CDT Fall 2022 - 28

OUR PROCESS
We began by creating a copy of the template
containing each NACUFS assessment attribute
and reviewing the template as a team. Our
team was composed of the executive chef,
registered dietician, sustainability director, and a
sustainability student intern. Each team member
went through the attributes and answered
questions to the best of their ability. Once
complete, the template was reorganized so that
any unanswered items, as well as negatively
answered items, could be sorted as a priority. This
became our " working document " and allowed
us to organize our focus on these opportunities
moving forward. Sustainability interns from the
dining office have worked to identify the details
of each opportunity, laying the framework for our
department's future sustainability projects.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Throughout this journey using the NACUFS
assessment tool, we learned that we have a lot of
successes to celebrate and lots of opportunities
to reform. While Dining has done meaningful work
in terms of waste reduction efforts, composting,
local and sustainable food purchasing, plantbased
menuing, and ingredient transparency, the
assessment tool allowed us to identify numerous
opportunities in regard to social equity, animal
welfare and biodiversity. The resulting list of action
items and areas for growth have motivated us to
begin new sustainability initiatives that drive a more
ethical and inclusive environment.
Many of the opportunities that the NACUFS tool
revealed include implementing ways to monitor our
sustainability activity. For some sustainable practices
that the tool emphasizes, our school did not have a
method to track activity or progress. Benchmarking
current activity is vital to understanding how well
your operations reflect your values and goals.
One example is implementing a way to record
Photo courtesy of Michigan Dining
28 CAMPUS DINING TODAY | CELEBRATING ONE YEAR OF THE NACUFS COLLEGIATE FOODSERvICE SUSTAINABILITY GUIDE

CDT Fall 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CDT Fall 2022