Sustainable Dining Facilities. Innovative and Cost Effective Approaches to Greening our Military Dining Facilities

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1 Sustainable Dining Facilities Innovative and Cost Effective Approaches to Greening our Military Dining Facilities

2 Introduction > DoD operates complex dining operations which result in numerous environmental impacts. > Installations are looking for ways to minimize the negative environmental impact associated with dining facility operations. 2

3 Assessment Goals > As part of the MCLB Barstow Green Base Pilot Program, a dining facility process assessment was conducted at MCLB Barstow and MCAGCC Twentynine Palms. > The intent of the assessment is to improve dining facility operational processes to meet energy and water conservation goals, per EO

4 Assessment Goals > Specifically, the goal of the process assessment is to provide recommendations on how to: reduce waste and pollution reduce expenses or generate revenue reduce energy consumption improve environmental sustainability develop training that will ensure employees are informed while making the program sustainable in the long term 4

5 Assessment Dining Facilities Reviewed > Marine Corps Food Services Facilities Two Main Base mess halls at MCAGCC Twentynine Palms Mess Hall 1460 serves about 100,000 meals per month Mess Hall 1460 also does serves about 300 meals per day as part of the sub to go program Mess Hall 1660 serves about 500,000 meals per month One field mess hall at MCAGCC Twentynine Palms Serves up to 6,000 meals per day during peak activity Units typically onsite for 6-8 weeks with 1-2 weeks downtime between training activities Also provides meals in portable units for field dining 5

6 Assessment Dining Facilities Reviewed > Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) Facilities Three facilities at MCLB Barstow Approximately six facilities at MCAGCC Twentynine Palms, including, Officer s club and golf course > Commercial Facilities Approximately eleven facilities at MCAGCC Twentynine Palms 6

7 Assessment Dining Facility Site Visits > Performed site visits at all facilities > Examined purchasing of cleaning supplies, disposable items, etc. > Examined current water and electricity usage and efficiency activities in place > Examined current recycling and disposal activities for sewage, food waste, trash > Will perform waste stream sampling during future site visits 7

8 Assessment Current Practices > Barstow Family Restaurant and Lancer Lounge All pre and post consumer food waste is disposed of as general solid waste Supplies and food are ordered through U.S. Foods Disposable containers and utensils are used in the dining facilities Cardboard is recycled, all other recyclable items are treated as general solid waste Grease is collected and picked up for re-use Currently no tracking of energy and water usage; lighting system not operated during downtime

9 Assessment Current Practices > Barstow Child Development Center All pre and post consumer food waste is disposed of as general solid waste Practices are in place to minimize food waste, leftover food typically gets reused Cardboard, paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum are recycled Reusable dished and utensils typically used Dishes are dry scraped and machine washed Paper cups are used and are disposed of as general solid waste 9

10 Assessment Current Practices > Barstow Child Development Center Supplies and food are typically purchased through local vendors, best price is usually the deciding factor Currently no tracking of energy and water usage; lighting system not operated during downtime Low flow and Energy Star appliances currently not in use 10

11 Assessment Current Practices > Significant progress already made towards greening the Marine Corps Food Services facilities at MCAGCC Twentynine Palms > Food waste 11 All pre and post consumer food waste is turned into a sterile biomass, reducing their solid waste generation by about 75% Biomass is removed at no cost by a contractor for use as feed additives, and alternate energy uses are still being evaluated Post consumer waste at Main Base mess halls is separated into recycling or trash; and food waste is dry scraped, eliminating any food waste discharge to sewer in over a year

12 Assessment Current Practices > Purchasing 12 All cleaning products and disposable items are purchased within the Green Procurement Process and are environmentally friendly No disposable containers are used in the Main Base Mess Halls, except Sub-to-go program uses biodegradable containers All field mess hall containers and utensils are biodegradable and are turned into sterile biomass with the food waste Dining facilities will be moving to the Consolidated Food Management System to coordinate deliveries to minimize the number of deliveries per week

13 Assessment Current Practices > Energy Usage A new metering and database system was recently installed at all dining facilities, including MCCS and Commercial, to allow for detailed tracking of energy and water usage All light bulbs at both mess halls are low energy bulbs Most equipment runs on steam and equipment run on electricity meets efficiency requirements Mess halls uses swamp coolers and movable exterior building shades to keep the buildings cool Lighting and cooling system not operated during downtime 13

