What’s Cooking at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention Center?

For a kitchen that serves hundreds of thousands of people each year, going green is a really big deal. It’s much more complicated than serving lots of spinach and broccoli at every meal!  Having an eco-friendly kitchen may begin with eating green, but it doesn’t end there. At the SMG-managed Fort Lauderdale Convention Center, our determination to earn LEED certification is a multi-pronged commitment that involves all aspects of our food and beverage service.

Energy-efficient food preparation, service, cleaning, using equipment made from sustainable materials, and avoiding toxic chemicals are essential elements of a truly eco-friendly kitchen. We begin with basic applications such as reusable linens, dishes and cutlery. We support environmental sustainability by recycling as much as we can and seizing every opportunity to choose environmentally conscious materials and cleaning products.  Our water-wise initiatives include low flow kitchen faucets that reduce the amount of water we require for all our kitchen tasks.

Whenever possible, we purchase foods and beverages that are produced locally, within a 100 mile radius.  This eco-friendly endeavor not only supports our local farmers and provides our guests with the freshest ingredients, but also saves on fuel costs and emissions from trucks and other modes of transportation required to import products into Broward County.

We also buy organic foods and products that are certified by various agencies including USDA, Food Alliance, Rainforest Alliance, Protected-Harvest, Fair Trade and Main Stewardship Council's Blue Eco-Label.  All of these certified products are grown, produced and packaged with eco-friendly practices.

Our Convention Center’s commitment to reducing waste and nurturing a healthier planet has a human touch, as we help feed the hungry in our community by donating unused food and pre-consumed meals to the local Daily Food Bank.

Fortunately, making the right choices for our guests and our business also is good for the planet. From planning meals to cooking, serving and cleaning, we’ve transformed our kitchen into an earth-friendly model of gourmet cooking.  We look forward to serving you soon. Bon appétit!

Sustainably yours,
The Green Team

This article was previously published at the www.ftlauderdalecc.com blog.