MAKING YOUR HOSITALITY BUSINESS MORE PLANET FRIENDLY LOUISE PALMER-MASTERTON IS FOUNDER OF MULTIPLE AWARD-WINNING RESTAURANTS STEM & GLORY; HIP AND TRENDY BUT ACCESSIBLE PLANTBASED RESTAURANTS, SERVING GOURMET VEGAN FOOD FROM LOCALLY SOURCED INGREDIENTS.
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s his ‘witness statement’, David Attenborough’s new documentary ‘A Life on our Planet’ film contained a plethora of compelling statistics that defined the devastating problems we face if we do not stop destroying our planet. The film shows the numbers for the rapid increase in global population, the increase in carbon in the atmosphere, and the accompanying sharp decrease in unfarmed natural land and It’s a stark message: By losing the biodiversity of our land, we are fast accelerating towards extinction as our planet struggles with the excess demands placed upon it. There is a sliver of hope at the end of the documentary, though. Attenborough lays out the steps we need to take to quickly redress the balance and allow the planet to recover. And they are simpler than you might have imagined. Stop Waste - Abandon fossil fuel in favour of renewable energy. Everyone knows this, but with pension funds and big business still investing in fossil fuels there is a substantial way to go. Population control - end poverty and increase access to education for all people, which will naturally lead to population control.This, of course, requires global commitment. Rewild the rainforests to restore biodiversity. Rewild more farmland. Stop eating meat. For every one carnivore in nature there are at least 100 prey animals, so for 11 billion humans to be carnivores is completely unsustainable. It’s an absolute no brainer. Land use. Using less land in more intelligent ways to produce more food, such as vertical and urban farming. How can you help in your hotels and kitchens? At first glance this list may seem beyond the sphere of influence of an individual or an individual business, with international action and financial
incentives needed for this to happen on a global scale. Whilst it’s true that international action is needed, we can all instigate actions that make a difference. And many of the actions we can take are changes within our own supply chains which are not disruptive or costly.They simply involve making more ethical choices in our purchasing decisions. Recently, a Futerra survey showed that 88% of consumers want brands to help them be more sustainable, and many people utilise their purchasing power as a way to make their mark, so it’s also a shrewd business decision to make positive changes within our own businesses. More Plant-based meals Obviously as a vegan brand we are hoping that the whole world will eventually refrain from eating meat. But even if you are not vegan, the fact that 65% of all the mammals on this planet are farm animals, their devastating carbon impact and land use cannot be overstated. It’s simply not sustainable for the 11 billion animals on the planet to eat other animals. But what does this mean for a food business that serves meat? And what if your offering is purely meat based, like a steakhouse? Fortunately/unfortunately it means you need to pivot your business model. Although it might feel like your offering is well supported now, it will become increasingly regarded as unethical in the future. I am not lecturing here, but don’t count on people wanting to continue eating meat in the future like they do now. So now is the time to explore plantbased options that suit your brand and develop new products that have a lesser carbon impact. Stem & Glory is working on a pilot project with a new business that does carbon labelling for menu items. It may take a while for this to take on, but we predict this will be in huge demand in the future by consumers. Vertical Farming I visited Amsterdam in February, in those heady HOTELSCOTLAND • 9
