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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: Pam Edwards
Title: Assistant Director – University Dining Service – University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date survey submitted: August 11, 2009
1) Total annual food budget: [$5,000,000 ]
LOCALLY GROWN AND PRODUCED FOOD
Note: Geographic location and seasonal availability are taken into account in assessing your response. "Local" is defined as within 150 miles of your campus.
2) Do you have any formal policies pertaining to local purchases?
[ ] No
[X ] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available:
The GFL (Good, Fresh, Local) University of Nebraska is a dining program that serves traditional meals and individual menu items where the menu ingredients come from local producers and farmers, are seasonal and sustainably produced, and include organic products. The GFL program has policies concerning the following areas:
- Setting up farmer/producer as a vendor with UNL
- Ordering and delivery
- Food safety and quality
Questions 3-5 pertain to locally grown purchases.
3) From how many local forms or growers do you purchase (excluding on-campus farms/gardens)?
[ # 34 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # 0 ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor:
4) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was grown or raised locally?
[$ $66,000 ]
5) Please list foods you purchase that are grown or raised locally (e.g., fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, fish, honey, maple syrup; foods that are processed locally should be listed in question 8):
Fresh fruits and vegetables, pasture-raised beef, poultry, and eggs, lamb, pork, fish, grains, honey, walnuts and pecans
Questions 6-8 pertain to locally produced and/or processed items.
6) From how many local processors do you purchase?
[ # 20 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # 10 ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: CashWa Foodservice Distributor – Kearney, Nebraska
7) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was processed locally?
[$ 393,800 ]
8) Please list items you purchase that are processed locally (e.g., bread, granola, ice cream, baked goods, yogurt, cheese): Jelly/jam, salad dressings, bread, ice cream, pies, cheese, granola, pizza crusts,
9) Do you purchase milk from a local dairy?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please provide name of dairy and location: Robert’s Dairy – Omaha, Nebraska
10) Do you source any food from an on-campus farm or garden?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe source and amount: Horticulture Department – University of Nebraska-Lincoln – very limited amount of fresh vegetables.
11) Do you participate in a farm-to-school program?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe program: We have not formally joined the Farm-to-School program – but the GFL program is our unique farm-to-school 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:
The GFL (Good, Fresh, Local) University of Nebraska is a dining program that serves traditional meals and individual menu items where the menu ingredients come from local producers and farmers, are seasonal and sustainably produced, and include organic products.
The GFL program has policies concerning the following areas:
- Setting up farmer/producer as a vendor with UNL
- Ordering and delivery
- Food safety and quality
13) Do you purchase organically grown or produced food?
[ ] No
[X ] Yes. Please list items: Cheese, grains, fresh fruits and vegetables (some of our farmers grow organically but do not go through the organic certification process).
14) How much do you spend annually on organically grown or produced food?
[$ $3,000 ]
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).
[ %] Percentage cage-free eggs
[ 8%] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product: Eggs
[ 1 %] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product: Chicken
[ 3 %] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product: Turkey
16) Do you purchase any grass-fed animal products?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ 4 %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product: Beef
[ %] 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).
[ 4 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat: Beef
[ 1 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat: Chicken
[ 2 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat: Turkey
[ 3 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat: Pork
18) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free dairy products?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product). Robert’s Dairy recently processes milk where the dairy farmers have pledged not to use the artificial growth hormone, rBGH. In addition, the cows are tested to ensure that they are antibiotic free. In addition, all our cheese purchased for our GFL program is hormone and antibiotic-free. We are still investigating the small amount of dairy products (in addition to Robert’s and GFL) used to determine if they are hormone and antibiotic-free. Overall, our dairy products should be close to 100% hormone and antibiotic free.
[ %] 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?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate. – We are in process of identifying all the fish purchased that meet either the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines or Marine Stewardship standards.
[ %] 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:
We offer at least 1 entrée labeled as vegan at every lunch and dinner (Monday – Friday). There are other items that are vegan but are not labeled.
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: We have purchased a very limited amount of Fair Trade Certified coffee for catering and special events.
[ ] All
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
25) If you offer disposables, please indicate materials used (check all that apply).
[ X ] Plastic or polystyrene
[ X ] Postconsumer recycled content
[ ] 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: We do allow reusable cups to be used in the residence hall dining services and in our retail units.
27) Do your dining facilities use any polystyrene products (i.e., Styrofoam)?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe: Clamshells, plates, cups, and bowls
FOOD COMPOSTING AND WASTE DIVERSION
28) Do your dining facilities compost preconsumer food scraps?
[X ] No
[ ] 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.
[ %] Proportion of dining facilities that run preconsumer compost programs.
[ ] Annual tonnage of preconsumer compost.
29) Do your dining facilities compost postconsumer food scraps?
[ X ] No
[ ] 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.
[ %] 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: We donate to the Food Bank of Lincoln which is part of Second Harvest.
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:
University Dining Service has eliminated trays from five dining locations. The program began in April 2009. The only data available at this time is from the test conducted prior to starting the program. The test results were based on comparing food and beverage waste on one day using trays and one day without trays. Results were as follows:
Beverage waste – Reduction of 40.5% (without trays)
Food waste – Reduction of 32.5% (without trays)
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 frying oil is sold to KCI Restaurant Services. This oil is used for making soap and other products.
RECYCLING OF TRADITIONAL MATERIALS
33) Please indicate which traditional materials your dining facilities recycle (check all that apply).
[ ] None
[ x ] Aluminum
[ x ] Cardboard
[ ] Glass
[ X ] Paper
[ ] Plastics (all)
[ x ] Plastics (some) Dining Services Centers recycle No. 1 and 2 plastic containers, plastic milk containers
[ x ] Other. Please list: Used frying oil is sold to KCI Restaurant Services d/b/a Kruger Commodities for .07 per lb. Egg cartons are also recycled.
34) Are recycling receptacles located throughout dining locations?
[ ] No
[X ] Yes. Please describe: There are recycling receptacles for office paper, newspaper, aluminum cans, plastic, and cardboard.
35) What is the dining services' current waste-diversion rate (the percentage of recyclable waste diverted from traditional disposal)?
[ %] We do not measure this at this time.
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: University Dining Services is part of University Housing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL).
[ ] 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: Pam Edwards, Assistant Director – University Dining Services is part of the Local Foods Network Committee at UNL, Housing Recycling Committee, and working with ASUN student on a sustainability survey for University Housing.
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