Dear Hospitality Industry,

Don’t get me wrong, you’re one of the best industries to be a part of, but I also have an ethic issue with how you run yourself. Did you know that you are responsible for 2.5 billion pounds of food waste a year? That’s 1.3 billion meals a year. You are the industry with the biggest amount of waste not only in the food service department but electrical, paper, and water waste in the entire world. But what makes this worse is so many of your establishments around the world, whether it be a hotel, restaurant, cruise ship, or all inclusive resort, refuse to make a change and cut back on all of this waste. Did you know that 27% of all food waste in the world comes from your industry? Or that 70% of that waste is avoidable? Many chefs and managers argue that it takes a whole lot more time and money to recycle and cut back on waste, when in the long run it can save you thousands and thousands of dollars when it comes down to it. Yes, it does take more time, but when the environment is collapsing no one should turn a blind eye. Your industry brings so much love and happiness to people all over the world and it would be such a shame for these families to have a world completely full of waste, a lot of which comes from your hand. There are so many ways that we can cut back on waste in this industry. From using recycled paper ware, to solar panels, to recycling – there are so many options. Correctly label and date food, donate extra food to a soup kitchen, or serve left over buffet as an employee meal to avoid wasting the food that is a luxury to us, but not to others. I love this industry, and making people happy, and helping them create memories that will last forever, but I cannot continue on silently as we waste so much. This is myself, and many others calling for a change in your actions. Let's work this out and figure it out together.

Let’s save the world,

The Distressed Industry Employee