DEP TO HOST WORKSHOP
FOR RESTAURANT INDUSTRY ON BEST GREEN
PRACTICES, SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES TO REDUCE
FOOD WASTE
(18/P080) TRENTON – As part
of its efforts to address climate change and air
pollution, the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection is co-hosting a free
workshop on Monday, Sept. 17 on incentives and
green best practices to help the restaurant
industry become more sustainable.
The DEP is partnering with the Rutgers
EcoComplex, Sustainable Princeton and Princeton
University’s Office of Sustainability to host
“Restaurants For Tomorrow.” The
workshop will introduce restaurants, diners and
related food-service business owners and
managers to initiatives they can take to “go
green,” including how to comply with a new law
to reduce food waste.
“Restaurants
are a billion-dollar industry in New Jersey that
also serve as the heart of their communities,”
Assistant Commissioner for DEP’s Air Quality,
Energy and Sustainability Paul Baldauf said.
“This workshop will provide owners and operators
tools they can use to cut costs while being
socially and environmentally responsible. At the
same time, they will be giving customers ideas
they can take home with them.”
New Jersey in 2017 passed a law establishing
a food waste reduction goal of 50 percent by
2030. The law requires the DEP, in conjunction
with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture,
to develop a plan with public input to
accomplish this goal.
The DEP is working with various stakeholders
-- food and grocery industries, businesses, food
banks, schools and universities, environmental
groups and others -- to develop a draft plan to
promote strategies to reduce food waste at the
source of loss and to educate consumers about
ways they can reduce food waste. Once a draft
plan is developed, the DEP will hold a series of
public meetings to gather further public input
and finalize the plan.
The environmental and societal benefits
associated with food waste reduction are
significant. Landfill disposal capacity is saved
through effective waste reduction programs,
energy is saved by only producing the amount of
food that is eaten, and air pollution is reduced
because waste does not have to be transported to
disposal sites. When food waste is buried in
landfills, it decomposes and generates methane,
a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to
climate change.
The half-day workshop will feature keynote
speaker Jon McConaughy, owner and general
manager of Brick Farm Tavern in Hopewell, Mercer
County. The program begins at 8:30 a.m. at
Princeton University’s Frist Campus Center,
Frist Lane, in Multipurpose Room Level B. Space
is limited.
Participants
may interact with experts from the New Jersey
Clean Energy Program and the Rutgers EcoComplex,
as well as the DEP’s divisions of Solid and
Hazardous Waste and Air Quality, Energy and
Sustainability. They will also tour Princeton
University’s new in-vessel digester for food
scraps.
“Food is obviously important to all of us, as
essential nutrition, as a social binder, as a
teacher and connection with our local region and
the world,” Princeton University Office of
Sustainability Director Shana Weber said. “The
impact we can all have through how we interact
with food and food systems is profound. We can
improve soil vitality, water quality, supply
chains, living wages, human health, wildlife
habitat and much more. This workshop has the
potential to accelerate the very positive
impacts we can have collectively. We’re excited
to be a part of it.”
Sustainable practices have many benefits for
businesses, from attracting and retaining
customers to positively impacting finances. A
2016 study by Deloitte and the non-profit ReFED
shows that the U.S. restaurant sector generates
approximately 11 million tons of food waste
annually, which amounts to more than $25 billion
in disposal costs. By making eco-friendly or
green choices and following sustainable
practices, the restaurant industry can save
money and increase profits.
“Princeton’s restaurants are critical to the
vibrancy of our community,” Sustainable
Princeton Executive Director Molly Jones said.
“We are eager to help our restaurants realize
cost savings, reduce their environmental impact
and offer the green food service practices
customers now demand.”
A number of restaurants and food purveyors
practice sustainability by using locally sourced
ingredients, conserving energy, avoid single-use
plastics and reducing waste, all of which
benefit public health.
“Rutgers EcoComplex believes that restaurants
are an essential link in the food supply chain,”
Rutgers EcoComplex Clean Energy Innovation
Center Director Dr. Serpil Guran said.
“Achieving restaurant sustainability will not
only benefit restaurants’ bottom line but also
help them to reduce their carbon and water
footprint, reduce waste generation, efficiently
utilize their organic waste and serve healthier
food to New Jerseyans.”
To register for the workshop, visit https://restaurants-for-tomorrow.eventbrite.com/
To learn how to reduce food waste at home,
visit www.nj.gov/dep/dshw/recycling/Foodwaste.pdf
For more about the DEP’s Division of Air
Quality, Energy and Sustainability, visit www.nj.gov/dep/daq/
Follow the DEP on Twitter @NewJerseyDEP.
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