Beckman currently uses reusable trays, plates, and glasses in their cafe. They currently have a dishwasher onsite and will have a larger one in the new project (U22005 Beckman Café Renovation). They also have a stack of plastic and Styrofoam containers on the line as people move through the food ordering line, so improvements could be made here to nudge people towards the reusable options.
From: Holding, Justin Kenneth <jholdi2@illinois.edu>
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2023 2:50 PM
To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>; Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; Palella, Nikki <palella3@illinois.edu>; Keating, Claire Elizabeth <cek6@illinois.edu>
Subject: Re: Hendricks House and SAAC
Hey all,
The meeting with Jonathan went great and he is super open to new ideas.
Based on my previous meeting and Student-Athlete's feedback, Jonathan decided to buy these reusable containers: https://gfsstore.com/products/310397/ & https://gfsstore.com/products/310378/ (not sure if the oz sizes are exactly the same).
He said he had enough budget to buy 500 of each to give to every student-athlete. He has already seen a decline in the styrofoam containers. But deli containers (for things like cereal, yogurt, soup, and small snacks), plastic bags (sometimes), and plastic silverware are still being used. The reusable containers did feel flimsy - especially compared to the Good2Go ones - but they are much cheaper. So I would be worried about durability and scratching/damage if real silverware is used.
Daphne was able to join and got some good insight into the entire process. Hendrick House acts as the caterer and does not maintain the space so they don’t have a lot of control over the trash. But for the kitchen, they still put everything in the dumpster (including cardboard). So we have some room for improvement there.
Overall - I think we should help set up communication between Varsity and SAAC (or just students in general) to make sure this program can continue for years to come. I think a follow up with Colin and pushing for a sustainability position in SAAC is the best next step. I’ll give Colin a few days to respond to Daphne’s email but I’ll try to set something up again.
If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.
Best,
Justin
On Apr 7, 2023, at 5:23 PM, Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu> wrote:
Wow, this is amazing!! Please count me in for the 4/10 meeting at Varsity Room - happy to join you and continue this great momentum.
Thank you,
Daphne
From: Holding, Justin Kenneth <jholdi2@illinois.edu>
Sent: Friday, April 7, 2023 4:47 PM
To: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; Palella, Nikki <palella3@illinois.edu>; Keating, Claire Elizabeth <cek6@illinois.edu>; Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
Subject: Re: Hendricks House and SAAC
Hi everyone,
I received this message from Jonathon last week:
"Justin, thank you for your patience regarding this project. I am happy to announce that beginning on Monday, April 3rd Varsity Room Dining will be offering free, reusable, eco-friendly containers to any student-athlete that requests a set. A set of containers will consist of (1) 38-ounce rectangular container and (1) 48-ounce circular container.
Additional individual containers and/or sets may be purchased by student-athletes if they would like.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like to meet again to continue our previous discussions.”
This email came as a surprise as I had not received a response to my emails sent earlier this semester. I am planning to visit the Varsity Room this Monday, 4/10, at 12:45 PM to chat with Jonathon about the program. A friend sent me the information they have received (attached) and told me they weren't exactly sure how the program worked. I’m hoping we can bring together our knowledge and resources to create a stable, successful program.
You all are more than welcome to join, otherwise I’ll send my notes and recommendations after. Additionally, I think another meeting with Colin, Jonathon, and everyone else will be important before the semester is over.
Best,
Justin
<IMG_0476.jpeg><Screenshot 2023-04-03 at 5.48.56 PM.jpg>
On Feb 15, 2023, at 8:48 AM, Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu> wrote:
Thanks, Justin. If you are talking with Jonathon, could you also mention food waste and Grind2Energy? It would be great to recruit the Varsity Room/Hendrick House into the program.
Jen
From: Holding, Justin Kenneth <jholdi2@illinois.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2023 6:58 PM
To: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>
Cc: Palella, Nikki <palella3@illinois.edu>; Keating, Claire Elizabeth <cek6@illinois.edu>; Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
Subject: Re: Hendricks House and SAAC
Hi Jen,
Thanks for the information!
I haven’t heard from Colin since our last meeting - I’ll reach out to him. I’ll also contact Jonathon Curtis, the chef at the Varsity Room, to talk about the prospect of reusbales.
I’ve actually spoke to multiple people at Hendrick House regarding sustainability. So, if we need a little push there, I know who to reach out to. Also, I know they have a good stock of reusable containers as well - I’ve borrowed them!
Best,
Justin
On Feb 14, 2023, at 5:21 PM, Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu> wrote:
Hi all,
Hope you are doing well.
