October 16th marks World Food Day, this year’s theme is “Our Actions are Our Future”. Did you know, about 150,000 tons of food are thrown away by American households EVERY DAY! World Food Day strives to educate people about food waste and actions they can take to achieve a Zero Hunger World by 2030!
Recently I have been researching sustainability efforts by local hotels. I was happy to learn that the Fairmont Copley is participating in World Food Day as part of their sustainability efforts. Today a ‘Zero Waste’ meal will be offered in OAK Long Bar + Kitchen and on the room-service menu, limiting the amount of waste created today! The best part? 100% of sales from the ‘Zero Waste’ dish will be donated to Boston Rescue Mission. Tonight, after work swing by OAK for dinner and try the ‘Zero Waste’ meal!
Today The Fairmont Copley celebrates World Food Day, but they are striving to be more sustainable everyday. Hotels historically have been responsible for creating large amounts of waste, on average hotels create 2 pounds of waste per guest per night! To curb this The Fairmont Copley participates in the sustainability program Planet 21. Some of their on-going ‘eco-gestures’ include:
-Energy efficient lighting
-Le Labo bath products in guest rooms are paraben-free, cruelty-free, and use organic extracts. The biodegradable containers are made from recycled water and soft drink bottles.
-The hotel partners with BRITA Vivreau to supply reusable glass bottles for water service during all meetings hosted inside the hotel in an effort to reduce water wastage
– ~10,000 bees arrived to the hotel’s beehives in April and will be maintained by Best Bees to help with honey harvesting for various food and beverage offerings and to help pollinate the city. (This is the one I am most excited about!)
Having on-going programs like this help hotels limit the amount of waste the create and become more sustainable. The Fairmont Copley has been a part of the Boston community since 1912. Similarly my family has long roots in Boston, when my dad was in college he worked at the Fairmont Copley as a bellhop and a valet. I am happy to see them leading the way on sustainability. Happy World Food Day!