Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.69
Liaison Jennifer Kleindienst
Submission Date April 5, 2023

STARS v2.2

Wesleyan University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Michael Strumpf
Bon Appétit Resident District Manager
Campus Dining Service
"---" 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:
Students run a local co-op program open to students, faculty, and staff that functions similarly to a CSA, with Bon Appetit assisting with local food sourcing.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Bon Appetit purchases dairy products, mushrooms, tofu, seitan, turkey, pork, beef, and eggs from SME local suppliers that follow principles of organic agriculture.

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
9.50

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:
Since Fall 2016, Veg Out has introduced only vegetarian options at lunch at Usdan Marketplace (primary dining hall). From January 2019 to March 2020, these were every Tuesday; they are currently monthly.

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:
There are vegan dining options at all venues of the dining program. This includes retail/grab and go options, convenience store, and catered events, as well as a dedicated vegan station in Usdan Marketplace, the main dining hall. This program has been driven by Wesleyan's large population of vegetarian and vegan students. The superior taste and quality of the food, prepared by a chef who is vegan and prepares exclusively vegan foods, attracts vegans and non-vegans alike to try these dishes. Because of these efforts, Wesleyan has been named the "Most Vegan-Friendly College" multiple times.

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:
Dining halls have signage advertising local items, explanation of the post-consumer composting system, vegan and vegetarian options, and table tents that promote sustainability policies and practices.

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:
Wesleyan participated in EPA's Food Recovery Challenge for Usdan Dining Hall from 2013 until the program end in 2020. We continue to track food waste internally to reduce 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:
Wesleyan's trayless dining program began in 2009 and covers meals at all campus eateries.

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:
Student volunteers through the Food Rescue program collect food that is normally wasted from Pi Cafe, Summerfields and Usdan and take it to Eddy Shelter, an emergency shelter about 5 minutes from campus. Since 2017, Wesleyan's Bon Appetit dining service have been named “Food Recovery Verified” by the Food Recovery Network for donating unsold surplus food to a local charity.

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:
Cooking oil is collected by a company that turns it into fuel. All food waste generated in the dining halls is brought to an off-site anaerobic digestion facility. Pre-COVID post-consumer diversion was at all dining locations, cafes, Usdan-based catering operations, and in several locations on campus; we have just reintroduced post-consumer composting in the first non-dining-hall public location in November 2022 (this had been on hold due to supply chain issues sourcing compostable products).

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:
All pre-consumer food waste is composted in Usdan and Summerfields dining halls, Pi, Usdan, and Freeman Cafes, and non-Bon Appetit eateries Red and Black, WesWings, Story and Soil, and Espwesso. Composting is available in all student dorms and is available to all students and offices on a voluntary basis.

All compostable material is brought to Quantum Biopower, an off-site anaerobic digestion facility in Southington, CT.

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:
Pre-COVID post-consumer diversion was at all dining locations, cafes, Usdan-based catering operations, and in several locations on campus; we have just reintroduced post-consumer composting in the first non-dining-hall public location in November 2022. Post-consumer diversion has been operational in Usdan and Summerfields dining halls since 2021.

All compostable material is brought to Quantum Biopower, an off-site anaerobic digestion facility in Southington, CT.

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:
Reusable service ware is the only option available for all dine-in meals at Usdan and Summerfields dining hall (with the exception of the kosher section, which uses compostable materials to maintain kosher standards). Napkins, straws, toothpicks, coffee stirrers are the only non-reusable items used in dining halls; all of these are compostable and composting bins are provided for proper disposal within each dining hall.

Note that due to ongoing supply chain issues some of these items were unable to be sourced during the height of COVID and these issues persist, so intermittently only non-compostable items are available.

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:
Bon Appetit's Eco to Go Program is available at Usdan and Summerfields dining halls. Since 2014, all incoming students have received free Eco to Go access. Others who wish to join the program or students who misplace their container pay $7.50 to re-enter the program. Since Spring 2022, Wesleyan has partnered with ReUser, a company that has streamlined the to-go container process with an app and QR codes.

Beginning in Fall 2016 and restarting in Fall 2022 (on hiatus March 2020 - August 2022), only Eco to Go containers have been available for take-out at Summerfields and Usdan dining hall, resulting in the elimination of disposable to-go containers at those locations.

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:
Bon Appetit operates a reusable mug program, which gives students and employees a discount for using a reusable mug at Pi and Usdan cafes.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
Kosher and Halal items are available at every meal. There are frequent healthy eating initiatives, including Veg Out (plant protein education) and In Balance (portion control).

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