I am writing to follow up about the prospect of establishing reusable container and Grind2Energy programs at Hendrick House. I met separately with Tim Knox and University Housing and Dining leadership over the past month. What I learned from Tim is that SAAC and student athletes have tremendous influence with Hendrick House and should request that Hendrick House implement these programs. University Housing and Dining does not have enough staff to wash additional containers or sort food waste for G2E, even if Hendrick House were to pay for these services. However, Housing seemed to think Hendrick House has the capacity (just not at the Varsity Room). Housing is willing to be a resource for Hendrick House by sharing information, answering questions, etc.
The next step is to convey this info to Colin and SAAC. Has anyone heard from Colin lately? If I recall correctly, he was going to ask SAAC members about whether they support these initiatives. Justin, if you want to ping him, that would be great. Any other ideas about how to keep this moving forward?
Thanks,
Jen
Jennifer Fraterrigo (she/her)
iSEE Associate Director for Campus Sustainability and
Professor of Landscape and Ecosystem Ecology
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
University of Illinois
W-423 Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
jmf@illinois.edu
ph 217-333-9428
Dr. Jeff Moore, Director of the Beckman Institute, responded to Morgan White, Associate Director for F&S for Sustainability, with the following email on 1/18/22:
"Thank you, Morgan and Jennifer. We'll discuss this at our next meeting. On first glance, it looks like a prudent practice to follow."
See iWG assessment and transmittal of ZW004 Reusable Dining Containers Program here.
See recommendation and submittal of ZW004 Reusable Dining Containers Program here.
For future updates, please refer to the Reusable Containers project
Arden Youn, Wei-Ting Yang, Alaa Eldemerdash, Jasmine Jacome, and Gil Perez, Gies College of Business graduate students, spent the semester reviewing the Good2Go Reusable Dining Container program. The PowerPoint is attached and the link to the recording of the final presentation is found below.
Below are the counts of meals logged in our POS systems as served in To Go boxes from the beginning of the semester thru Thursday, Sept. 30.
Breakfast To Go, Meals 349
Lunch-To Go, Meals 402
Dinner- To Go, Meals 143
Late Night To Go, Meals 2
Box - To Go, Meals 147
Total meals: 896
University Housing doubled the number of reusable containers this month from 10,000 to 20,000.
Previous Title: Reusable Dining Options
Previous Project Description: The Zero Waste SWATeam is interested in pursuing reusable service options for campus facilities which serve food at any capacity. This particularly applies to to-go options.
A to-go option using reusable containers will be implemented this fall in University Housing Dining at three locations: Lincoln Avenue Dining, Illinois Street Dining and Ikenberry Dining.
Previous Project Background:
As stated in the iCAP 2020,
"Objective #5.3 ensures that items used on campus-particularly at large events- are durable, repairable, and reusable, and that they contribute to our university-wide culture of reuse."
This project is aligned with the goals of cultivating a zero waste culture on campus. Food is an enormous portion of the human experience, and rather than eliminate it, the Zero Waste SWATeam hopes to shift the paradigm towards the sustainable future the University of Illinois is planning. By providing opportunities for students to utilize reusable containers and participate in a reusable dining program, it will not only yield measurable reductions of single-use items in the waste stream, but will also bring sustainability to the forefront of each participant.
From: Moore, Meredith Kaye
To: White, Morgan
Recipients: mbwhite at illinois.edu
Hi Morgan,
I think we should add a project page on the Portal for “Reusable To-Go Containers” under “Decrease Wasteful Practices Through Behavior Change”. Then, the “Bevier Café Reusable Carry-Out Program” project could go under the “Reusable To-Go Containers” page, and a new project can be made for “Dining Hall Reusable Carry-Out Program” along with the subsequent locations that implement similar programs. What do you think?
Thanks!
Meredith
On July 26, 2021, the Zero Waste iCAP Team met to discuss Reusable Dining Options. In this call, Thurman Etchison, Justin Holding, Meredith Moore, Alexa Smith, and Avery Maloto spoke about a reusable to-go container program that is scheduled to launch at the beginning of the Fall 2021 semester.
Key takeaways from the call include the purchase of 10,000 reusable containers that will soon be available at Ikenberry, ISR, and LAR dining halls.
See the attached file to read the meeting notes.
University Dining purchased 10,000 reusable containers for use this upcoming fall!
The iWG met on April 27, 2021, and discussed the iCAP Team recommendations: ZW002 Join NERC Government Recycling Demand Champions, ZW003 GreenerOffice Delivery Service Enrollment, ZW004 Reusable Dining Containers Program, LW002 Vet Med Parking Re-Design, and LW003 Certified Green Building Certification. See meeting minutes attached.
Meeting minutes for the Zero Waste SWATeam Meeting on 3/12 are attached. The agenda for the meeting is as follows:
The meeting which took place on 26 February at 4PM (CDT) discussed the following:
