| Sustainable Restaurant Seminar GOING GREEN SAVE$ |
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On Monday, November 28th, RAMW hosted the first gathering of government, “green” industry and restaurant representatives to discuss the state of sustainability in restaurants the District of Columbia.
Lynne Breaux, President of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, welcomed the attendees and panelists to the seminar at the Hilton Garden Inn. Ms. Breaux introduced the panelists:
The comments and discussion ranged from energy conservation to recycling to composting to staff training, but, as Anca Novacovici stated, sustainability “has to fit your business model for viability.” As operators, Hollis Silverman of ThinkFoodGroup and John Snellgrove of Café Saint-Ex and Bar Pilar have found that the upfront costs of equipment upgrades and staff training and retraining are well worth the expense in savings realized by such practices as energy conservation but also, as Mr. Snellgrove pointed out, “customers want sustainability and green practices” so that “green” becomes an integral part of the restaurant product.
As the new director of a new agency, Ted Trabue of the DC Sustainable Energy Utility was encouraged by what restaurants are currently doing. For those restaurants that may consider the expense of energy efficient equipment too much of a “hurdle”, DCSEU has developed and is developing programs to help small businesses when replacing equipment.
Harriet Tregoning, as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Planning, stressed how important sustainability and green initiatives are to the Mayor’s vision for the future of the District of Columbia. There are over 200 LEED Certified green buildings in the District and more on the drawing board. Mayor Gray’s stated goal is to make the District the most sustainable city in the US. In furthering that goal, Ms. Tregoning suggested that energy efficiency, recycling, and local sourcing all benefit from a change in perception, such as looking at such green practices as recycling and green roof installations as resources rather than waste or added expenses. Recycling, including composting, can produce revenue and green roofs can be drafted into an “urban agriculture” program.
William Howland of the Department of Public Works seconded this shift of perception. Mr. Howland explained that when recycling began in the District it was an added expense shouldered entirely by his department. Now, however, the sale of recycled materials – cardboard, aluminum, plastics, etc. – contribute significantly to DPW’s budget. Mr. Howland said that they hope to be using fuels produced from recycled products in their truck fleet by next year.
Moderator Scott Pomeroy noted that legislation needs to keep up with changes in best practices such as supporting changes to accommodate joint compacting containers.
In closing, Lynne Breaux thanked the panelists and attendees for the lively and informative discussion, adding for the benefit of the public officials in particular that “incentivizing not penalizing” goes a long way to realizing the widest participation in green and sustainable practices. We have come so far in just a few years and our restaurant industry is fully committed “to being at the forefront of the sustainable best practices.” |
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