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by Jude Jussim
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
It seems like environmental sustainability for business has come out of nowhere to be the topic of the year. Fortune, Business Week, the New York Times, Time, Vanity Fair—all have had covers on sustainability. One magazine cover summed up the new zeitgeist succinctly: “Go Green—Get Rich.” What does sustainability have to do with restaurants and food-based businesses? The Chamber’s “Green Cuisine” event on June 14th addressed exactly that question. Our sponsor was Avive Technologies, makers of devices for both commercial and residential refrigeration that extend the shelf-life of food and reduce energy use. Jeffrey Bernstein, President and CEO of Trufoods Systems, Inc. and a member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, offered welcoming remarks. He noted that the restaurant and food service industry is the biggest U.S. employer after government, and a critical industry in efforts to increase environmental sustainability. The Most Energy Wasteful Industry Restaurants, it seems are energy hogs. According to the US Department of Energy, restaurants have the greatest fuel consumption per square foot among commercial activities—and the Food Service Technology Center says that the industry wastes more energy than any other industry in America. It is also among the highest generators of food waste and paper trash. Fortunately there are a tremendous number of ways to make restaurants more sustainable. Many steps are relatively easy and the payback is quick. Some will improve the bottom line. Our panel of four expert speakers, which I moderated, introduced some of the possibilities to an intensely interested audience. Hands-on “Greening” Help Michael Oshman, Executive Director of the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), introduced his non-profit organization. The Green Restaurant Association provides its members with hands-on assistance in becoming “certified green restaurants.” B.R. Guest, the first multi-concept restaurant group to be certified green, was in the audience, as was green-certified chain Le Pain Quotidien. A first line in increasing restaurant sustainability, according to Oshman, is waste reduction. A second is setting up a full scale recycling and composting program. He indicated that GRA’s “go-to-guys” for composting in New York City are Action Carting Environmental (a new Chamber member). Oshman noted that restaurants can save significantly on water and energy costs by using a small, inexpensive device called a low-flow spray valve in the dishwashing process. He discussed the use of compact fluorescent bulbs, and noted that one restaurant currently in development will be completely lit with the even more efficient (and mercury-free) LED (light emitting diode) lighting. The Wealth of (Green) Markets Louisa Shafia, of green caterer Lucid Foods Catering, said that client requests encouraged her to become more sustainable, and that her green focus helps in her marketing (she’s worked with companies like Lexus, and Saatchi and Saatchi). Shafia spoke about the glories of New York City’s green markets, where she buys both organic and locally sourced produce. (Local sourcing eliminates the use of huge amounts of fuel for food transport). Cleaning Healthy Anselm Doering, President and Founder, Ecologic Solutions, Inc. discussed green cleaning in the context of sustainability. He noted that the restaurant and food service industry looks for products that are highly effective, cost-competitive and non-hazardous—in that order. Sustainability, after all, must include financial viability. Ecologic Solutions is now providing non-toxic cleaning supplies to Disney World in Orlando, among many others. Perhaps they were motivated in part by the fact that several active ingredients in Lysol are known carcinogens. Take These Out Nicole Smith, Environmental Director, Design & Source, Inc. talked about exciting new materials for take-out supplies and packaging. These include items made from rapid renewables, such as bamboo and bagasse (a by-product of sugar-cane refining). There are also corn-based plastic items (made of polylactic acid, or PLA) that are compostable in some municipal systems. The usability of these has improved significantly in the past couple of years. Smith noted that incentive programs can be quite effective at waste reduction; one large chain has eliminated half a million tons of waste by offering customers a 10 cent discount for brining their own mug, and has save a half-million tons of waste. * * * * * The food service industry is starting to make changes and tools and resources for increasing restaurant sustainability are becoming easier to find. It’s time for New York City restaurants and food-based businesses to get on board the green train. Note: If you missed the event and would like to receive a copy of the resource packet distributed at the event, email Laura@manhattancc.org.
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