Cinnamon Lakeside advocates World Environment Day theme: Think. Eat. Save

As an advocator of sustainable living, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo actively engages its guests, associates and community in its environment friendly initiatives.

The internationally awarded hotel was recognised for its efforts in this area by Green Globe, the global authority on the subject. The hotel was the first in Colombo to be Green Globe certified and the only one in Sri Lanka to sustain its certification for three consecutive years.

World Environment Day (WED) fall on 5 June. The United Nations Environment Program addresses a new issue every year, with this year’s WED being dedicated to food wastage along the theme ‘Think. Eat. Save.’ Alarming statistics according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that every year, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted whilst one in every seven people in the world starve and more than 20,000 children under the age of five die from hunger daily.

Just as charity begins at home, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo believes in leading by example, practicing its environmental initiatives within the hotel first. For over two years, the hotel has conducted anti food waste programs, encouraging staff to consume responsibly. By collecting and weighing wasted food at the employee cafeteria, the hotel has been able to educate associates on the collective impact of their actions, thereby leading to a 49% reduction in food wastage from financial years 2011-12 to 2012-13.

Extending this to the hotel’s guests, associates are trained, to advise diners on sufficient quantities when taking orders. This initiative has resulted in a 54% reduction of total waste generation per guest night during the same one year period. At buffet meals, the Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo chefs are conscious to prepare smaller portions, replenishing dishes as they are consumed, resulting not just in a reduction of waste, but better presentation and fresher dishes for the diner.

Although not evident outright, the indirect cost to the environment of food is disturbing. For instance, it is a little known fact that it takes about 1,000 litres of water to produce one litre of milk and about 16,000 litres goes into a cow’s food to make one hamburger.

The resulting greenhouse gas emissions from the cows themselves, and throughout the food supply chain, all end up in vain when food is wasted. Global food production consumes 25% of all habitable land and is responsible for 70% of fresh water consumption, 80% of deforestation, and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. It is the largest single driver of biodiversity loss and land-use change. The hotel encourages guests, associates and the community to make informed decisions by purposefully selecting food that have less of an environmental impact, such as organic foods that do not use chemicals in the production process. Choosing to buy locally, can also mean that food is not flown halfway across the world and therefore limit emissions.

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo has in place sustainable purchasing policies to reduce waste by managing incoming materials. They include favouring certified suppliers or suppliers following best environmental and social practices, purchasing environmentally-friendly supplies such as recycled or non-traditional paper, organic food and certified wood and purchasing food locally from within a 160 km radius with preference given to local products.

The Hotel’s Purchasing Policy requires the supply of re-usable, returnable and recycled goods where available and preference is given to product suppliers who provide and take back reusable packaging and shipping containers. A program is also in place to minimise the procurement of waste-producing inputs.

In addition to its existing initiatives, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo has organised an awareness program on ‘Protecting the environment for the future generations’, scheduled to take place on 11 June 2013. The program will be facilitated by one of the world’s most renowned experts on the subject, Dr. Waruna Fernando who is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer by profession as well as a consultant on Environmental Management Systems.

He is the recipient of the Worldwide Green Globe Distinction Award and served on the Advisory Panel of UNEP–depletion of ozone layer program. Dr. Fernando will address the WED 2013 theme giving attendees practical advice and long term solutions to common waste related issues.

Fifty students, each from five neighbouring schools: T.B. Jaya Maha Vidyalaya, Saripuththa Maha Vidyalaya, Al Iqbal Balika Maha Vidyalaya, Holy Rosary Sinhala School and Holy Rosary Tamil School will join 100 students from the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, to participate in the program. With an attendance of 350 students, the hotel is confident that the program will make a positive impact in line with the John Keells Leisure sector pledge, ‘I Will Be Green’.