Green Tomato: Keeping America’s Parks Pristine
04 October 2013
Through the company’s Green Thread® program, concessioner ARAMARK works to reduce its environmental footprint by developing and implementing long-term environmental stewardship programs and policies for its state- and national-park accounts, diverting nearly 3 million pounds of waste from landfills.
Each year, millions of people flock to America’s national parks, forests and state parks to enjoy our pristine natural resources. Keeping these visitors fed, sheltered and comfortable is a monumental task that normally results in the use of vast amounts of resources and leads to thousands of tons of waste.
ARAMARK Parks and Destinations, a leading concessioner of national and state parks and forests and cultural attractions, has taken the issue of waste head on and diverted nearly 3 million pounds of waste through recycling and composting over the past three years.
Through the company’s Green Thread® program, Philadelphia-based ARAMARK works to reduce its environmental footprint by developing and implementing longterm environmental stewardship programs and policies within the areas of food purchasing, supply chain, building operations, energy and water conservation, transportation and waste management.
“Preserving our natural spaces for future generations is a top priority for us,” says Allison Gosselin, director of environmental sustainability, ARAMARK Parks and Destinations. “Through our on-the-ground environmental stewards, partners and help from guests, we’ve been able to keep 2.8 million pounds of waste from reaching landfills since 2010.”
ARAMARK Parks and Destinations has doubled its landfill diversion rate from 2010. More than half of all foodservice waste is compostable, and 10 ARAMARK Parks and Destinations locations participate in composting programs that recycle this organic waste into nutrition-rich soil that can then be used to grow new plants. Part of the program’s success is finding unique solutions that address different needs in different areas.
At Lake Crescent Lodge in Washington’s Olympic National Park, kitchen staff noticed increased bottled-beer sales were leading to more glass waste. Working with local breweries, the lodge switched to taps, eliminating 4,000 pounds of glass waste in 2012 while providing a superior product to guests.
In Alaska’s Denali National Park, more than 100,000 people take bus tours each year—each person requiring food and water for the four 12-hour trips. By replacing takeout containers with containers that can be recycled, ARAMARK was able to drastically increase its diversion rate. This summer, the company began encouraging reusable water bottles in lieu of bottled water to further reduce its waste.
In some locations, programs had to be invented where they didn't exist. A few years ago, ARAMARK Parks and Destinations started the first recycling program in Page, Arizona. The program recycled waste from visitors to Lake Powell and residents of the surrounding community. With the program, ARAMARK diverted more than a million pounds of recyclables last year—a 26% increase from 2011. As a result of the success of this program, the city of Page has introduced its own program.
At Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds in Northern California, ARAMARK began a composting coalition for the community. The neighboring towns of Monterey and Pacific Grove now have composting available for all restaurants as a result. Asilomar Conference Grounds routes more than 60% of its waste through the coalition’s composting and recycling program.
Beyond increasing diversion rates, ARAMARK is most interested in reducing waste all together. Through better ordering and smarter use of products, the company has been able to reduce food waste by 55% at Asilomar Conference Grounds. In the coming months, ARAMARK Parks and Destinations will be extending Asilomar’s method of waste production across all of its properties, with the goal of reducing food waste by 55% companywide by October 2013. (ARAMARK uses industry-leading software to track waste reduction and recycling in its operations. All savings are approximate and estimated on the best information available.)