Do you think it’s possible for the hospitality industry to run optimally while lowering energy use, saving money and promoting “green” methods of operating? This is the second week of our IHS “Green Series” and we’re looking at how worms, veggies and recycling can have a positive impact on the hospitality world.

Organic herb and vegetable garden

Growing your own organic herb and vegetable garden is an excellent way to make sure menu ingredients are as fresh as possible. Hospitality properties can either create their own veggie gardens from scratch or buy ready-made garden boxes with their choice of seeds already germinated. Purchasing ready-made garden boxes means that the herb/veggie garden is already established.

Green and economic benefits

• Fresh herbs and vegetables for on-site restaurants
• Saves on food and food transport costs
• Ready-made garden boxes can be bird-and-monkey-proof and come with pre-installed irrigation

Worm farms (vermiculture)

Worm farms are fantastic for creating good quality compost (which can be used for your herb and veggie garden) and disposing of kitchen scraps.

Your worms will like:

• Vegetable peelings and scraps
• Most fruit peelings and scraps
• Egg shells
• Burnt toast
• Coffee grinds and tea leaves
• Paper
• Weeds

Don’t feed your worms:

• Citrus fruit
• Dairy products
• Meat and fish
• Grass cuttings
• Diseased plants
• Chillies
• Too much starch

Worm farms are fairly easy to maintain and have a number of benefits.

Green and economic benefits

• Worms turn kitchen scraps into “worm tea” which is a great liquid fertilizer. This saves on fertilizer costs and keeps waste out of landfill sites.
• Kitchen waste is recycled and in essence, re-used, saving energy and money.

Bokashi

Bokashi is a process of fermenting food waste and creating compost. The fermentation takes place in specially designed Bokashi buckets with the addition of “Bokashi bran”. Bokashi buckets complement worm farms as they ferment foods which worm farms do not: dairy products, fish and meat (with the exception of meat bones and seafood shells).

Green and economic benefits

• Bokashi is space-saving as the fermentation happens in the bucket
• No offensive smells
• Dairy, fish and meat can be fermented
• Easy and cost-effective to use and maintain
• Creates good compost within 2-4 weeks
• Keeps food waste out of landfills
• Saves on compost and waste transportation costs

Recycling

Recycling is so easy! To become a recycling champ, all you need to do is sort your waste into bins for paper, plastic, glass and tins. Depending whether you’re doing this on your hospitality property or at home, teach family/friends/workers to do the same. Imagine how much space you can save in a landfill by doing something so simple?

Recycling can be collected or dropped off at recycling depots. You can make even more of a difference by delivering recycling to depots like the SPCA which earns money by mass recycling. (Check first to see if your local SPCA has a recycling program in place).

Green and economic benefits

• Far less waste ends up in landfill sites
• Products are recycled and re-used, using less energy
• Money can be earned by mass recycling
• The demand for new, energy-intensive products (like paper) is reduced
• Recycling uses less energy than manufacturing new products

For more info on ways to green the world of hospitality (or your home), check out  [download id=”1″] .