FOOD
Food is a universal form of storytelling that’s central to the travel experience. The production and disposal of food are massive contributors to our global carbon footprint, while responsible sourcing is a critical way to support local businesses and destinations.
At The Travel Corporation, we want to ensure ingredients are both procured and disposed of in a manner that benefits a region and the world.
3 major ways you can reduce your food-related emissions:
♦ Buy less: to reduce your food waste as much as possible
♦ Compost: what you do not eat
♦ Choose: local and organic whenever you can
What is a foodprint?
The measure of the environmental impacts associated with growing, producing, transporting, and storing our food (earthday.org). Take this quiz to find out what yours is now.
HOW WE CAN MAKE BETTER FOOD CHOICES TOGETHER
YOUR GOAL: BE MINDFUL OF YOUR FOOD CHOICES
SHOP
Your impact begins with your purchasing power. Set yourself up for success, beginning at the market.
GO FOR ‘UGLY’
Look for the ‘perfectly imperfect’ fruits & veggies in your grocery store. So called ‘ugly’ produce usually gets passed up and eventually these items, which are perfectly fine to eat, get discarded.
BUY LESS
Overbuying is a big contributor to food waste at home. Make a list and stick to it when you go to the grocery store to avoid buying too much.
Choose local
Check out farmers markets or seek out produce labelled locally grown at your grocery store – this reduces the footprint associated with transporting your food to you, and contributes to sustainable agricultural practices.
STORE
Proper storage of foods is critical in making your food last longer.
pounds of food is wasted per year by the average person in the US, costing $1,800
KNOW WHEN
Timing is everything. Learn 5 time-sensitive actions that help you reduce food waste, including when to wash your produce or rip off the stems.
Know where
Are you refridgerating properly? Did you know potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers and onions should never be refrigerated? Find a full list of what to keep in, and out of the fridge.
COOK
These daily habits can significantly reduce your emissions.
GO MEATLESS
Remember, reducing your meat consumption means reducing your carbon footprint. Here are 17 plant-based protein alternatives.
Get creative
Find creative ways to use your leftovers. Here are 20 recipe ideas to get you started.
MAKE HOMEMADE STOCK
Don’t toss your peels and scraps. Freeze and save them until you’re ready to make some homemade stock. Try one of these recipes:
learn to compost
Compost whatever you don’t use. There are handy indoor and outdoor composting systems you can use depending on your living situation.
TRAVEL
Enjoy all the good eats, without the guilt. We’re talking low-emission decisions. Here are some pointers for more sustainable eating during your travels.
1. MEET THE GROWERS
Visit a local farmers’ market, meet the farmer, learn their names and connect with the people growing your food.
2. EAT FARM-TO-TABLE
Seek out these experiences that not only provide delectible dishes and amazing ambiance, but help support sustainable agricultural practices.
3. SKIP THE BUFFET
Instead, opt for a proportional single-person serving for less waste and a more intimate experience.
4. TRY VEGETARIAN or vegan
Traveling is a great opportunity to go meat-less for a day or even a few meals. You can even go for an entirely vegan itinerary, like Contiki’s Vegan Food Europe Explorer.
5. LEARN NEW RECIPES
Try your hand at a local cooking class and expand your recipe repertoire. Support the local economy and culture, and bring home something you can share with your loved ones.
OUR GOALS:
#3: REDUCE FOOD WASTE BY 50% ACROSS ALL HOTELS & SHIPS BY 2025
#4: INCREASE USE OF LOCAL & ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTS BY OUR SUPPLY CHAIN BY 2025
AT OUR PROPERTIES
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RED CARNATION HOTELS
♦ Red Carnation Hotels partners with waste-management companies KITRO and Winnow Solutions. KITRO, in place at Hotel D’Angleterre since 2019, analyses food waste and provides detailed reports on what is unnecessarily thrown out. Within 3 months the hotel saw a one third reduction in food waste. Winnow uses groundbreaking AI technology to assist in reducing unnecessary waste. Learn more >
♦ Red Carnation Hotels has established resident apiaries, or honeybee hotels, at three of its properties, responsibly managed and conscientiously harvested. Guests staying at The Chesterfield Mayfair, The Montague on the Gardens, and The Oyster Box can tour these hives and sample the intricate flavours of their honey. Learn more >
♦ The gardens at Ashford Castle and Bushmans Kloof provide daily crops of all organic, indigenous herbs, fruits and vegetables incorporated into dishes on the guest menus.
