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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: David McHargue Director of Dining Services
Title:
Date survey submitted: July 20, 2009
1) Total annual food budget: [$788,000.00]
LOCALLY GROWN AND PRODUCED FOOD
Note: Geographic location and seasonal availability are taken into account in assessing your response. "Local" is defined as within 150 miles of your campus.
2) Do you have any formal policies pertaining to local purchases?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available:
Berea College’s Local Food Initiative (and thus, Berea Dining) defines ‘local’ as products that are grown or produced within 100 miles of campus.
BC Dining is committed to working in partnership with Berea College and the LFI to advance sustainability goals around dining services. BC Dining has streamlined processes to allow more locally sourced products, worked closely with College farms and local growers to increase our utilization of organic and locally grown foods, coordinated with the College's farms and recycling operations to divert waste streams through recycling and composting of food waste, and worked with students and staff to provide educational opportunities that have led to reductions in waste and water usage.
http://www.berea.edu/localfoodinitiative/default.asp
Questions 3-5 pertain to locally grown purchases.
3).From how many local forms or growers do you purchase (excluding on-campus farms/gardens)?
[ 8 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ 4, and one Grower’s Cooperative with an unknown number of member farms ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor:
Produce: Papania’s Produce, Lexington, KY (family-owned local business)
4) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was grown or raised locally?
[$ 52,000 ]
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):
-Milk that originates from Kentucky dairies (171 producers in 19 surrounding counties)
-Seasonal produce: Apples, berries, lettuce and mixed greens, spinach, kale, corn, summer/winter squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, kohlrabi, carrots, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, mushrooms, peas, pumpkins, garlic, chard, beets, parsnips, melons
-Dried pinto and black beans, popcorn and walnuts
-Meat: Beef, pork, chicken, turkey ( all raised within 10 miles of campus).
-Shell eggs from pastured hens from a family farm only 10 miles from campus.
-Spring water (all bulk and bottled) from a local spring/bottler only 15 miles from campus
Questions 6-8 pertain to locally produced and/or processed items.
6) From how many local processors do you purchase?
[ # 4 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # 1 ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: Sysco Louisville, KY
7) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was processed locally?
Our loaf bread and some buns are processed at a local bakery less than 50 miles from campus, and we are in the process of determining exactly which products those are, so we are unable to provide a dollar figure at this time for baked goods. For the other items, we spend approximately $5,000 per year. We also purchase loaf bread from local bakers in the community.
8) Please list items you purchase that are processed locally (e.g., bread, granola, ice cream, baked goods, yogurt, cheese):
Bread and buns, locally milled flour and cornmeal, ice cream, apple cider, cheese; flour and cornmeal as available from the college farm (grown and milled on campus)
9) Do you purchase milk from a local dairy?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please provide name of dairy and location:
Southern Belle Dairy, Somerset, Ky.
10) Do you source any food from an on-campus farm or garden?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe source and amount:
Produce: Berea College Gardens, $3,500 annually; Meat: $10-12,000 annually. We also have a kitchen herb garden from which we harvest our own fresh herbs.
11) Do you participate in a farm-to-school program?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe program:
The Berea College labor program is “farm to school” put into practice every day. Students work on the farm to raise food for the community and for their fellow students. Students who work in dining facilities participate in educational campaigns around sustainability initiatives.
In Fall 2008, Berea Dining participated in the first Real Food Challenge, and held Local Food theme events each semester to highlight sustainable food grown by local farmers. Students actively participate in and help plan these events. Berea College Greenhouse Manager Andrew Oles represented Berea College and Dining Services at the 2009 Farm to School Conference in Portland, Oregon, where he presented on the Local Food Initiative and the partnership between BC Dining and the college farm.
ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED FOOD
12) Do you have any formal policies pertaining to the purchase of organic and/or sustainably produced food?
[ ] No
[ x] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available: B>Our policy is to source as much organic and sustainably produced food as possible.
The college gardens are certified organic, and our preference is to purchase from the farm first, because it is the closest source. See:
www.berea.edu/anr
13) Do you purchase organically grown or produced food?
[ ] No
[x ] Yes. Please list items:
Coffee, soy milk, peanut butter, seitan, tahini, quinoa, lentils, tvp, rice, tea, and all produce and grains purchased from Berea College Garden.
14) How much do you spend annually on organically grown or produced food?
[$ 15,500]
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?