14 Assessment Current Practices > Water Usage All water fixtures at both Main Base mess halls are low flow and fixtures at the field mess hall are scheduled for replacement Plates at Main Base mess halls are dry scraped and soaked and not rinsed Plates at field mess hall are shredded with food waste Use maintenance free flooring, uses 1 ½ gallons of water twice a week to clean each Main Base mess hall A third Main Base mess hall is under construction that will collect rain water for irrigation of landscaping 14

15 Assessment Current Practices > Waste and Recycling 15 Fryer oil is picked up two times per month by NREA for reuse Offices recycle all paper waste and pre consumer and post consumer waste is separated for recycling Broken cups and plates are sent back to the manufacturer and replaced under warranty No garbage cans are available to patrons in the mess halls; trays are placed on a conveyor and the waste is hand sorted Implement portion management based on previous food usage and input from units on expected number of troops Menu changed to utilize food in stock; will decrease one food choice if they have extra of another food choice

16 Assessment Current Practices > MCCS Dining Facilities MCCS Dining facilities are supposed to recycle pre consumer materials using the base NREA recycling program, but this does not occur consistently at all facilities No post consumer recycling at facilities Food Issue Point procures most food and supplies The facilities use a mix of reusable and disposable containers, plates, and utensils General food waste, recyclables and trash are typically disposed of together All new equipment is Energy Star rated and low flow 16

17 Assessment Current Practices > MCCS Dining Facilities Dining facilities are supposed to follow the base energy policy in order to ensure energy conservation Energy and water conservation practices are typically followed Grease is collected and picked up for re-use 17

18 Assessment Current Practices > Commercial Dining Facilities Green dining practices vary widely at the commercial facilities, in general: Cardboard is recycled No post consumer recycling at facilities Disposable containers, plates, and utensils General food waste, recyclables and trash are typically disposed of together A mix of Energy Star rated and low flow equipment Energy and water conservation practices are typically followed Grease is collected and picked up for re-use 18

19 Current Challenges and Areas for Improvement > Marine Corps Food Services Facilities continue to make significant progress in greening their operations > Main Base Mess Halls Additional uses for biomass from food waste Go paperless Solar power Alternate food warming technology 19

20 Current Challenges and Areas for Improvement > Field Mess Hall Low flow nozzles in washing area Solar power at facility or for portable field units Bigger grinding machine for food waste Cardboard shredder or compactor to reduce waste onsite Insulation in cooking area Illegal dumping of waste 20

21 Current Challenges and Areas for Improvement > MCCS and Commercial Dining Facilities Institute a comprehensive recycling plan that integrates with the base NREA recycling program, and includes post consumer recycling at facilities Determine alternate uses for food waste Follow Green Procurement guidelines for food and supply purchases Continue replacing old equipment with Energy Star rated and low flow equipment Continue to improve energy and waster conservation practices in accordance with the base energy policy 21

22 Next Steps > Additional site visits to collect current utility and solid waste information and waste stream samples > Prepare Waste Assessment Report Description of the contents of the resources that go into the dining operations Description of the different waste streams, the source, and the byproducts or pollutants in those waste streams Summary of current activities and waste prevention and recycling efforts already in place 22

23 Next Steps > Prepare Green Opportunity Identification Report Identify up to 20 opportunities for reducing environmental impacts, ranked by their estimated program benefit For each opportunity, the report will include data such as: Required investment Impact on operations and employees Benefit to the environment Other considerations as applicable Recommend next steps for planning, funding and implementing these greening efforts for all MCIWest dining facilities 23

24 Next Steps > Prepare Green Dining Training Prepare an easy to follow, poster or hand-out listing specific steps employees can perform to reduce waste Develop a Green Dining Facility computer based training course or video to inform all facility employees (contractor and government operated) of expectations and requirements 24

25 Summary > This study looked for ways to minimize environmental impacts associated with dining facility operations > We have found that at some facilities, practices are currently in place that lessen environmental impacts 25 However, systemic processes not in place > Significant improvement can be made through: Process improvement New technologies Public education Training

26 Contact Information: Shawn Holsinger EM-Assist, Inc. (757)