Sustenance, sustainability and Sodexo
February 22nd, 2010 by UH ManoaBy Tracy Orillo-Donovan
Saving Planet Earth seems to be the mantra these days. So if you’re looking for shining examples of sustainability initiatives, look no further than Sodexo—UH Mānoa’s primary food service vendor. Since its corporate philosophy revolves around sustainability, the company has implemented changes in its food service operations that minimize harm to the environment.
According to District Manager Marc Nakamoto, Sodexo is dedicated to addressing three different but related issues: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability. “In Hawai‘i, we have a unique responsibility to conserve and protect the aina while also supporting and being a part of the communities that we have the privilege to serve and work,” says Nakamoto.
These days, Sodexo sends UH Mānoa’s wet food waste, which previously wound up in a landfill, to pig farmers—diverting thousands of pounds of food waste annually. The company also switched to Xpressnap dispensers that distribute only one napkin at a time. Nationwide, through that program, enough energy was saved to power 600 American homes for an entire year.
Plus, by using only recycled napkins, more than half a million gallons of oil was saved—or 38 tanker trucks’ worth—and 41 tons of pollutants were kept out of the environment. Further, 4,131 cubic yards of paper didn’t take up landfill space. This is enough to cover an entire football field with a two-and-a-half-foot-deep stack of paper.
A recent study conducted by the state Department of Agriculture indicated that, if Hawai‘i replaced just 10 percent of foods with locally grown and manufactured food—based on the assumption that 85% of food in Hawai‘i is imported—it could generate an economy‐wide impact of $188 million in sales, $47 million in earnings and $6 million in state taxes. It was also estimated that it could generate over 2,000 jobs.
The study is available at http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/add/FoodSSReport/.
“We look at every opportunity to ensure that we are acting responsibly and making a difference in the communities that we serve,” says Nakamoto. “As our motto states, ‘We strive toward making every day a better day.’”
For more information about Sodexo, go to www.sodexoUSA.com. For more information on UH Mānoa, visit our homepage at http://manoa.hawaii.edu/.
Graduate student (communications) Malia Chung holds her salmon dynamite and fresh greens entrée while she pulls a napkin from the Xpressnap dispenser.
Tags: Malia Chung, Marc Nakamoto, Sodexo, sustainability
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:58 am
Wow, back to the future with the food waste going to pig farmers. Reminds me of small kid time, when we kept garbage separate from rubbish, and the buta-kaukau man would pick up the garbage.