[ ] No
[
x ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ 3 %] Percentage cage-free eggs
[ 1 %] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product:
chicken and turkey
[3 %] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product: Beef
5% Type of meat product: Pork
16) Do you purchase any grass-fed animal products?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[3 %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product: Beef
17) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free meat?
[ ] No
[ x] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[3 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat:
Beef
[5 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat:
Pork
Berea College pork and beef is humanely raised and antibiotic, steroid, hormone (ASH)-free.
Cattle are pasture raised on grass and college-grown grain that is free of antibiotics, and raised by Berea College agriculture students.
18) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free dairy products?
[ x ] No. Not at this time but are working with our dairy to encourage movement in that direction.
[ ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product:
[ %] 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?
[ x ] No
[ ] Yes. Please indicate.
[ %] 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:
1-2 daily at lunch and dinner.
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
[ ] Some. Please describe:
[ x ] All.
BC Dining exclusively serves Green Mountain Coffee Roaster’s certified organic, Fair Trade coffee in our dining, retail, and catering operations.
23) Do you purchase other Fair Trade Certified food products?
[ ] No
[x ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
10% Percentage purchased that is Fair Trade Certified. Type of item: Rice
10% Tea
DISHWARE AND ECO-FRIENDLY INCENTIVES
24) Please indicate which of following your university-operated/contracted dining facilities offers.
[ ] Disposable dishware
[x ] Only reusable dishware in the campus dining hall
[x ] Reusable and disposable dishware for catered events and in retail
25) If you offer disposables, please indicate materials used (check all that apply).
[ ] Plastic or polystyrene
[ x ] Postconsumer recycled content
[x ] Biodegradable/compostable
[ x ] Other - recyclable
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: We give all students a free refillable mug that they may bring to the dining hall any time as a carryout beverage option. They receive a discount for using the mug in the Café.
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.
[ 10 tons ] Annual tonnage of preconsumer compost.
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.
[ 50 %] Proportion of dining facilities that run postconsumer compost programs.
[ 17 tons ] Annual tonnage of postconsumer compost.
We also collect food waste and, if provided, compostable dishware at catered events and that is composted at the college farm as well.
30) Do your dining facilities donate excess food to a food bank, soup kitchen, or shelter, etc.?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe:
Our local food bank only accepts unprepared food. They receive good unused produce at the end of each semester. We hold an annual “Caring Cans” food drive in the fall that nets 2,000 pounds of canned food for the Berea Community Food Bank.
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:
We went trayless in Fall 2009, resulting in a food waste reduction of approximately 15% (figure based on food cost savings).
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):
We have looked constantly for ways to switch from individual or small packaging to bulk, with a goal of zero waste. For example, eliminating plastic bottles for small condiments in favor of bulk dispensers saved nearly 270 bottles per week. Single use napkin dispensers reduced napkin waste by 25%. In catering, we now only offer bottled water on request, in favor of bulk water stations with washable cups. The small local bottling company we purchase from is among the first to introduce compostable and recyclable bottles for water, in response to our requests.
We’ve increased our purchase of durable dishware by 20%, and are moving toward low-to-zero waste at catered events by increasing use of durable dishware. Bi-annual waste awareness campaigns, and trayless dining educational materials, are designed to inform students about the environmental impacts of food waste. Our cooking oil is picked up by a faculty member to be converted to biodiesel.
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
[] Plastics (all)
[ x ] Plastics (some) – as many as possible but at this time we cannot recycle films or gloves, only reduce use.
[ x ] Other. Please list: #10 cans
34) Are recycling receptacles located throughout dining locations?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe:
There are recycling containers for metal, glass and paper in the Café location, and for cans in dining; however , in dining, waste is kept to a minimum by providing no single-use containers and encouraging the use of bring-your-own mugs.
35) What is the dining services' current waste-diversion rate (the percentage of recyclable waste diverted from traditional disposal)?
[ 80 %]
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: Sodexo is the contracted food service operator.
[ ] 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?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe:
David McHargue, Director of Dining Services, and Sustainability Manager Cait McClanahan are members of the Local Food Initiative, a group of students, faculty and community members committed to promoting the participation of Berea College in the development of a local food system. Cait is an active member of Sustainable Berea; served on the 2009 Berea College Food Summit planning committee, and attended the 2008 AASHE Conference in Raleigh. Berea College Dining is a member of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s “Kentucky Proud” program, which rewards restaurants for purchasing and promoting local products.
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