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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: Tamara M Highsmith
Title: Dining Services Manager of Sales
Date survey submitted: July 22, 2009
1) Total annual food budget: [$5M ]
LOCALLY GROWN AND PRODUCED FOOD
Note: Geographic location and seasonal availability are taken into account in assessing your response. "Local" is defined as within 150 miles of your campus.
2) Do you have any formal policies pertaining to local purchases?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available: VCU requests all its vendors to purchase locally.
Questions 3-5 pertain to locally grown purchases.
3) From how many local farms or growers do you purchase (excluding on-campus farms/gardens)?
[ 1 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
All tofu and tempeh come from a local commune.
[ Variable# ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: Our primary supplier is Sysco. They have now started producing a report that tells us where they are sourcing their products. At the time of this report, we were receiving 80% of our products from Delaware, NC, VA, PA and MD.
In addition, we purchase from Produce Source, a partner with a solid commitment to local grown produce.
4) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was grown or raised locally?
[ ~$ 400,000 ]
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):
Produce is purchased from Produce Source Partners – a local source
Food is purchased from Sysco in Pocomoke, MD including: fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and fish, in season.
Questions 6-8 pertain to locally produced and/or processed items.
6) From how many local processors do you purchase?
[ 3 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ 1 ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: Food is purchased from Sysco in Pocomoke, MD (111 miles from Richmond, VA)
7) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was processed locally?
[ ~$400,000 ]
8) Please list items you purchase that are processed locally (e.g., bread, granola, ice cream, baked goods, yogurt, cheese):
All of our pastry products are made in-house
Tofu, tempeh and vegan sausage is purchased from Twin Oaks Community Foods
Bagels are purchased from NY Bagels, a local shop
Bread is purchased locally from Flowers Baking Company
Dairy comes from local Pet Dairy in Petersburg, VA
9) Do you purchase milk from a local dairy?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please provide name of dairy and location:
Dairy comes from local Pet Dairy in Petersburg
10) Do you source any food from an on-campus farm or garden?
[ X ] No VCU does not currently have a farm or garden
[ ] Yes. Please describe source and amount:
11) Do you participate in a farm-to-school program?
[ X ] No VCU does not currently have farm-to-school program or food production on campus – we are an urban campus.
[ ] 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?
[ X ] No. VCU operates the Cary Street Market & Deli. When this store opened in October 2008, it featured organic foods, local produce and sustainable meat products. After nine months with low sales and copious amounts of spoiled food, those organic and sustainable product lines were discontinued due to the lack of student demand.
[ ] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available:
13) Do you purchase organically grown or produced food?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please list items:
Naked juice products
The full retail Starbucks line including organic milk to-go
14) How much do you spend annually on organically grown or produced food?
[ $200,000 ]
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 VCU operates the Cary Street Market & Deli. When this store opened in October 2008, it featured organic foods, local produce and sustainable meat products. After nine months with low sales and copious amounts of spoiled food, those organic and sustainable product lines were discontinued due to the lack of student demand.
[ ] 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?
[ X ] No VCU operates the Cary Street Market & Deli. When this store opened in October 2008, it featured organic foods, local produce and sustainable meat products. After nine months with low sales and copious amounts of spoiled food, those organic and sustainable product lines were discontinued due to the lack of student demand.
[ ] 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?
[ X ] No VCU operates the Cary Street Market & Deli. When this store opened in October 2008, it featured organic foods, local produce and sustainable meat products. After nine months with low sales and copious amounts of spoiled food, those organic and sustainable product lines were discontinued due to the lack of student demand.
[ ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat:
[ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat:
18) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free dairy products?
[ X ] No VCU operates the Cary Street Market & Deli. When this store opened in October 2008, it featured organic foods, local produce and sustainable meat products. After nine months with low sales and copious amounts of spoiled food, those organic and sustainable product lines were discontinued due to the lack of student demand.
[ ] 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?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate. ARAMARK follows the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch guidelines
[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:
In the main student dining center, Market 810, there is a standing vegan section that serves daily breakfast, lunch and dinner. This selection includes a fresh salad bar with vegan proteins, as well as hot entrees using tofu or tempeh. The in-house pastry chef also regularly makes vegan desserts.
VCU Dining Services also offers gluten-free foods.
21) Please list and give percentages for any other sustainably produced food items you purchase that are not included above:
Our retail locations sell organic to-go products such as milk, apple juice and Naked juices, etc.
FAIR TRADE PRODUCTS
22) Do you purchase Fair Trade Certified coffee?
[ ] No
[ ] Some. Please describe:
[ X ] All Most campus locations are serving Starbucks coffee, which is Fair Trade Certified coffee. Others, such as Alpine Bagel Café, serve Larry’s Beans that is also Fair Trade Certified 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
25) If you offer disposables, please indicate materials used (check all that apply).
[ x ] Plastic or polystyrene
[ X ] Postconsumer recycled content – all napkins are compostable and 100% recycled
[ 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: All of our coffee locations offer a cash incentive for bringing your own cup.
27) Do your dining facilities use any polystyrene products (i.e., Styrofoam)?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe: Through a conscious effort we have reduced the Styrofoam products to just 4 out of 23 locations. Styrofoam is not used in the main dining center, Market 810, which accounts for 24% of our business.
