proposed sustainability initiatives · explore sourcing changes that could be made to target items...
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PROPOSED SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES For OSU University Housing and Dining
“…implementing a sustainable food system is not only viable financially but potentially can save [the university] money and build their international profile.”
University of Canterbury, 2011
Why?
“[Sustainability is] an opportunity for recruitment. It signals to the potential student that this is an organization that gets it.”
Rick Fedrizzi, President of the Green Building Council
This proposal
1. Chef-led menu changes
2. Dining hall service changes
3. Integration of sustainability into UHDS core
4. Campus-wide education and awareness
5. Additional sustainability pilot projects
• Increase locality • Preparation changes
• Sourcing changes • Product bans
1. Chef-led menu changes
Preparation changes Sourcing changes Product bans
Increase locality
Create a shortlist of seasonal swap out options
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Select a handful of items you’re buying and have a local farmer/ distributor identify which are regionally available. Pick a few items to replace with local while they are in season.
� As you expand your local sourcing
program, adjust dishes to incorporate more seasonality and explore more unique local varieties.
WHY:
• Cuts transport emissions
• Supports local producers
• Increases freshness
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Harvard • Brown • Yale • Cornell • UC Berkeley
Feature a special every month made with all local ingredients
Why:
Who is doing this:
WHY:
• Promote healthy, local eating
• Increase awareness
• Support local producers
WHO IS DOING THIS: • UC Davis • University of
Michigan
Highlight one component of the menu to feature local product
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Example: Seasonal Salad Bar, Local Fruit Bar, Sustainable Burrito Bar, or Local Lunch of the Week
WHY:
• Promote healthy, local eating
• Increase awareness
• Support local producers
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• UC Berkeley • UC Davis
Increase locality
Sourcing changes Product bans
Preparation changes
Can/freeze local items for winter
Why:
Who is doing this:
WHY:
• Promotes healthy, local eating
• Supports local farmers
• Cuts transport emissions
WHO IS DOING THIS: • Yale • UC Davis • Bates College
Increase from-scratch cooking
Why:
Who is doing this:
WHY:
• Increases quality and taste
• Increases locality, reduces emission impacts
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Yale • UC Davis • Elon University
Reduce portion sizes, increase value through flavor
Why:
Who is doing this:
WHY:
• Encourages healthy portion sizes
• Frees resources for use elsewhere (e.g. procurement)
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Johns Hopkins • Emory
Decrease variety
Why:
Who is doing this:
� “…a lot of people think that students want a lot of variety. I have found that whenever students are asking for more variety, it’s because their needs aren’t met. If what you have is good enough, then you don’t need as much variety”
(2013 Oct 4, Interview with Yale)
Anderson 2014
WHY:
• Frees resources for use elsewhere (e.g. procurement)
• Focuses on providing healthy and sustainable food
WHO IS DOING THIS: • Emory • Yale
Design a few meals that use less of an expensive product (e.g. meat)
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Highlight other ingredients, use less well known cuts
� Incorporate more vegetables into meat products � Mushroom-blend hamburgers, lasagna, meatloaf,
meatballs, etc.
WHY:
• Frees resources to be used in other ways (e.g. procurement)
• Promotes nutrition and sustainability
WHO IS DOING THIS: • Yale • Johns Hopkins • Emory
Emphasize Meatless Mondays
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Make the standard option meatless so students have to request or change the order to have meat
WHY:
• Prioritizes healthy and sustainable meal choices
• Increases issue and nutrition awareness
WHO IS DOING THIS: • Johns Hopkins • UC Davis
Increase locality Preparation changes
Product bans
Sourcing changes
Save money with generic brands & on-site production
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Switch to non-name-brand for items like cereal and soda
� Increase on-site production of baked goods and other items
WHY:
• Frees resources for use in other ways (e.g. local procurement)
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Pomona • Virginia
Commonwealth University
• Elon University
Explore sourcing changes that could be made to target items
Why:
Who is doing this:
� For example: � Begin sourcing 100% Fair Trade coffee,
chocolate, tea, rice, bananas, dried fruit, etc.