UNIWORLD BOUTIQUE RIVER CRUISES
♦ Through its partnership with food waste reduction system Leanpath, certified B Corporation®, Uniworld has successfully run a three month trial onboard the S.S Antoinette in 2021 which saw a reduction of food waste by 15%. In 2022, Uniworld will begin rollout of the system across five more ships, covering half of the company’s fleet by the end of the year.
CONTIKI
♦ Contiki is committed to composting and at its special stay property Haus Schöneck, leftovers are fed to animals at local farms and food scraps are turned into compost for regenerative farms.
XIGERA Safari lodge
♦ Through the Village Greens project in partnerhips with Wild Entrust and our TreadRight Foundation, Xigera Safari Lodge will provide compost generated by the property in supoport of an existing community farm. Learn more about the partnership >
ON OUR TRIPS
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FARM-TO-TABLE EXPERIENCES
♦ Farm-to-table experiences are offered by The Travel Corporation brands as MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences, and support the United Nations Global Goal 12: Reponsible Consumption & Production. These meals are authentic travel experiences that allow guests to connect with where their food comes from and learn the importance of supporting local farmers. Learn more >
VEGAN ITINERARIES
♦ Contiki’s Vegan Food Europe Explorer not only takes you to some of the world’s finest plant-based eateries, you’ll also receive top tips on travelling as a vegan, and participate in a plant-based cooking class so you can take your learnings home.
VEGETARIAN MEAL OPTIONS
♦ If you’re looking for vegetarian dishes, you’ll appreciate the variety of thoughtful dining options available for every included meal with Insight Vacations. Talented chefs whip up innovative dishes packed with flavour from the freshest local ingredients. Your Travel Director can also give some tips for the best veggie options in town when you choose to dine in your leisure time. Learn more >
THROUGH OUR TREADRIGHT FOUNDATION
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GREEN BRONX MACHINE
♦ TreadRight supports Green Bronx Machine, created to address the growing and urgent need for healthy food for students in low-income areas in America, which is staggeringly low. The indoor gardening and education program was founded by life-long educator, Stephen Ritz, and allows students in kindergarten to grade 12 grow vegetables in the classroom as part of the core curriculum. The program reaches more than 50,000 students daily across the US and to-date, more than 115,000 pounds of vegetables have been harvested for students and their communities in the Bronx. Learn more >
FLOURISH FOREVER
♦ Flourish Forever, also a TreadRight project, is working to fight food and health injustices and envisions a world where food insecurity is addressed through thriving community gardens. The organization provides tools and education to support those who have limited access to fresh produce. Founded by Siena Mills, a high school junior at the time, the mission was inspired by her passion for the environment and for people, and through her experience growing up with fresh, wholesome food. Learn more >
WILD ENTRUST
♦ In partnership with Xigera Safari Lodge, TreadRight is supporting Wild Entrust‘s Village Greens, a women’s empowerment and community garden project mitigating human-wildlife conflict through planned farming, grazing and livestock herding. The project supports the ongoing maintenance of an existing community farm as well as training. The initiative endeavours to recreate traditional employment for women with the end goal of increased food security. Learn more >
OUR PROGRESS
Our annual Impact Report details progress made by The Travel Corporation’s family of brands against the 11 goals of our 5-year sustainability strategy How We Tread Right, launched in September, 2020. Learn more >
