Cinnamon Lakeside leading the way in anti-food waste programmes
View(s):The Cinnamon Lakeside hotel, for over two years, has been conducting anti food waste programmes, encouraging staff to consume responsibly.
A notice in the Cinnamon Lakeside kitchen
By collecting and weighing wasted food at the employee cafeteria, the hotel has been able to educate associates on the collective impact of their actions, resulting in a 49 per cent reduction in food wastage from the financial years 2011-12 to 2012-13.
Extending this to the hotel’s guests, associates are trained to advise diners on sufficient quantities when taking orders. This initiative has resulted in a 54 per cent reduction of total waste generation per guest night during the same one year period, the hotel said.
At buffet meals, the hotel’s chefs are conscious to prepare smaller portions, replenishing dishes as they are consumed, resulting not just in a reduction of waste, but better presentation and fresher dishes for the diner.
“Although not evident outright, the indirect cost to the environment of food is disturbing. For instance, it is a little known fact that it takes about 1,000 litres of water to produce 1 litre of milk and about 16,000 litres goes into a cow’s food to make one hamburger. The resulting greenhouse gas emissions from the cows themselves, and throughout the food supply chain, all end up in vain when food is wasted,” the hotel said in a statement discussing its efforts to reduce food waste.
The hotel said it encourages guests, associates and the community to make informed decisions by purposefully selecting food that have less of an environmental impact, such as organic foods that do not use chemicals in the production process.
Cinnamon Lakeside said it has in place sustainable purchasing policies to reduce waste by managing incoming materials. They include favouring certified suppliers or suppliers following best environmental and social practices, purchasing environmentally-friendly supplies such as recycled or non-traditional paper, organic food and certified wood and purchasing food locally from within a 160 km radius with preference given to local products.
In addition to its existing initiatives, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo has organized an awareness programme on ‘Protecting the Environment for the Future Generations’ scheduled to take place on June 11. The programme will be facilitated by one of the world’s most renowned experts on the subject, Dr. Waruna Fernando who is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer by profession as well as a consultant on Environmental Management Systems. He is the recipient of the Worldwide Green Globe Distinction Award and served on the Advisory Panel of UNEP – depletion of ozone layer programme.
Fifty students each from five neighbouring schools will join 100 students from the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management at this programme.
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