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With the publication of the College Sustainability Report Card 2010, more than 1,100 school survey responses from over 300 institutions are now available online. In total, these surveys offer more than 10,000 pages of data collected from colleges and universities during the summer of 2009. To access surveys from other schools, go to the surveys section of the website. To see grades, or to access additional surveys submitted by this school, please click the "Back to Report Card" link at the beginning or end of the survey.
Name: Kelly Boulton
Title: Sustainability Coordinator
Date survey submitted: 07.24.09
1) Total annual food budget: [$ 1,750,000 ]
LOCALLY GROWN AND PRODUCED FOOD
Note: Geographic location and seasonal availability are taken into account in assessing your response. "Local" is defined as within 150 miles of your campus.
2) Do you have any formal policies pertaining to local purchases?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available: Parkhurst Dining Services is the food service provider for Allegheny College, and its stated goal is to source at least 30% of its food from local growers. Its FoodSource initiative finds and partners with local growers, emphasizing a commitment to both freshness and food safety. URL: http://www.diningallegheny.com/index.php?id=159
Questions 3-5 pertain to locally grown purchases.
3).From how many local farms or growers do you purchase (excluding on-campus farms/gardens)?
[ # 3 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # 70+ ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: Paragon Monteverde (Pittsburgh PA), a fresh foods distributor, provides food from about 20 regional farms
Turner Dairy (Pittsburgh PA) provides milk from 50 regional small farmers within a 60 mile radius
4) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was grown or raised locally?
[$ ~700,000 ] for food grown, raised or processed locally
5) Please list foods you purchase that are grown or raised locally (e.g., fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, fish, honey, maple syrup; foods that are processed locally should be listed in question 8): vegetables, fruit, milk, honey
Questions 6-8 pertain to locally produced and/or processed items.
6) From how many local processors do you purchase?
[ # 2 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: Meat, cheese and dairy are also sourced from PA farms/businesses and provided through US foods, a distributor.
7) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was processed locally?
[$ ~700,000 ] for food grown, raised or processed locally
8) Please list items you purchase that are processed locally (e.g., bread, granola, ice cream, baked goods, yogurt, cheese): bread, dinner rolls, baked goods, salad mix, jam
The campus coffeehouse, Grounds for Change, also offers baked goods purchased from a local sustainable farm/bakery.
9) Do you purchase milk from a local dairy?
[ ] No
[ ] Yes. Please provide name of dairy and location: Parkhurst contracts with Turner Dairy, based out of Pittsburgh. Turner sources milk (no rBGH) from local farms within a 60 mile radius.
10) Do you source any food from an on-campus farm or garden?
[ X ] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe source and amount: A student intern will work this year to establish an herb garden for dining service use. A class will research and plant fruit trees. A senior student project will develop a detailed plan for the creation of a garden just south of the planned renovation for the Environmental Science department.
11) Do you participate in a farm-to-school program?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe program: FarmSource partners with local growers and food producers to source 30% of dining hall food locally.
ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED FOOD
12) Do you have any formal policies pertaining to the purchase of organic and/or sustainably produced food?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available: Parkhurst Dining Services promises to supply rBST free dairy and fish approved by Seafood Watch when possible. URL: http://www.diningallegheny.com/index.php?id=172
13) Do you purchase organically grown or produced food?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please list items: About 30 items from Fresh from the Vines sustainable farm—tomatoes, salad mix, value added products, etc
About another 30 from Creative Crust bakery—dinner rolls, bread, baked goods
Organic fruit through Paragon, a distributor
14) How much do you spend annually on organically grown or produced food?
[$ 43,000 ]
For questions 15-19, please indicate percentage based on annual dollar amount spent.
15) Do you purchase cage-free eggs and/or confinement-free meat products?
[ X ] No
[ ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ %] Percentage cage-free eggs
[ %] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product:
[ %] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product:
16) Do you purchase any grass-fed animal products?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ 1 %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product: lamb
[ %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product:
17) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free meat?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ 100 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat: beef, pork, chicken, turkey
[ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat:
18) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free dairy products?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ 100 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product: milk
[ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product:
19) Do you purchase seafood that meets Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines or Marine Stewardship Council standards?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate. Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch
[ 100 %] Percentage purchased that meets guidelines. Please list guidelines used:
20) Do you offer specifically labeled vegan entrees on a daily, weekly, or other regularly scheduled basis?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please specify number of options and the frequency with which they are offered: At least one highlighted vegan entrée is available daily, however many other options are standard at the sandwich/wrap bar and salad bar in addition.
