Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.85
Liaison Sarah Williams
Submission Date Feb. 8, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Whitman College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.25 / 2.00 Brandon Bishop
Campus Sustainability Coordinator
Physical Plant
"---" 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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
The Following is directly provided from the food vendor at bamco.com: Bon Appétit has long been the role model for responsible sourcing in the food service industry. Our path toward greater sustainability started as a quest for flavor. When you cook everything from scratch, you want the freshest ingredients. That led us to launch our Farm to Fork program back in 1999 — long before local food became the welcome trend it is today. Our years of working directly with farmers and ranchers have opened our eyes to the many problems of our modern food supply: while it is abundant and cheap, it has many hidden costs. We believe we can deliver fantastic food and wonderful service while also helping make our food system better. It’s a tall order, but we do love a challenge. As Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Our chefs strive to source at least 20% of their ingredients from small, owner-operated farms, ranches, and artisan producers within 150 miles of their kitchens. For all seafood purchases, wild and farmed, we adhere to the sustainability guidelines for commercial buyers as outlined by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch® program. Quietly putting meat in the back seat as well as offering vegetarian/vegan options every day Our milk and yogurt come from cows not treated with rBGH Our eggs are certified cage-free (both shell and precracked/liquid) Chicken and turkey are raised without routine antibiotics Ground beef comes from animals fed a vegetarian diet, never given antibiotics or artificial hormones, and from a third-party verified humane source Our contracted pork is never given antibiotics or growth promoters Our pork also comes from sows that spend their pregnancies in group housing, without being confined unnecessarily to gestation crates OUR FOUR FOCUS AREAS: Prioritizing plant-based proteins Preventing and reducing food waste Trimming transportation Decreasing deforestation

On-Campus Sourcing 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
Yes

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
Bon Appetit has sourced from the Student Organic garden on campus. This sourcing has been minimal.

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?:
No

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
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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 options are always available as a meal choice in the College's dining halls.

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?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
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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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
Bon Appetit provides education material relating to meals. Additionally they provide information through their menus.

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:
Bon Appetit hosted a film series on food waste in collaboration with student clubs. Additional programming is provided through the Office of Sustainability.

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:
The service provider has a wide range of policies and acts to provide wellness options as well as providing a wide range of sustainable and culturally sensitive meal options.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
In addition to a 150 mile policy on sourcing Bon Appetit was recognized to EPA U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions.

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:
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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:
There is limited food recovery operated by student volunteer programs.

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)?:
No

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
The institution does not currently have a food digestion system. We are currently working this ability.

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:
Unfortunately our composting is limited to yard waste at this time.

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:
reusable service ware is provided at each of our dinning facilities. There are also to go options.

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:
The dinning service provider does provide a reusable tray program.

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?:
No

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
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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:
http://www.bamco.com/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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