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On-site industry sustaining its efforts to be eco-friendly

On-site industry sustaining its efforts to be eco-friendly

One thick thread weaving through the various on-site foodservice conferences this past year was sustainability. Operators are hungry for information and case studies that will help them understand more about how to incorporate sustainable practices into their dining units. As they learn more, the matrix of sourcing, cost, return on investment, good will and the assessing of eco-friendly impact becomes more complex. I’m pleased to report that the challenges and obstacles aren’t dampening the interest and enthusiasm to pioneer new territory. Neither are the naysayers who contend that relatively small efforts such as farm-to-table programs will do nothing to solve the enormous threats to planet survival like global warming and pollution.

Following are a few of the many initiatives receiving attention.

At Stanford University, dining services was recognized with the coveted Acterra Award for Sustainability. Acterra, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based nonprofit group, gives the award to Bay Area businesses with holistic sustainability approaches and practices.

Norm Ploss, lead judge for the sustainability category, said, “The Stanford Dining program…examined and altered every aspect of dining service delivery.”

Stanford Dining, under the direction of Rafi Taherian and Shirley Everett, is in good company. Past winners include Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Roche-Palo Alto and Sun Microsystems.

The achievements of Kaiser Permanente, which claims to be the nation’s largest nonprofit health care system, were reviewed during a Web-based seminar hosted by the American Society of Healthcare Foodservice Administrators, or ASHFSA. Kaiser has developed a comprehensive food policy that promotes individual and environmental health, including the adoption of minimum standards for its Healthy Picks food and beverage programs. In its vision statement, Kaiser said it “will promote agricultural practices that are ecologically sound, economically viable and socially responsible by the way we purchase food.” In practice, this translates into Kaiser Permanente-sponsored farm stands and farmers markets and a commitment to work with food suppliers “to reduce negative environmental impacts by decreasing the distance food travels from farm to plate.”

Kaiser Permanente also is piloting a program of purchasing locally grown produce for patient meals. If successful, this program will be incorporated into routine purchasing practices. At Good Shepherd Health Care System in Hermiston, Ore., for example, the department uses rBGH-free milk and hormone- and antibiotic-free meat.

Parkhurst Dining Services, based in Pittsburgh, is working with community-supported agriculture, or CSA, growers to bring local products to its business-dining customers. This is in addition to its relationships with local producers in the markets it serves through its FarmSource program. In June, CSA farmers sold fresh produce to employees at one of Parkhurst’s clients, Dick’s Sporting Goods in Pittsburgh. Parkhurst executive chef Bill Whitfield conducted a cooking class using the food from one of the CSA growers for Dick’s employees.

Schools also are committed to eco-friendly programs. According to the Farm to School website, there are more than 1,100 farm-to-school programs in 32 states. Nearly 1,917 school districts are involved.

In Alexandria, Va., a rooftop garden over the cafeteria at T.C. Williams High School helps reduce the amount of heat the building absorbs. Skylights let in more light from the sun. The school has applied for Leadership in Energy and Environment Design, or LEED, certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in Washington, D.C. If it is accepted, it will join 60 schools nationwide that have obtained council certification.

The School Nutrition Foundation of the School Nutrition Association, or SNA, recently published “Recycling and Waste Management Practices in School Nutrition Programs,” a report prepared in conjunction with the National Dairy Council. The information gained from this project will help SNA develop educational programs and articles on this subject.

As we take baby steps to insure that the environment will continue to sustain humankind, the words of motivational author Robert Collier seem appropriate: “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”

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