Sustainability

Fresh, Local, Scratch

Sustainability initiatives coming soon in partnership between Germantown Friends School and Meriwether Godsey

LIVE & WORK SUSTAINABLY

We take a holistic approach to being good stewards of our natural resources. It starts with a focus on reducing waste (“don’t let good food end up in the trash!”) and moves from there to buying local foods, composting, recycling, etc. Not only is reducing waste the right thing but invariably it reduces costs.

BUY LOCAL, GROW LOCAL

Buying local is a part of our everyday routine. Our Chefs and Managers are encouraged to build relationships with local purveyors to source the freshest product for our clients.

At most MG accounts, we have some kind of garden – whether container gardens, small planters or larger scale gardens. These can go a long way to educating the community on what’s involved with growing your own food (planning, tending, rotating, etc.).

WASTE REDUCTION

Many of our kitchens are composting in a variety of ways. At both Sidwell and Norfolk Academy, we compost kitchen scraps and post-consumer waste directly in the dining room. Our efforts to engage our partners in composting have yielded positive results: in the 2015‐2016 fiscal year, MG clients composted 101,734 pounds, diverting 50.87 tons of waste from our landfills. We promote recycling in dining rooms and donate fryer grease for biofuel through our partnership with Valley Proteins or another preferred provider.

RAISING AWARENESS

We provide information on individual choices that help reduce waste: “Mindful Eating” encourages us to take less, and “The Color of Your Plate” focuses on a more plant‐based diet that lowers our carbon footprint. We have two large-scale annual events focused on local products: Feed the Difference – an MG signature event featuring local meals, and Earth Week – menus featuring local ingredients and waste-reducing initiatives. We also participate in food rescue programs where excess food is donated and distributed to needy people.

We want your feedback!