What started with a few varieties of herbs two years ago has turned into a 4,000 square foot sustainable Chef’s Garden providing a large variety of fresh organically grown produce for The Class Act restaurant. — Photo by The Hotel at Kirkwood Center

Increasingly, companies large and small are moving toward more sustainable practices and incorporating "green" initiatives. Ranging from environmentally conscious building materials and sustainable energy systems, all the way down to composting and recycling efforts, green thinking is becoming a way of life.

The Hotel at Kirkwood Center and Class Act Restaurant were both founded on green principles. Several environmentally conscious systems were incorporated into The Hotel's structure, including an advanced heating/cooling system and occupancy sensors. Even a charging station for electric vehicles was recently installed.

On a more basic level, however, is the Class Act Restaurant's mission to use the freshest local ingredients available in most dishes, which is, in the most literal sense of the word, a "green" initiative. With a highly active and successful Kirkwood horticulture program easily accessible, it seemed fairly obvious to incorporate their expertise into that mission.

What started with a few varieties of herbs two years ago has turned into a 4,000 square foot sustainable Chef's Garden providing a large variety of fresh organically grown produce for the restaurant.

"There are so many great elements in this story," said Melanie Ewalt, director of Food and Beverage for both The Hotel and The Class Act, who helped spearhead the Chef's Garden initiative. "Not only are Kirkwood's Culinary Arts and Horticulture students getting practical, hands-on experience working with this garden, we're saving money on purchasing and transportation costs, plus providing our customers with fresh and delicious local produce."

Because the Chef's Garden has only been in production for one year, it cannot yet be certified organic. However, the garden's caretakers, Kirkwood Horticulture faculty member Brian Hazlett and a group of about 20 international students from around the world, say the garden is grown using only sustainable organic practices. That means no chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers.

A program of staggered planting, plant rotations, ingenuity and plain hard work have maximized Iowa's short growing season and every square inch of the garden plot. When one variety is harvested, another takes its place, in order to stay in stride with appetites at the Class Act. "The point is to grow high quality, high producing plants in a small space, while at the same time enriching the soil and controlling pests and disease with tools found only in nature," Hazlett said.

"The produce from our Chef's Garden is top notch," Ewalt said. "This has been a great experience for everyone involved."

But, what happens to those lovely dishes once we're all finished?

Trash is something none of us really enjoy thinking about. However, it is still part of the "green" revolution.

GreenRU, an organic waste diversion program founded in Blairsburg, Iowa, recently approached The Hotel and requested they do a "trash audit."

"What we found out was roughly 80 percent of our trash could be turned to compost and diverted out of the landfill," said Ewalt. "That was a big surprise for us."

The Class Act immediately incorporated compost bins and training for employees. In June 2012 alone, 5,000 lbs of compostable trash was sent to GreenRU for composting, rather than being shipped to the landfill.

More information on The Hotel at Kirkwood Center is available at (319) 848-8700; or via the Web:
www.thehotelatkirkwood.com http://www.thehotelatkirkwood.com

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Lee Belfield
General Manager
319-848-8701
The Hotel at Kirkwood Center