Going, Going, Green By Shelly Loveland At the CIA we are keenly aware of the importance of sourcing food locally, promoting sustainable agriculture, reducing waste and pollution, and conserving energy. That’s why understanding green principles is a
the lessons of the classroom. Students in Hyde Park sell their gardens’ bounty to the CIA storeroom and to local alumni-owned restaurants. California students sell product from their “Greystone Green Thumbs” booth at the St. Helena Farmers’ Market.
fundamental part of our students’ educational experience
Providing a Green Environment
as well as an institution-wide commitment. At the CIA,
Recycling
“being green” means protecting the environment through
Here are just a few statistics that reveal the CIA’s commitment to
initiatives such as these…
recycling, composting, and even pre-cycling.
Promoting Sustainability Sourcing From Local Farms By “going local,” the CIA is able to reduce its carbon footprint, help nearby farms thrive, and allow students to better understand the benefits of the chef-farmer connection. The CIA is the first college known to have a farm liaison. Paul Wigsten, produce buyer at the Hyde Park, NY campus and a 10th-generation farmer, holds this unique position. Each February, he meets with area growers to review the ingredients CIA chef-instructors plan to use in the coming year. The farmers then plant crops accordingly. In 2007 alone, the CIA purchased $500,000 worth of product from more than 24 Hudson Valley farms.
• Food scraps—1.7 tons per day—are sent weekly to McEnroe Organic Farm in Millerton, NY for composting. • Used cooking oil is sent to Mopac for recycling and conversion to biodiesel. Greystone’s used cooking oil is sent to St. Helena High School, where students transform it into biodiesel fuel that’s sold to wineries to power their equipment. • Glass, metal, corrugated cardboard, and plastics are sent to Waste Management, Inc. • Eliminated the use of 15,000–18,000 paper cups a week on the Hyde Park campus. Housing The six residence lodges on the Hyde Park campus were designed for optimal energy efficiency. That investment was recognized with a rebate incentive from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. As one of their many energy-saving features, the lodges employ geothermal heat pumps, which use the
Out in California, the CIA at Greystone is perfectly
Earth’s constant temperatures for heating and cooling. According
situated to take full advantage of the state’s renowned
to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, these heat pumps
agricultural riches. Purchasing Manager Jim DeJoy works
are the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-
closely with his distributor to, as much as possible, source
effective systems for temperature control. Preliminary reports
just the right ingredients for Greystone’s restaurants
show that the CIA lodges use 52 percent less energy as compared
and education programs from growers located within a
with annual averages for student lodging in the Northeast.
50-mile radius of the St. Helena, CA campus.
New student housing at Greystone has been designed to earn
Sustainability in Education
a minimum gold-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and
From Introduction to Gastronomy to the Wine and
Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building
Food Seminar, the CIA curriculum helps students gain a
Council. (See p. 20 for more.)
profound understanding of where food comes from and how its production affects the world we live in. Student clubs like the CIA Garden Society and Chefs Sustaining Agriculture in Hyde Park, and the Greystone Student
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Organic Garden Project on the St. Helena campus, make real
These and other initiatives that are in the works ensure that the CIA is always going, going, green. Shelly Loveland is a writer/editor at the CIA.