Sustainability issues are an important component of
running the campus' self-operated food service. UW-Stevens
Point staff,
faculty and students continually
work to bring local and organic food options to campus, as
well as eco-friendly purchasing. Below you will find
detailed information about UWSP's accomplishments so far.
*Basement
Brewhaus – The Basement Brewhaus, located in
the bottom level of the Dreyfus University Center, offers
socially responsible Stone Creek coffee, beer and a small
variety of snacks. As a part of its inviting atmosphere, the
Brewhaus contains all secondhand furnishings;
everything from lamps to sofas to board games was
purchased from rummage sales and thrift stores. Other
Brewhaus green initiatives include promotion of reusable
mugs and composting waste materials. The Brewhaus also sells
local
Point beer.
*CPS
Cafe - The goal of the CPS Cafe is to provide
homemade, healthful food from local, sustainable farms and
to manage production in an environmentally friendly manner.
It is located on the first floor of the College of
Professional Studies and is run by dietetics students.
*Food
for Thought Cafe
– The Food for Thought Cafe is
located in the Learning Resource Center. Its menu includes
quick grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, snacks, fresh fruit,
Pura Vida Coffee, ice cream, and more! FFTC features fresh
baked goods from the Debot Center bakery.
*Homegrown
Cafe – The HgC is conveniently located
in the DUC first floor concourse. In addition to serving
Pura Vida coffee, the cafe offers organic foods, sandwiches,
frozen soft serve yogurt, fruit smoothies, energy bars,
vegetarian and vegan food options and an assortment of
healthier beverage options. HgC also features baked goods
from Earthcrust Bakery located in the Stevens Point Co-op.
*Campus
Garden - The UWSP campus garden was
created in the spring of 2006 by the Sustainable Agriculture
in Communities Society (SACS). The garden, located on
Franklin Street across from the Fire Station, is maintained
by SACS members and is currently in its
fourth growing season. SACS utilizes the garden to
host workshops on various topics such as canning and
composting. The garden is also used as an outdoor classroom
to teach students about organic farming principles and
alternative farming techniques, such as greenhouse season
extension and vermicomposting. The garden’s produce is for
sale and is also used for events such as the SACS harvest
dinner. Vegetables grown include turnips, kale, Swiss chard,
onions, peppers, and carrots. For more information on the
campus garden, contact an officer of the
SACS organization.
*Fair
Trade – Fair Trade coffee can be found
in the CPS Cafe
and all University Dining Services (UDS) locations. UDS has
chosen
Pura
Vida coffee as the official brand
used in all its locations. Pura Vida is triple certified-
fair trade, organic and shade grown. The Basement
Brewhaus sells
Stone Creek coffee, which is similar to Fair Trade, but
labeled “socially responsible.” Besides being organic and
shade grown, which is good for the eco-system, the processes
under which the coffee is produced are eco-friendly. Fair
Trade coffee is not only ecologically smart, but socially,
economically, and ethically as well. The Fair Trade seal
certifies that the conditions under which the coffee was
produced and distributed were fair, such as labor, trade,
and pricing.
*University
Dining Services
(UDS)– University Dining Services
began operation in June 2009 and is a student driven
organization that responds to the progressive dining needs
of the University community. UDS has implemented a number of
sustainability initiatives under the umbrella of the
UDS Roundtable. UDS uses a comprehensive market basket
approach by purchasing a majority of our food from our Prime
Vendor that helps limit our carbon footprint by
concentrating purchases and deliveries to a limited number
of local companies. This includes Reinhart Foods, Kemps
Dairy and Lofreddo Produce. The Prime Vendor contract
stipulates that at least 10 percent of purchases are from
Wisconsin based companies and our hope is to far exceed this
requirement. We also support local businesses, such as
Earthcrust Bakery in the Stevens Point Co-op,
MADA and GEM uniforms.
UDS recycles all plastic containers, tin cans, glass and
cardboard as well as follows strict composting practices
whenever possible. Cooking oil is filtered into large tanks
and is later used in various recycling efforts, including
biodiesel. Facilities utilize energy saving light bulbs,
low-flow water adaptors, motion sensor lights and Energy
Star rated appliances in the DUC. Equipment firing and
shutdown schedules will help to reduce utility consumption.
We utilize fully-compostable wares for grab
& go containers, beverage glasses
and cups, as well as use 100% recycled napkins. We offer
reusable hot beverage containers made of recycled materials
that contain no BPA and stainless steel cold beverage
containers for sale at wholesale cost to the University
community. We have eliminated bottled
water,
with the exception of flavored
waters, from all outlets.
We are removing all personal size creamers, plastic
straws, and seeking to remove other unsustainable practices
from all food operations. Waste audits will be conducted on
a semester basis and results will be measured against
benchmarks. We are also going “tray free” on weekends to
help reduce food waste, water and chemical use, and reduce
utility consumption. We are developing client specific
catering menus based on seasonality and local availability
of ingredients. We are continually assessing our ability to
incorporate free-range chicken, cage-free eggs, organics and
utilization of Monterey Bay Seafood WATCH seafood into the
food program.
UDS will also utilize approaches like the “Take what you
want, but eat what you take” programs, online feedback to
eliminate paper comment cards, a Director’s Blog for ongoing
discussion, and a well-structured student employment program
that enables students to gain practical life skills and
monitor the food program from the inside.
Future Plans include: purchase of biodiesel vehicles
for on-campus deliveries; department owned bicycles for
staff use; installation of a new, state of the art dish
machine and pulper system for DeBot in summer of 2010;
review of other systems, such as Melink that regulate
kitchen hood systems based on operational needs;
consideration of going tray-free
seven days per week; and incorporating events like “Local
Foods Week” that would feature farmers, guest speakers and
special menus.
