By Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, HAAC, MBA

The culinary and hospitality industries are very much like the fashion world. Things are constantly in flux with new trends coming into vogue, redefining our tastes and replacing our previous notions of cool.

In the world of hospitality and culinary education, trends are critically important because they point to the future. It is our responsibility to prepare our students for their futures in this industry. At the same time, not all trends are created equal. Some trends impact our profession only slightly. Others are only regionally significant. There is a much smaller category of megatrends that will have longevity, great impact and global importance.

Sustainability is one such trend. To ignore it is simply folly. The reason is simple: The underlying forces that threaten our planet are not improving. In fact, much data points to a set of growing problems that will make life more challenging for future generations. Population growth is accelerating to a predicted 9 billion people by 2050 according to the U.N.

At the same time, people worldwide are consuming more and more food and water, leading to gross global inequities.  According to UN-water, food production will need to increase 70% to accommodate population growth and increased consumption. They also predict that average per capita meat consumption by 2030 will rise to 52 kg from 37 kg in 1999/2001.  Mega cities are stretching distribution systems and producing huge volumes of waste. Add to the mix the troubling issues of climate change, acidification of the oceans, availability of clean water and rising seas.

This is a global problem that will impact our entire species and will require global solutions. As Julian Cribb, author of the pivotal 2011 book, The Coming Famine: The Global Food Crisis and What We Can Do to Avoid It, writes, “Solving this crisis is the greatest challenge faced by humanity in the last 10,000 years.”

While we all have a responsibility to create sustainable solutions, we in the culinary and hospitality industries have a unique obligation. Our businesses consume vast amounts of food, energy and water. We produce large amounts of waste. This is compounded by the simple fact that the global industry is very large and growing (25 million new jobs will be created in the hospitality sector by 2023).

By changing our industry, we can make a significant global impact. In addition, by being leaders in our communities, we can influence the actions of all citizens.  Just look at the public role that celebrity chefs are playing around the world.

While making sustainably minded decisions is the “right” thing to do, it is also the right business decision to take. Often this gets lost in the sustainability discussion. We all have to be economically sustainable, as well. Many studies point to the importance of acting sustainably as a best business practice. Our customers are increasingly aware of sustainability issues, whether in a hotel, conference center or restaurant. There is no shame in pursuing sustainability as standard operating procedure and letting the world know.

Food is a complex topic. There are many considerations with food purchases, including how animals were raised, where and how produce was grown, how much energy was used in food production and transportation, and how much damage was done to ecosystems, etc. Because we are all busy professionals, it is critical to find experts in our communities to help guide our decision making and educate us in the process. At Kendall College, this is exactly the path that we have pursued now for 11 years.

Armed with this content, purchasers can make good decisions that please the guest, support sustainability and contribute to the business. One additional food consideration is limiting food waste through strong internal systems and proper portion sizes (especially of input-intense animal proteins). While this might seem countercultural, it is important to educate the consumer, which can, in turn, become a point of differentiation.

Learning to act sustainably requires a mindset change. Long-term thinking must replace short-term thinking. Buying more expensive energy/water-efficient equipment is often much more profitable over the operating life of the equipment. Similarly, switching to LED lighting saves money over time—not only via energy consumption, but with reduced maintenance costs, as bulbs require changing less frequently. Installing motion-sensor switches, low-flow aerators on dish sprayers, hand-washing sinks and showers, and air-conditioning switches in hotel rooms that cut off when windows or doors are open are all additional examples. We have negatively impacted earth through short term thinking. It is now time to change this.

Changing work habits is still another way to be more sustainable without additional costs. Teaching kitchen workers to use water and energy wisely and only when needed, producing only adequate amounts of food, and sorting trash properly are all education and supervision. Teaching employees to follow power-up and power-down schedules is about education. Encouraging patrons to help with recycling and composting efforts is about education.

As we know in the world of education, sustainability is about education. Teaching why sustainability is so important now and why it will remain important well into the future leads to good decisions. Education is empowerment and key to a sustainable business.

Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, HAAC, MBA, is vice president of the School of Culinary Arts at Chicago-based Kendall College and vice president of Laureate Universities International Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts. Kendall College is the sponsor of the annual CAFÉ/Kendall College Green Award.