In a new corporate positioning statement recently released, Metz & Associates stated that it pledges to do its part in being environmental stewards of resources, is committed to working closely with client partners and vendors when executing initiatives to become more environmentally responsible, and is focusing on educating and training employees in environmentally friendly practices for work and home.
“What it comes right down to it, it is about people making a conscious effort to take care of the planet so that future generations can enjoy it as well,” said Kathy Gonzalez, Vice President of Nutrition Education Services. “Our goal is to make our clients and our employees more aware of environmental concerns and work more closely with them on sustainability and green initiatives.”
Metz & Associates is accomplishing these goals through a variety of programs, including partnerships with PA Preferred, Ohio Proud & Jersey Fresh, whereby the company has committed to using local products whenever possible, giving producers and manufacturers in the state first consideration. In addition, the company is utilizing an array of environmentally friendly products, such as paper and plastic products made from only recycled materials and also green cleaning supplies. According to Gonzalez, the company also makes every effort to purchase from local dairies that do not use hormones in their cows and also to work closely with customers in supplying organic food products as requested.
At Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, PA, the Metz team has initiated “Trayless Tuesdays,” an effort to conserve the water that would have been used to wash the trays, and “Weigh-In Wednesdays,” an effort to decrease food waste. “Weigh In Wednesday will encourage the entire campus community to become less wasteful as we weigh all food that is thrown away or left on trays,” said Douglas Morgan, Metz & Associates general manager at Mount Aloysius College. “The wasted food itself will be recycled either in the form of compost for local farmers or turned into organic bio-fuel. The students, administrators and faculty members have all been extremely supportive of our green initiatives.”
The Metz team at Mercy Hospital in Scranton, PA has taken steps to replace the various paper products used in dining services with more environmentally products. According to Todd Baker, Metz & Associates general manager at Mercy Hospital, the company is now using a line of products called enviroware, a certified biodegradable product. Enviroware degrades completely into carbon dioxide, water, and methane and does not produce any toxic residue harmful to living organisms in land or water. “We recently switched over to enviroware for our take out containers at the hospital, and not only are we helping the environment by utilizing this product, we also found it to be less costly than the products we were previously using,” Baker said. “We are continuously looking for new ways to be more environmentally friendly and sharing these ideas with our employees and our customers.”
Metz & Associates, Ltd., a premier food service company for the Northeast United States, provides dining and environmental management to clients such as hospitals, assisted living & long-term care facilities, school districts and independent schools, colleges and universities and corporate offices. For more information on Metz & Associates, Ltd., visit our website at www.metzltd.com
