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Four Seasons Philadelphia Gets Greener and We Don't Mean Richer

Where: 1 Logan Square [map], Philadelphia, PA, United States, 19103

Perhaps bored with the usual hotel green policies like the note cards to remind you to keep your electricity and water use down and those that encourage you not to ask for new towels or linens, a hotel in Philadelphia is taking a different route in being green--composting.

The Four Seasons Philadelphia takes all leftovers to Pennsylvania farmer Ned Foley who turns it into compost.

In a waste audit of the Four Seasons last year, [a consultant] found that the hotel was doing a good job of recycling paper, cardboard, bottles and cans. But that amounted to only 3 percent to 5 percent of its waste by weight, because so much of what was going into the trash bin was heavy food.

The Four Seasons started working with Foley in February and diverted 10,000 pounds of kitchen waste from the landfill for the month. Based on that, [it's] estimated that the hotel's recycling rate for the year would be in the 30 percent to 35 percent range, and would save $15,000 to $20,000 in dumping fees.

Even better the Four Seasons agreed to take some of Foley's compost and use it in their flower beds and herb gardens. Not that we like to get all soft about the Four Seasons (their Hotel WiFi policy is horrible) but being green is just one way into our hearts.

Related Stories:
· Hotel table scraps turned into compost [Cumberlink via Philly Inquirer]