Food service firm ARAMARK Corporation (NYSE:RMK) today announced its support of World Environment Day -- June 5, 2005 -- through its commitment to national programs such as RecycleMania and LaundryESP, as well as through the company's own PlanetEVERgreen initiative.
PHILADELPHIA — Food service firm ARAMARK Corporation (NYSE:RMK) today announced its support of World Environment Day -- June 5, 2005 -- through its commitment to national programs such as RecycleMania and LaundryESP, as well as through the company's own PlanetEVERgreen initiative.
World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to raise awareness of environmental issues.
The company worked with five of its clients -- higher education institutions -- to compete in RecycleMania 2005, which challenges colleges and universities to collect recyclables from residence halls, on-campus apartments and dining halls. ARAMARK's participating clients included:
-- Northwest Missouri State University, which finished in fourth place in the recycling rate competition, with a recycling rate of 36.26 percent.
-- Oregon State University, which finished in fourth place in the highest per capita competition, with more than 53 pounds of material recycled per student.
-- St. Xavier University (IL), which finished in 11th place in the per capita competition.
-- Villanova University (PA), which finished in 21st place in the per capita competition and 22nd in the recycling rate competition.
-- Washington University (MO), which finished in 34th place in the per capita competition.
RecycleMania is designed to provide students with a fun way to reduce waste. This year, about 50 colleges participated in the event from January 30 to April 5, 2005. Each week, participating schools reported their results in terms of the pounds recycled per student living on campus.
RecycleMania is organized and operated by university recycling coordinators, is supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WasteWise program, and is fully endorsed by the College and University Recycling Council of the National Recycling Coalition.
ARAMARK Uniform Services is a charter member of LaundryESP (Laundry Environmental Stewardship Program), voluntary pollution prevention program designed to enhance the environmental performance of textile service and supply companies. ARAMARK Uniform Services is a division of ARAMARK Uniform & Career Apparel Inc., a subsidiary of ARAMARK Corporation.
LaundryESP was created by the Uniform Textile Service Association (UTSA) and the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA), two leading professional organizations in the textile rental industry. The program focuses on the removal of pollutants before they enter the laundry facility, as well as on quantifiable goals for reducing the use of water, energy and washroom chemicals.
LaundryESP allows companies of all sizes to choose from a variety of environmentally conscious initiatives, then tailor those initiatives to their own operations. The UTSA and TRSA, as well as their member companies, work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), local water treatment authorities, customers, trade groups, environmental groups, and other stakeholders on local implementations of LaundryESP to ensure the program's success.
ARAMARK also has been recognized for its environmental efforts at national parks and resorts, and for its commitment to environmental initiatives through its PlanetEVERgreen environmental management system.
PlanetEVERgreen comprises four key elements for environmental management: waste management, reduction and recycling; sustainable building and facilities design and construction; guest education on a park's ecological initiatives; and the provision of sustainable cuisine. Sustainable cuisine is food grown and harvested in ways that are healthful and minimally impact the environment, such as organic fruits and vegetables, Hearst grass-fed beef from free-range cattle, and seafood that is not under threat of extinction.
ARAMARK Corporation provides food and facilities management services to health care institutions, universities, school districts, stadiums and arenas, and corporations. The company also provides uniform and career apparel. ARAMARK has more than 242,000 employees, and had 2004 sales of more than $10 billion.
Source: ARAMARK Corporation, Hoover's
