The canteen kitchen of the Caritas-Marienstift retirement home strives for environmentally friendly operation
Rheine.cpr. In times of climate change, the issues of sustainability and environmental protection are becoming increasingly important in many areas. This is also the case in the canteen kitchen of the Caritas-Marienstift retirement home. Around 400 meals are cooked there every day to supply the residents, as well as various daycare centers in the surrounding area and the Caritas soup kitchen on weekends. Thomas Schwert, kitchen manager at the large kitchen of the Caritas Marienstift, is convinced that large kitchens have more opportunities to make a difference in terms of sustainability simply because of their size.
Potential savings have already been identified in many places. For example, energy-efficient, and in some cases even multifunctional, equipment is in use in the commercial kitchen to enable the most energy-efficient operation possible. The dishwasher, for example, uses heat recovery to help heat the hot water. There is also a high level of awareness when it comes to waste: once a week, kitchen waste is collected from the Caritas Marienstift and then fed into a biogas plant in Emsland.
“We all have to do something,” says Susanne Wiegard, head of housekeeping at Caritas Marienstift. It is never too late to act sustainably, even in old age. That’s why residents are already offered alternatives at lunch several times a week, including vegetarian dishes. They are currently in a transition phase, but notice that acceptance is increasing over time. In older generations in particular, meat is still strongly associated with prosperity. “We therefore see it as a learning process,” Wiegard said. She wants to take steps in the right direction and bring people along with her.
Due to persistent heat waves in Europe, many foods are currently unavailable, Schwert continues. However, long delivery routes are rather harmful to the climate anyway. The employees at the senior citizens’ residential facility therefore try to focus on more biodiversity and to use seasonal fruit and vegetables. For example, during the “Spring Week,” only seasonal foods are put on the plate for one week. “Our clientele still knows many original, regional vegetables,” Wiegard says. “When the demand for regional fruits and vegetables increases, it also provides more biodiversity. By alternating the cultivation of different crops, also called crop rotation, the soil can recover better.”
“Things are getting better all the time, but not overnight,” says kitchen manager Schwert, summing up the state of affairs in “his” kitchen. Nevertheless, there is already a high level of awareness in the large kitchen of the Caritas Marienstift for the search for improvement possibilities, savings potential and future developments. “We are not alone on the planet,” Wiegard is also aware.