We have eliminated Styrofoam except at locations that are brand specific.
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.
[ 32% ] Proportion of dining facilities that run preconsumer compost programs.
[ ] Annual tonnage of preconsumer compost.
Until the current pulper broke in October and was deemed unfit for repair, we pulped and were prepared to compost. In fact an agreement had been reached between VCU and the Virginia Department of Corrections to begin composting in October ’08. Due to retrofit and plumbing issues, installation of a new pulper cannot be completed until January 2010.
An agreement has been reached with the VA Department of Corrections to use VCU pulped material for composting. This is a ground breaking arrangement in that it enables us not only to compost our waste but it demonstrates the ability of state agencies to work together for the betterment of the environment.
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.
[ 32 % ] Proportion of dining facilities that run postconsumer compost programs.
[ X ] Annual tonnage of postconsumer compost.
Until the current pulper broke in October and was deemed unfit for repair, we pulped and were prepared to compost. In fact an agreement had been reached between VCU and the Virginia Department of Corrections to begin composting in October ’08. Due to retrofit and plumbing issues, installation of a new pulper cannot be completed until January 2010.
An agreement has been reached with the VA Department of Corrections to use VCU pulped material for composting. This is a ground breaking arrangement in that it enables us not only to compost our waste but it demonstrates the ability of state agencies to work together for the betterment of the environment.
Annual combined pulped weight for composting is about 50,000 pounds (25 tons).
30) Do your dining facilities donate excess food to a food bank, soup kitchen, or shelter, etc.?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe:
Several initiatives have led to Food Bank donations.
Once a semester, VCU Dining Services has a food waste awareness week. This past spring, simply through awareness VCU students reduced their food waste by 492 pounds. An in-kind donation of the same poundage was made to the Central Virginia Food Bank.
Also, for major shut-downs, ARAMARK sends food to the Central Virginia 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:
Market 810, the all-you-care-to-eat dining center began reducing the use of trays in the Spring of 2008 and was 50% trayless by Fall 2009 and 100% trayless by Spring 2009.
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):
Using batch food preparation and made-as-you-wait cooking methods, food waste has been greatly reduced.
All cooking oil is being donated for biodiesel production.
Market 810, the main dining center, uses a cycle menu. Food production and daily waste is recorded. This history is used to par the production on the next cycle, which greatly reduces waste.
In addition, VCU has created “Love Food Hate Waste” which is an educational campaign that creates awareness and reminders through displays at the point of meal service as well as on the dining tables.
Additionally, the main dining center is self-serve. In this way, students can create their own portions.
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) – VA does not currently offer plastic bag recycling
[ ] Other. Please list:
Cans are recycled at 100% of our units
Plastic is recycled at 100% of our units
Cardboard is recycled at 100% of our units
Fryer oil is being converted to bio-diesel fuel through a two-year contract with Greener Oil.
VCU’s main dining center does not use disposables. Recycling containers have been placed around campus.
34) Are recycling receptacles located throughout dining locations?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe:
All pre-consumer materials are composted. In addition recycling receptacles are placed in and near locations.
35) What is the dining services' current waste-diversion rate (the percentage of recyclable waste diverted from traditional disposal)?
[ ~95 % ]
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: ARAMARK Educational Services
[ ] 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: Dining is represented on:
VCU Year of the Environment
VA Green Steering Committee
VCU President’s Sustainability Council
Co-Chair of Waste, Food and Transportation Sub-Committee
Other Notes:
- VCU Dining Services participated in Earth Hour by reducing lights to emergency lighting and only essential lighting.
- Cary Street Market & Deli focuses on organic and vegan products, including beauty products such as Burts Bees.
- VCU Dining Services runs a student Food Waste Awareness campaign twice a year. Students are reminded to watch waste by taking only what they’ll consume. As an incentive, our food service provider makes a pound-for-pound in-kind food donation to the local Food Bank. This spring ARAMARK donated 492 pounds of food.
- Our most recent large scale event featured compostable flatware, plates and a biodegradable cup.
- Floor wax in dining centers is sustainable
- Floor scrubber uses ionically charged water to clean instead of chemicals.
- All napkins and straws are compostable
- Market 810 is certified through Virginia Green, a state sponsored program promoting sustainability.
- Dining Services led a Campus Wide Food Drive. Collectively, the VCU Community donated 22,000 pounds of food to the Central Virginia Food Bank in just three days!
- Dining brochure printed on FSC certified paper (print run of 25,000 brochures)
- All marketing materials use recycled content paper
- No paper towels in main dining center – use air dryers
- Restroom water taps have motion sensors, as well as being low-flow and were updated Spring 2009
- LED lighting and CFL
- Our new dining center will be LEED certified – opening late Fall 2009
- Use a 15-person passenger van for work-pooling to reduce single vehicle traffic
- Have reduced number of weekly distributor deliveries for environmental reasons
- Installed a solar powered trash compactor Spring 2009
- Highlight minority and SWAM businesses as Guest Restaurants in our main Dining Center
- Our preferred printer is a SWAM certified business
- We distributed 10,000 reusable grocery sacks to the patrons of Cary Street Market & Deli
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