� Switch to organic and/or cage-free eggs � Implement these changes immediately
WHY:
• Prioritizes fair and sustainable food for campus community
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Brown University
• Tufts University • Michigan State • UC Davis
Source only sustainable seafood
Why:
Who is doing this:
WHY:
• Protects fisheries for future generations
WHO IS DOING THIS: • Columbia
University • Colby • UC Davis
Increase locality Preparation changes Sourcing changes
Product bans
Implement a complete trans fat ban
Why:
Who is doing this:
� This includes hydrogenated oils and vegetable shortening
� Replace these items immediately
WHY:
• Ensures safer and healthier food for campus community
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Pomona • Harvard
Identify a group of the most dangerous additives and ban them
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Begin replacing items immediately
WHY:
• Ensures safer and healthier food for campus community
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Pomona
2. Dining hall service changes
Trayless dining
WHY:
• Conserve water • Cut food waste • Soften ambience • Save money WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Skidmore • Princeton • UC Santa Cruz • Virginia
Polytechnic Institute
• Boston Univ
� Remove trays in all dining halls, use plates only
� UC Davis – reduced food waste by 30% � UC Santa Cruz – reduced food waste by 18
tons a year; saved 1.3 million liters of water annually
� Rochester Institute of Technology – saved 10% on food spending
Set pre/post consumer waste reduction goals
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Set goals and then monitor progress � Imitate systems like LeanPath to
incorporate good practices
WHY:
• Frees resources to be used where more are needed (e.g. procurement)
WHO IS DOING THIS: • Yale • Linfield • Concordia • UC Davis • Gonzaga
Host an awareness campaign for post consumer waste
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Then continue the awareness movement with tray audits twice a year
WHY: • Increases
student awareness and accountability
• Reduces waste • Increases cost
savings WHO IS DOING THIS: • Harvard • UC Davis • Virginia
Commonwealth University
Find energy and water savings
Why:
Who is doing this:
� New gaskets on all refrigerators to minimize energy use; other retrofits
� Lights, AC, and heat turned off whenever possible
� Water saving dishwasher, faucets, and toilets
� To date, Harvard’s kitchen upgrades have
recorded a simple payback of 3.7 years and 28% average return on investment.
WHY:
• Frees resources to be used for where more are needed (e.g. local purchasing)
WHO IS DOING THIS: • Yale • Swarthmore
College • Harvard • Boston Univ
Bring all UHDS employees on board
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Have a meeting with all behind-the-scenes dining services workers to ask for input, advice, cooperation, and questions
WHY:
• Demonstrates inclusion and openness in food matters
• Stimulates diverse and experience-rooted ideas
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Northern Arizona University
Look for ways to donate leftover food
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Donate leftover meals from dining or catering activities to area shelters
WHY:
• Reduces impact and costs associated with waste
• Benefits others in the community
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Harvard • UC Davis
Print all UHDS material on recycled paper
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Use 100% recycled Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper for all printed material
WHY:
• Demonstrates commitment and leadership in recycling efforts
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Harvard • Bucknell
University
3. Integration of sustainability in UHDS core
Create a new university or student position for dining sustainability
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Responsibilities for this position can include: � Researching and recruiting local suppliers � Planning outreach and awareness
campaigns � Being the liaison between UHDS and SSI
or other sustainability groups � Moving forward with sustainability
initiatives
WHY:
• Increases effectiveness and impact of programs and operation
• Demonstrates commitment to sustainability
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• UC Davis • Cornell Univ • Bucknell Univ
Create a sustainability working group
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Bring together key stakeholders for interaction and monitoring of dining sustainability
� This group should include: � General manager of dining services � Head managers of each dining hall � Executive chef(s) � Director of sustainability for university � Professors with food and agriculture-related
knowledge � Student representatives with proved dedication to
food issues
WHY:
• Demonstrates commitment to nutrition and sustainability
• Involves campus community
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Emory • Harvard • Yale • Johns Hopkins
Create short and long term goals for UHDS
� Leading universities have goals for 35-70% sustainable food � Emery & Princeton have goals of 70% � Princeton currently is sourcing 65%
sustainable food
WHY:
• Increases effectiveness of sustainability projects
• Increases project trackability
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Duke • Harvard • U of Chicago
Write a sustainable food purchasing policy for OSU
WHY:
• Demonstrates commitment to nutrition and sustainability
• Gives accountability
WHO IS DOING THIS: • Duke • Johns Hopkins • Yale • UC Davis
� Write requirements into the school’s contract with suppliers and also into the school’s sustainability action plan.
� As vendor contracts come up for renewal, make sustainability a high priority; remove vendors who don’t comply.
