F & B : LOCAL SOURCING
The Waldorf Astoria New York has planted currants , ground cherries and Swiss chard among other plants in its 20th-floor rooftop garden .
FARM MEETS
Hotels in urban areas often do not have a ton of extra space to devote to hyper-local ingredient sourcing , but that ’ s not stopping many of these types of properties from joining the movement .
The Fairmont San Jose in California recently installed beehives in an under-utilized space on the hotel ’ s rooftop . Two members of the property ’ s sustainability committee worked to establish the beehives with local organization CityBees , which
CITY provided the bee boxes , limiting the hotel ’ s startup costs to just bee suits . The bees are expected to produce approximately 100 lbs ( 45 kg ) of honey this year , which The Fairmont San Jose will split with CityBees .
There are few cities in the world as crowded as New York City , but that hasn ’ t stopped the Waldorf Astoria New York from installing six beehives as well as a garden on its 20th-floor rooftop . Working with the New York Beekeepers Association as well as the Horticultural Society of New York , the hotel now uses the previously unused space to produce honey , flowers , fruits , vegetables and herbs . In addition , Executive Chef David Garcelon notes the endeavor provides culinary education for his cooks as well as at least a small positive contribution to the city ’ s air quality , and guests have started to tour the space too .
“ We haven ’ t really looked at this as an ROI project ,” Garcelon says . “ Yes , there have been some expenses in terms of materials , but the hotel ’ s sustainability committee arranged volunteers that worked with the hotel ’ s carpenters to build and paint the planters and beehives , so our labor cost was minimal . In addition , these hives and planters should last for decades , so the cost spread out over that timeframe is insignificant .” hgschmitz . de
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