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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: Wendy Robins
Title: Dining Services Operations Manager-Sustainability
Date survey submitted: July 17, 2009
1) Total annual food budget: [$ 1,560,000]
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: PLU is currently developing formal policies pertaining to local purchases.
Questions 3-5 pertain to locally grown purchases.
3) From how many local forms or growers do you purchase (excluding on-campus farms/gardens)?
[ # ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # 4 ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: FSA Kent/ Sysco Seattle/ Charlie’s Seattle/ NW Produce Fife
4) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was grown or raised locally?
[$ 86,500 ]
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 fruit and vegetables, meat, milk, egg
Questions 6-8 pertain to locally produced and/or processed items.
6) From how many local processors do you purchase?
[ # 7 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # 4 ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: FSA Kent, SYSCO Seattle, Charlie’s Seattle, NW Produce Fife
7) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was processed locally?
[$ 196,903.32 ]
8) Please list items you purchase that are processed locally (e.g., bread, granola, ice cream, baked goods, yogurt, cheese): Bread, baked goods
9) Do you purchase milk from a local dairy?
[ ] No
[ X] Yes. Please provide name of dairy and location: Dairygold Seattle, Smith Bros Fife
10) Do you source any food from an on-campus farm or garden?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe source and amount: Herbs -PLU Community garden
11) Do you participate in a farm-to-school program?
[ X ] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe program:
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: PLU is currently developing formal policies pertaining to the purchase of organic and/or sustainably produced food.
13) Do you purchase organically grown or produced food?
[ ] No
[ X] Yes. Please list items: Juice, Fruit and Vegetables, Chips, Breads and Baked goods
14) How much do you spend annually on organically grown or produced food?
[$ 115,487.57 ]
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).
[ 95%] Percentage cage-free eggs
[ 75 %] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product: chicken breast
[ %] 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).
[ 68 %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product: beef
[ 31 %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product: pork
17) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free meat?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[75 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat: 5 oz. 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).
[ 100%] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product: milk
[ 100%] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product: heavy cream
[ 100%] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product half n half
19) Do you purchase seafood that meets Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines or Marine Stewardship Council standards?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate. salmon, shrimp, pollock, mahi, halibut
[ 80- 85%] Percentage purchased that meets guidelines. Please list guidelines used: Monterery Bay
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: Daily
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).
[ 90%] Percentage purchased that is Fair Trade Certified. Type of item: Tea
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): Dining services uses Aardvark paper drinking straws, which are a sustainable product that is fully biodegradable, compost-friendly and 100% chlorine free.
Dining Services uses compostable paper cups for hot beverages and paper portion cups for condiments.
26) Do your dining facilities offer discounts or cash incentives to individuals using reusable dishware, bringing a bag, or bringing reusable containers?
[ X ] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe:
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. Dining services composts all food waste, paper cups, straws, napkins, sugar packets, basket liners, paper cartons, wood stir sticks, tea bags and wrappers.
[ 40 %] Proportion of dining facilities that run preconsumer compost programs.
[ .40 ] 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. Students and staff separate trash from food scraps and other compostable materials.
[ 60 %] Proportion of dining facilities that run postconsumer compost programs.
[ .60 ] 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: Tacoma Rescue Mission
31) Do your dining facilities have a trayless dining program?
[ X ] No
[ ] Sometimes--on specific days, on certain occasions, or in specific locations. Please describe:
[ ] 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):
Dining Services currently participates in a program where used cooking oil is sold to a local vendor in Seattle to be made in to Biodiesel. Dining Services has moved the napkins off the individual tables to a central location to reduce waste. Last year alone we purchased 10% less napkins, which equates to 8 cases or 48,000 fewer napkins used. In addition, Dining Services reduced the tray size by 50% to lower the amount of food waste The Commons. The theory behind the smaller trays was to encourage the guests to take less food and to come back for more if they were still hungry. This limited the amount of food taken and not consumed; therefore reducing the amount of food wasted by guests primarily during our All-You-Can-Eat meal periods. Besides educating our customers about composting and recycling, we ask that trash and food waste be put on the accumulator (dish collector) so that our staff can sort the items. Our staff has been trained on what can be recycled, composted and then what items must be put in the trash. We call this program our "Green Tray Program". Another facet of the "Green Tray Program" is providing compost bins to the resident halls and offices. We ask that a representative from each office or residence hall be responsible for changing out the composting bin(s) as needed. We then take the composting bins, empty them, and wash them out for future use.
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: We provide containers for all items marked in question 33
35) What is the dining services' current waste-diversion rate (the percentage of recyclable waste diverted from traditional disposal)? Along with Compost
[ 68 %]
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: Self operated
[ ] 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: Community Garden and the Sustainability Committee.
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