Pepper’s prides itself on being a responsible corporate citizen. We like to help out and giveback to the community that does so much to support us. One of the ways which we try to do this is by “going green” or reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible. A carbon footprint is defined as the amount of greenhouse gas given off by a person or company. By doing a few simple things, we can reduce our footprint drastically and make the world a greener place. There are lots of ways to reduce our carbon footprint—either by using less energy or by switching over to a cleaner renewable source.
We’d like to encourage our Pepper’s supports to think about how they can reduce their impact on the earth by sharing the “green” changes we’ve made at Pepper’s:
Renewable energy: Our Electric supplier, Glacial Energy, has a program in which we pay a premium to buy a percentage of our power from Green e-certified producers. In the past year, Pepper’s Fine Catering has purchased over 86,618 kilowatt hours of renewable energy credits through Glacial Green.
Low energy: We gave our 100 year old historic building in Northborough a facelift by switching all of the lighting to low energy lighting with the help of National Grid. Kitchen equipment can use a lot of energy. When making new equipment purchases, our number one priority is making sure the cost of energy is low. Advances in technology and energy regulation companies such as Energy Star are making a huge difference in products that are available to our industry.
Fuel efficiency: Pepper’s newest van is a highly efficient Freightliner made with the newest Mercedes Benz diesel technology. It gets double the mileage of tradition gas engines. Embracing greener technology is our mantra.
Energy conservation: In much the same spirit of someone shutting off a light bulb when they leave a room, we shut down our equipment when not in use. All of our large walk in refrigerators (seven all together) have computer monitoring devices in cooperation with a program provided by National Grid, to improve efficiency and lower the power demand for chilling of our foods. Refrigeration is further reduced in our off-season, by consolidating foods and shutting down individual walk-ins that are not necessary.
White roof: Pepper’s has a brand new white roof. In 2012 it was time for us to replace our roof. There were plenty of other cheaper alternatives, but true to our philosophy of being a good corporate citizen, we replaced our 8,000 square foot roof with a white roof. White roofs reduce the amount of power required to air condition the building, as a black roof absorbs heat and radiates it into the building. A white roof reflects heat, sending it back into space. Learn more about the benefits of a white roof here.
Reduce reuse recycle: In addition to reducing energy consumption, Pepper’s also reduces its footprint by recycling as much as possible. 1/3 of Pepper’s trash consists of cardboard, which is separated and recycled. All beverage containers and cans are recycled as well.
None of our scraps go to waste either. We have our own organic gardens onsite to grow herbs, vegetables and edible flowers. We use all of our vegetable food scraps in producing organic compost that we use as a natural fertilizer in our gardens. This greatly reduces carbon emissions in the delivery of these products from regional and global suppliers.
These steps may cost a bit more initially, but in the long run they will drastically reduce energy costs. More importantly, they are an investment in the environment of future generations.