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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 Casida
Title: General Manager of Dining Services Wichita State University
Date survey submitted: 07/01/2009
1) Total annual food budget: [$ 1.6 Million ]
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: We use local growers and providers of services within the state of Kansas as well as within 150 miles of campus. We have exceptional food safety practices and policies in place which some local growers are unable to enforce or meet our requirements. Generally speaking we currently utilize local growers through a primary distributor to supply seasonal fruits and vegetables when possible.
Questions 3-5 pertain to locally grown purchases.
3) From how many local farms or growers do you purchase (excluding on-campus farms/gardens)?
[ # 0 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # 3-5 ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: Sysco Foods out of Kansas City, Ks
4) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was grown or raised locally?
[$ unknown ]
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):
Questions 6-8 pertain to locally produced and/or processed items.
6) From how many local processors do you purchase?
[ # ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor:
7) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was processed locally?
[$ ]
8) Please list items you purchase that are processed locally (e.g., bread, granola, ice cream, baked goods, yogurt, cheese):
9) Do you purchase milk from a local dairy?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please provide name of dairy and location: Highland dairy, Wichita, ks
10) Do you source any food from an on-campus farm or garden?
[x ] No – only available as a donation at this time, small scale operation
[ ] Yes. Please describe source and amount:
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?
[ x ] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available:
13) Do you purchase organically grown or produced food?
[ x ] No
[ ] Yes. Please list items:
14) How much do you spend annually on organically grown or produced food?
[$ ]
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
[ ] 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?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product: Beef, amount unknown.
[ %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product:
17) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free meat?
[ x ] No
[ ] 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
[ ] 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.
[ %] 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?
[ x ] No
[ ] Yes. Please specify number of options and the frequency with which they are offered:
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
[ ] 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?
[x ] Currently No , however we are in the process of setting up a demonstration to see if our students would support this initative in using washable to-go containers.
[ ] Yes. Please describe:
27) Do your dining facilities use any polystyrene products (i.e., Styrofoam)?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe: Chick Fil A
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: not often, however we utilize extra hot and cold food prepared but not served for banquets, this is collected and frozen and then picked up by an area 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: Started in fall of 2004, very successful, students enjoyed being able to enjoy freshly prepared food and then get back to a counter and make a fresh order compared to gathering excess food at one interval and wasting more than 10 – 15% daily.
Generally speaking we reduced our waste by more than 1 full trash 44 gallon trash can daily.
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 been recycling our used cooking oil on campus for approximately the past two and a half years with a local company for bio diesel production. Some of the campus organizations have utilized this fuel source for their vehicles.
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)
[ ] Plastics (some)
[ ] Other. Please list:
34) Are recycling receptacles located throughout dining locations?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe: wood boxes built by the University several years ago.
35) What is the dining services' current waste-diversion rate (the percentage of recyclable waste diverted from traditional disposal)?
[ Unknown %]
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 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: General Manager - The Wichita Green Group – Active participant and supporter.
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