Green Tip
Green Tip: Measuring Sustainability
- Published on Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Green Tip: Specifying Energy-Efficient Ventilation
- Published on Monday, April 02, 2012
Though ventilation may not seem that interesting a topic on the surface, this is precisely the area of the kitchen that has seen the most technological advancements in terms of energy efficiency and design.
Composting for Foodservice
- Published on Thursday, March 01, 2012
Planning, developing and implementing composting programs continues to get easier for foodservice operators because more operators are electing to take these environmentally friendly steps. As role models for their peers, they help both commercial and noncommercial operators follow in that path.
Green Disposables
- Published on Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Greenwashing, or exaggerating the environmentally friendly selling points of a product, happens in all avenues of foodservice, and is no longer the exclusive domain of organically produced or farm fresh ingredients.
Pros and Cons of Pursuing LEED
- Published on Tuesday, January 03, 2012
There are pros and cons to everything in life — and applying for LEED certification on a project is no different.
Sustainability Calculators
- Published on Thursday, December 01, 2011
Just five years ago the availability of sustainability and other cost calculators was scarce. These days, though, the scope of calculators has grown exponentially, ranging from calculators for specific equipment types to others designed to determine energy, water and total life cycle cost savings. They’ve also become more accurate.
Specifying Energy-Efficient Griddles
- Published on Monday, October 03, 2011
When it comes to energy-efficient griddles, the energy-efficient part really varies by operation and need. "Griddles are heavily cost-driven and it's difficult to justify the strategies that make them more efficient," says David Zabrowski, director of engineering at the Food Service Technology Center (FSTC) in San Ramon, Calif.
Waste Management: Preventing Waste Before It Happens
- Published on Thursday, September 01, 2011
When foodservice professionals discuss waste management, the conversation generally turns to composting, recycling, and donating excess food — anything that happens after the food has been wasted. But what about preventing the waste from occurring in the first place?
Specifying Energy-Efficient Ovens
- Published on Monday, August 01, 2011
In the grand scheme of commercial kitchen energy use, convection ovens don't pose a huge drain on costs compared to refrigeration or even fryers. But that doesn't mean their impact on total kitchen energy use is negligible. In fact, the Food Service Technology Center is diligently working to revise standards for ovens, including rack, conveyor and combination units.
Cultivating a Green Culture
- Published on Monday, May 02, 2011
Going "green" is no easy task. But cultivating a "green" culture, meaning working to get an operation's entire staff, management team, vendors and associates in line with sustainability initiatives in order to create a more viable business over time — well, that's an even more challenging task.
Specifying an Energy-Efficient Steamer
- Published on Saturday, April 02, 2011
Cooking with steam offers foodservice operators many benefits. For example, steam has six times the energy as boiling water and it transfers that energy instantaneously. And burning and scorching tends not to be an issue because steam never gets hot enough to caramelize the product. In addition, it is possible to cook multiple menu items in a steamer because steam does not transfer food flavors, it only enhances them.
