One of our professors and chefs, Esteban Tapia, runs the Slow Food movement here in Ecuador and hosts events for students and the local community.

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?:
No

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
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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:
There are no buffets on campus

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:
---

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:
All of the dining services' organic waste is donated to a pig farm for feeding.

Composting 

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

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
---

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:
Piramide, Trattoria, Via Bonita, Marcus and Apice all use reusable service ware for dine in meals

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)?:
No

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
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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:
You receive a 10 cent discount in coffee if you bring your own 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)?:
No

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
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Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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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.