21) Please list and give percentages for any other sustainably produced food items you purchase that are not included above:
FAIR TRADE PRODUCTS
22) Do you purchase Fair Trade Certified coffee?
[ ] No
[ X ] Some. Please describe:
[ X ] All: Fair Trade Coffee is an option at all Parkhurst dining locations. Some uncertified varieties, particularly flavored coffees are also available.
The campus coffeehouse, Grounds for Change, also offers all organic, fair trade coffee.
23) Do you purchase other Fair Trade Certified food products?
[ X ] No
[ ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ %] Percentage purchased that is Fair Trade Certified. Type of item:
DISHWARE AND ECO-FRIENDLY INCENTIVES
24) Please indicate which of following your university-operated/contracted dining facilities offers.
[ ] Disposable dishware
[ ] Only reusable dishware
[ X ] Reusable and disposable dishware Our traditional dining hall uses china, glass and silverware exclusively, while our Campus Center food court offers compostable containers to be discarded.
25) If you offer disposables, please indicate materials used (check all that apply).
[ ] Plastic or polystyrene: The only plastic remaining in our dining halls are the soufflé cups. These will be phased out once a compostable alternative is identified.
[ X ] Postconsumer recycled content napkins
[ X ] Biodegradable/compostable All clamshells, plates, plastic and paper cups, napkins, utensils, straws, etc are compostable in our in-vessel digester.
[ ] Other
Description (optional):
26) Do your dining facilities offer discounts or cash incentives to individuals using reusable dishware, bringing a bag, or bringing reusable containers?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe: Discounts are offered to customers who bring their own reusable mugs/bottles for coffee and soft drinks. Filtered water is free in a reusable container.
Grounds for Change, the campus coffeehouse, will only sell drinks in reusable mugs.
27) Do your dining facilities use any polystyrene products (i.e., Styrofoam)?
[ X ] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe:
FOOD COMPOSTING AND WASTE DIVERSION
28) Do your dining facilities compost preconsumer food scraps?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate the proportion of dining facilities that run preconsumer compost programs (e.g. two out of five dining facilities) and, if available, the combined annual tonnage composted.
[ 100 %] Proportion of dining facilities that run preconsumer compost programs.
[ ] Annual tonnage of preconsumer compost. Allegheny composts 800-1000 pounds a day of preconsumer food scraps from both dining halls.
29) Do your dining facilities compost postconsumer food scraps?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate the proportion of dining facilities that run postconsumer compost programs (e.g. two out of five dining facilities) and, if available, the combined annual tonnage composted.
[ 100 %] Proportion of dining facilities that run postconsumer compost programs.
[ ] Annual tonnage of postconsumer compost.
30) Do your dining facilities donate excess food to a food bank, soup kitchen, or shelter, etc.?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe: Excess food is donated on a twice weekly basis to the local Men’s Shelter and two women’s shelters.
31) Do your dining facilities have a trayless dining program?
[ ] No
[ ] Sometimes--on specific days, on certain occasions, or in specific locations. Please describe:
[ X ] Yes--standard practice. Please describe program including date started and, if available, data on reduced food waste or water consumption: This program will launch in the 2009/2010 academic year.
32) Please tell us about any other steps your dining facilities have taken to reduce waste (e.g., food waste auditing, recycling used cooking oil for biodiesel production): Used cooking oil is collected and converted to biodiesel by a local processor. In a few months we will begin sending our waste oil to the City of Meadville’s new biodiesel digester.
RECYCLING OF TRADITIONAL MATERIALS
33) Please indicate which traditional materials your dining facilities recycle (check all that apply).
[ ] None
[ X ] Aluminum
[ X ] Cardboard
[ X ] Glass
[ X ] Paper
[ X ] Plastics (all)
[ ] Plastics (some)
[ X ] Other. Please list: Steel/bimetal cans
34) Are recycling receptacles located throughout dining locations?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe: Two recycling containers are available in the central dining area of the Campus Center as well as more than four additional recycling stations throughout the seating area on the periphery.
35) What is the dining services' current waste-diversion rate (the percentage of recyclable waste diverted from traditional disposal)?
[ %] The recycling goal is 100% and cans are provided throughout the kitchen and dining spaces to maximize this goal. A formal waste-diversion rate has not been calculated but there is confidence that near all recyclable waste is in fact being recycled.
AFFILIATIONS
Questions 36-37 are for informational purposes only; responses will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.
36) Indicate if your dining services are:
[ X ] Contracted. Please describe:
[ ] School operated. Please describe:
[ ] Other. Please describe:
37) Is the dining services director, or another dining services staff person, a member of any campus-wide environmental/sustainability initiatives or committees at your school?
[ X ] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe:
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