A few different things...
I found this video completely by mistake, but then thought that maybe it could bring up an interesting point. [Watch it before continuing on ;) ]
Obviously, focusing on the FOOD is a given but has anyone ever given thought to the actual establishment itself? Yea, this would cost a gazillion dollars to just remodel all buildings already standing to accommodate this and would be completely impractical not to mention counterproductive, but what about newer places that aren't standing yet? This could cause controversy too--I'm not saying let's bulldoze rainforests and demolish historical buildings/landmarks to make and try out these hot boxes or anything of the sort but lets face it, its not as if there isn't going to be more construction eventually or ever again. So why not keep this in mind? It makes a lot of sense. It saves energy for our planet with finite resources [long-term] and saves money on utility bills for occupants of the space [short-term] and why not? It would save on installation of a heating system in the first place, is one less headache to worry about having (especially when an issue arises where something needs to be repaired...) and may even pose for more actual space for..I don't know more tables? No having to worry about someone sitting on top of the fireplace or too close to a radiator where if they get hurt, is another liability of the owner's.
I think i jumped the gun without explaining a little--even though this is something being done for homes and in a different country, this could easily be transformed into and for whole buildings. New restaurants, anything. Better insulation! What a concept! I mean if it actually works, why not? Windows that do what they are meant to do, but better and more efficiently. Doesn't that just seem logical? Unless there is some architectural issue that I would have no idea about [the weight of all the roof insulation potentially caving in...?] then I don't see why this would be a bad idea for any type of establishment.
~~~~~And have you ever heard The Story of STUFF? It is a little bit of a lengthy video, but the information behind it is so interesting it makes it go pretty quick. This really says a lot on a critical issue that we are living amongst everyday, that leads into every business--even the food industry!
It all comes down to the amount of wasting us humans do. If we learned to do less of it, and think logically and for the greater good, we'd probably be a lot happier as a whole. I'm not saying there is one solution to world peace or to end world hunger or all of the worlds problems, but I feel like if everyone chipped in a little bit in their own areas [locally!! theres that again], these issues wouldn't [or wouldn't have] escalate[d].
And chipping in nowadays seems to be the idea of going green, which seems to be working. It seems to be working in the industry we chose to get ourselves involved with, fine dining or otherwise. Awareness of these issues is the aspect that's lacking, and the people to care about it.
The End.
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I found these videos both to very interesting in the fact that they discuss global issues that may be related to almost any industry. The first video relating to economically friendly housing brought up the fact that simply by insulating housing and making minor adjustments, the amount of money spent on utilities dropped significantly. When they discuss the new apartment complexes in Sweden i could not help but think about how environmentally friendly a hotel would be if all of the rooms were insulated in such a way. Plus the company may now spend that money elsewhere instead of pumping it into the natural monopoly that we call utility companies. The second video i felt more directly related to the food service industry as we are one of the biggest industries when i comes to waste. whether it is the butt end of an onion or a spoiled steak, waste happens. The more we pay attention to this waste and where it goes, the better off the environment would be. One thing that i would like to see more restaurants doing is to make a compost bucket, and start to make healthy soil to grow fresh produce in, which would benefit all around.
ReplyDeleteSo I watched the first video and was pretty impressed. We have the knowledge to build a building without heating it, but will we take this one step further and build a restaurant with no heat? If I made the choices, I would say no. I believe that the passive homes are a great idea but not for a food establishment. The whole basis of these passive homes is thicker walls, ceilings and rooftops. Also, they use wood for these areas because it is a better insulator than concrete. Putting these kinds of walls in a restaurant can be catastrophic...Just think about flambéing some alcohol when all of a sudden, your ceiling catches on fire because it is made of wood. I do not want to be in that kitchen when that happens.
ReplyDeleteAmericans only show to be 5% of the world's population but we consume 30% of Earth's resources. We also contribute 30% of Earth's waste. This is ridiculous when looking at it from the food service perspective. I know of places that keep their food costs down and are more adaptable to the changing environment, but then I know of restaurants that do not care very much and their food cost is higher than it should be. After seeing this video, I realize that they are probably the highest contributor to our combined 30% waste. Food service establishments need to keep their food costs down and maybe our consumption and waste percentages will go down as well.