Overall Rating Reporter
Overall Score
Liaison Debra Shepard
Submission Date March 4, 2022

STARS v2.2

Wentworth Institute of Technology
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Debra Shepard
Sustainability Consultant
N/A
"---" 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:
Sodexo hosts a farmers market regularly with Commonwealth Kitchen, a non-profit food business incubator in Dorchester that provides support for local farms, businesses, chefs, and more, to grow business sustainably.

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:
Rustic Roots is a permanent installation on campus which provides sustainable vegan dining options every day. Rustic Roots is located within the main cafeteria so there is always an option for vegan dining and the menu can be found online at: https://menus.sodexomyway.com/BiteMenu/Menu?menuId=31913&locationId=45713001&whereami=https://eatatcof-preview.sodexomyway.com/dining-near-me/wit/beatty_cafe .

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:
Sodexo has a program called Mass Impact to increase local purchasing within Massachusetts and the New England economy (with a majority of businesses having less than 500 employees). Farmers' markets with Commonwealth Kitchen also emphasize local start-ups and farms to support entrepreneurs and promote access and inclusivity. Sodexo prioritizes sourcing seafood from Red's Best Seafood which uses a traceability tracking system to ensure seafood is caught locally, labeled correctly, and subject to quality controls.

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
15.40

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:
Yes Sodexo hosts numerous events designed to promote plant-forward options on campus, with themes such as: zero-egg plant-based meals, a plant-based Mary Dumont Take-Over (a New England-based chef who focuses on sustainable food), and Rustic Roots vegan options. Other low-impact events feature Red's Best Seafood to promote local, sustainable fisheries.

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:
Vegan items are labeled in the daily menu through Rustic Roots located in the main cafeteria: https://menus.sodexomyway.com/BiteMenu/Menu?menuId=31913&locationId=45713001&whereami=https://eatatcof-preview.sodexomyway.com/dining-near-me/wit/beatty_cafe

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:
Digital signage at the entrance of the dining hall describes Sodexo's sustainability commitment. Labels (vegan, vegetarian, sustainable) are also available on the online menu and mobile app. There is also a sustainability board in the cafeteria that describes sustainable food options and dining initiatives on campus.

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:
Sodexo uses WasteWatch to monitor and track food waste. This program uses food waste measurement technology to track food waste on site and provide insight into where waste is coming from and why it is being wasted. This program prevents an average of 50% of food wasted through operational and behavioral changes both on the consumer side and within the kitchen.

There are also week-long competitions run to reduce 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?:
No

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
Yes, the campus dining hall is trayless.

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:
A food donation program is currently in development with the WIT food pantry, which supports students in need and aims to fight food insecurity within our community.

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:
Waste vegetable oil is sent to an off-site facility to be processed into biofuel.

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:
The dining contractor has a program to collect food scraps from the kitchen, which are then hauled to an off-site biodigester facility. Over 30 tons of food scraps are collected each year.

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:
Wentworth is in the process of rolling out post-consumer food waste collection in the cafeteria (pilot basis).

Dine-in service ware 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
No

A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
The dining facility is currently designed as a grab-and-go operation so reusable service ware is currently not offered.

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:
Nearly all non-reusable containers on campus are either compostable or recyclable. WIT is also rolling out green to-go reusable containers.

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:
Typically a mug discount is offered, but it is currently on hold due to COVID and will resume when allowed.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
Beyond the data on food and beverage purchasing submitted under credit OP-7, our dining vendor also offers culturally diverse options, wellness initiatives, and dietary accommodations for those with medical conditions or other dietary restrictions (such as gluten-free, allergen-free, etc.).

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://eatatcof.sodexomyway.com/explore/sustainability

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Wentworth switched dining vendors in July of this year so the data and initiatives presented above reflect July to December 2021, and known plans for future semesters.

Operational Scope: Please note that Wentworth's dining facility also provides catering services and dine-in services for several other colleges within the Colleges of the Fenway.

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.