Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	77.43
Liaison	Elida Erickson
Submission Date	Feb. 28, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of California, Santa Cruz
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	2.00 / 2.00	Clint Jeffries Unit Manager UC Santa Cruz Dining

"---" 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 Center for Agroecology (the UCSC farm) uses 30 acres of campus to grow organic produce to be used in a farmstand, CSA, Pop-Up Produce Stand, and to support students in need through our Basic Needs Program. More details about each program can be found here:
https://agroecology.ucsc.edu/support/produce-sales/index.html

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:

Cowell Coffee Shop: For the Peoples is a free retail outlet/pantry which gives dining donations, organic campus farm produce, locally produced organic meals, organic coffee etc. More information can be found here: https://basicneeds.ucsc.edu/about/cowellcoffeeshop.html

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?:

Yes

A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:

UCSC Dining purchases from women-owned businesses and a local organic produce co-op. UCSC also has a Small Business First policy to encourage all campus users to increase their purchases from these vendors.

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:

"Farm Fridays" highlight local campus-grown produce. Plant-based meals are offered on the hotline continuously during operation. We also have fair trade events.

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:

All dining halls offer vegetarian and vegan options for all meals. We have partnered with local plant-based protein companies on increasing our vegan and vegetarian menu diversity. We have changed all mayonnaise to Just Mayo (vegan) offer vegan desserts, spreads, deli items, flat breads, etc.

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:

All vegan items are labeled. We also label organic, farm, and local ingredients, and have signage focusing on waste reduction.

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:

We utilize our food management system to track how many portions of each menu item are served. Our system then adjusts the projected production numbers for the next time it comes up on the cycle at that location.

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:

In 2008, the trays were removed from the dining halls, which has resulted in reducing overall waste by 35% and cleaning water by 1,000,000 gallons per year. We also promote taking samples of items to help reduce waste and conduct waste audits.

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:

Our retail locations donate all left over sushi, pastries, sandwiches, salads, etc. to the on-campus pantry "Cowell Coffee Shop: For the Peoples" daily.

Our Catering Department also donates left over items (pastries, hot food, sandwiches etc.).

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 waste fryer oil is turned into bio-diesel.

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:

Our composting partnership with Monterey Regional Waste Management District helps us divert over 600 tons per year of both pre- and post-consumer food scraps from the landfill and turns it into nutrient-rich compost which is used to replenish the soil.

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:

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 service ware is reusable in all five campus dining halls operated by Dining Services, including cutlery, plates and cups, bowls, etc.

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:

UCSC Dining initiated a reusable to-go container program in 2010-2011 and continues to date. During the pandemic, the Eco-Club membership fee was waived to encourage greater participation due to the increase in to-go meals. All single-use to-go meals are packaged in compostable products. More details about the Eco-Club can be found here: https://dining.ucsc.edu/meal-to-go/index.html

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:

Our retail locations offer a discount for bringing their own mug for coffee.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:

UCSC Dining has a full-time employee whose role revolves around nutrition and creating healthy and sustainable meals. Dining also employs a Sustainable Dining Student Intern who conducts research and implements projects to further Dining's sustainability efforts.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:

https://dining.ucsc.edu/sustainability/index.html

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.