Make a commitment to real food
WHY: • Uses
purchasing power to support a healthy food system and environment
WHO IS DOING THIS: • UC Santa Cruz • U of Montana • Johns Hopkins • Gonzaga
� Sign the Real Food Campus Commitment and agree to buy at least 20% real food annually by 2020 � ‘Real food’ refers to food that is local, fair,
humanely produced, or ecologically-sound
Begin creating and publishing annual dining sustainability reports
Why:
Who is doing this:
� Include current projects and progress � Include the real food status of the year
and changes from the previous year
WHY: • Increases
nutrition & sustainability awareness
• Gives framework for improvement & accountability
WHO IS DOING THIS: • UC Davis • Harvard • Boston Univ
4. Campus-wide education & awareness
Implement a new labeling system at dining halls and campus cafes
WHY:
• Allows consumers to make more informed choices
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Yale • Harvard • UC Davis
� Highlight ‘greener’ foods – real food, local, fair, sustainable, nutrient-dense, etc. Choose what UHDS wants to highlight and add to menus.
Improve educational posters that highlight food waste & where it goes
WHY: • Improves
awareness • Reduces food
waste • Reduces
disposal costs
WHO IS DOING THIS: • UC Davis • Virginia
Commonwealth University
Research how well students are aware of food sustainability issues
WHY:
• Know what to target educational campaigns on
• Improves sustainability awareness
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Harvard
� Survey students to understand how well students are aware of and understand food sustainability issues � E.g. GMO, carbon emissions, land use
Plan a food systems and food justice colloquia
WHY:
• Increases awareness
• Involves campus community at multiple levels
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Duke University
• New York University
� Identify professors that are interested in this and plan a colloquia class on food systems and food justice
� Center the class around a book such as Eating Animals or The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Utilize nutrition and health majors
WHY:
• Increases awareness and student input
• Involves campus community
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Johns Hopkins
• UC Davis
� Examples from honors theses or projects done at other universities: � A video series for cooking healthy and
sustainably. � A guide to healthy eating on campus. � A healthy eating blog with weekly posts
on topics of interest like stress eating, nutrition during finals, quick and inexpensive meals, etc.
Utilize business majors
WHY:
• Takes advantage of student talent to increase UHDS effectiveness
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Harvard • UC Davis • Duke
University
� Internships for students in culinary, purchasing, IT, and marketing
� Examples of work: � Creation of new database and marketing
system tied to menu cards � Update menu cards to show, at a glance, an item’s nutritional highlights
Utilize internal research collaboration
WHY:
• Get free and relevant research
• Research group can tackle real world issues that interest students
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Harvard • Babson College
� Use internal research to increase sustainable food without increasing cost
� Partner with research groups on campus to determine strategies � E.g. sustainable seafood strategy: research group
looked at seafood sources, purchases, operational challenges, then developed cost-neutral alternatives for the dining service
5. Additional sustainability pilot projects
Offer discounts to students who bring their own cups for hot beverages
WHY:
• Reduce cup use and disposal
• Increase issue awareness
WHO IS DOING THIS: • Bucknell
University • Elon
University
Plastic water bottle ban
WHY:
• Gives accountabil-ity
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• X
� Stop the sale of bottled water at a pilot café (and then university-wide)
� Instead offer filtered or flavored fountain water dispensed in compostable cups or reusable water bottles
� Equip every student with a reusable aluminum bottle
WHY:
• Reduce plastic bottle use and related landfilling
• Increase issue awareness
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Harvard • Brown • Princeton • Dartmouth
Make events zero waste
WHY:
• Gives accountabil-ity
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• X
� Work with catering to make all events zero waste: � Provide only serviceware that is reusable,
compostable, or recyclable � Have caterers work with event planners to
identify menus that incorporate bulk rather than individually packaged items to eliminate unnecessary packaging
WHY:
• Reduce waste and landfilling
• Increase issue awareness
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• UC Davis • Arizona State
University • University of
Michigan • Boston
University
Consider working with the student farm
WHY:
• Gives accountabil-ity
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• X
� Incorporate items as specials � Sell fresh fruit or vegetables as-is � Begin growing items for production
WHY:
• Increases sustainability of campus food
• Involves students as a learning tool
WHO IS DOING THIS:
• Arizona State University
• Yale • UC Davis
This proposal
1. Chef-led menu changes
2. Dining hall serving changes
3. Integration of sustainability into UHDS core
4. Campus-wide education and awareness
5. Additional sustainability pilot projects
DR. SARAH CUNNINGHAM Program Coordinator, Food in Culture and Social Justice [email protected] ANGIE STAPLETON Public Health & Food in Culture and Social Justice [email protected] JENNA WIEGAND .
Finance & Sustainability [email protected]
REAL FOOD CHALLENGE INTERNS