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Report Card 2010

Dartmouth College

Dining Survey

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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: Dave Newlove & Kathy Lambert

Title: interim Director of Dining Services and Sustainability Manager

Date survey submitted: July 24, 2009

 

1) Total annual food budget: [~$ 6.5million ]

 

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?

[X  ]  No

[  ]  Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available:

 

Questions 3-5 pertain to locally  grown purchases.

 

3) From how many local forms or growers do you purchase (excluding on-campus farms/gardens)?

[  15  ]  Number from which you purchase directly.

[  12 ]  Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor:

 

4) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was grown or raised locally?

[4% of total food budget = $275,000 to $300,000]

 

Note: this is purchases made within 50 miles of campus, we do not have figures for expenditures within 150 miles.

 

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):

Fresh vegetables

Beef

Dairy

Honey

maple syrup

 

Questions 6-8 pertain to locally produced and/or processed items.

 

6) From how many local processors do you purchase?

[ 6 - 10  ]  Number from which you purchase directly.

[ Dozens   ]  Number from which you purchase through a distributor.  Please specify name and location of distributor:

AG Grocers

Black River Produce

United Naturals

King Arthur Flour

 

7) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was processed locally?

[$ +/- $250,000]

 

8) Please list items you purchase that are /processed /locally (e.g., bread, granola, ice cream, baked goods, yogurt, cheese):

Bread

Health and Beauty Aids

Sushi

Popcorn

Ice-cream

Honey Sticks

Maple Syrup

Salad products

 

9) Do you purchase milk from a local dairy?

[  ]  No

[X ]  Yes. Please provide name of dairy and location: Garelick - processor who collects from local farms

 

10) Do you source any food from an on-campus farm or garden?

[  ]  No

[X ]  Yes. Please describe source and amount: 

Dartmouth Organic Farm - +/- $1,000 year

 

11) Do you participate in a farm-to-school program?

[  ]  No

[X ]  Yes. Please describe program: Farm to Dartmouth

 

The Farm-to-Dartmouth project was a four year initiative to develop ongoing relationships between local farmers, Dartmouth College, and the surrounding community. A task force examined successful local foods initiatives at other schools and then worked to help establish relationships between local farmers and Dartmouth Dining Services. The project was supported by a Vital Communities grant from the Northeast Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education Program (SARE).

 

ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED FOOD

 

12) Do you have any formal policies pertaining to the purchase of organic and/or sustainably produced food?

[X ]  No

[  ]  Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available:

 

13) Do you purchase organically grown or produced food?

[  ]  No

[X ]  Yes. Please list items:

Yogurt

            Produce

ice-cream

            baking products

 

14) How much do you spend annually on organically grown or produced food?

[$ 10,000]

 

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?

[  ]  No

[X ]  Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).

[100 %]  Percentage cage-free eggs - SHELL EGGS ONLY

[   %]  Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product:

[   %]  Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product:

 

16) Do you purchase any grass-fed animal products?

[X ]  No

[  ]  Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).

[   %]  Grass-fed. Type of animal product:

[   %]  Grass-fed. Type of animal product:

 

17) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free meat?*

[  ]  No

[ X ]  Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).

[25 %]  Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat:  Chicken Breast

[   %]  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).

[ 90 %]  Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product: BGH Free 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.

[ 50 %]  Percentage purchased that meets guidelines. Please list guidelines used: Blue Ocean Institute Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood.*

 

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:  Every meal period every day.

 

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

 

23)  Do you purchase other Fair Trade Certified food products?

[ ]  No

[ X]  Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product). Bananas

[ 25 %]  Percentage purchased that is Fair Trade Certified. Type of item: Bananas

 

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

 

25) If you offer disposables, please indicate materials used (check all that apply).

[X  ]  Plastic or polystyrene

[X  ]  Postconsumer recycled content

[ X ]  Biodegradable/compostable

[  ]  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: Discount on using a recycle mug - pay for 16oz but the customer gets 20oz.  Coffee, Tea, Soda, bulk milk.

 

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.

 

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:

Catering or Concession left over food is given the the Haven.

 We also donate X-mas trees and decorations after our last holiday party.

 

31) Do your dining facilities have a trayless dining program?

[  ]  No

[ X ]  Sometimes--on specific days, on certain occasions, or in specific locations. Please describe: In our only all you can eat venue - Sundays in Home Plate and summer in Camper World.

[  ]  Yes--standard practice. Please describe program including date started and, if available, data on reduced food waste or water consumption:

 

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):

 

Waste Reduction at Dining Venues:

·         Pre-consumer composting of food waste at all dining venues

·         Post-consumer composting of food waste at largest dining venues (Food Court, Home Plate, Courtyard Café)

·         Trayless dining for “all you can eat” meals and venues (most food service is a la carte)

·         Pre- and post-consumer recycling at all dining venues

·         Home Plate - In the summer of 2006, the Dartmouth Sustainability Office, in collaboration with the student groups and college officials, revamped Home Plate dining hall with the goal of changing people's habits from disposability to a more environmentally sound dining experience. Now at Home Plate, almost all of the formerly packaged foods, including milk cartons, condiments and sodas, are served from bulk containers. Disposable tableware has been replaced with reusable. The few packaged items for which no substitutes could be found are sorted and recycled, and all food waste is composted and put directly back into the campus landscaping. The goal, quite simply, is to change the diner's mindset. In the world Dartmouth students will inherit, habits of zero-waste will become the norm.

·         Dish drop-off locations – the Student Assembly initiated a project this year to provide locations where dishware from the dining services could be returned at the end of the term. This effort was aimed at reducing loss of dishware, but may be expanded to provide an alternative to “to-go” containers.

·         Used cooking oil is provided to anyone interested in using it for biodiesel

·         Large aluminum cans are given to College paint shop for reuse

·         Holiday party ornaments are donated to local non-profit

·         Eligible left-over food provided to local food banks

 

Events:

Reducing bottled water use and disposable dishware at events and piloted composting and low-waste approaches for reunion events this year.

Bottled water:

Initiated a campuswide effort to eliminate bottled water coolers in offices. Conducted water testing, developed fact sheet, and included this as an item on a campus pledge. See: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~sustain/dartmouth/drinkingwater/

 

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)

[  ]  Other. Please list:

 

34) Are recycling receptacles located throughout dining locations?

[  ]  No

[X  ]  Yes. Please describe: bins are available for all recyclable materials, as well as compostable materials

 

35) What is the dining services' current waste-diversion rate (the percentage of recyclable waste diverted from traditional disposal)?

[33 %]

 

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**:*

[  ]  Contracted. Please describe:

[ X ]  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: the Director of Dining Services and head of dining purchasing are members of the College Resource Working Group (RWG)

 

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