Federal Realty Investment Trust
07/16/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/16/2024 10:14
How Santana Row is Leading the Charge in Food Waste Reduction
Challenge accepted
Santana Row, home to Federal Realty's West Coast headquarters, quickly embraced the initiative. Senior Director of West Coast Marketing, Collette Navarrette, was enthusiastic about the potential impact. "We have an opportunity to educate other restaurant owners and landlords on how they can help feed Silicon Valley," she noted. Her efforts in promoting the project and spreading awareness have been crucial in gaining broader support.
The first step was to develop a comprehensive plan involving tenants and food recovery partners, ensuring compliance and collaboration. After a thorough vetting process, the team determined Hunger at Home, a prominent Silicon Valley non-profit, was the ideal partner. Hunger at Home's mission is to collect surplus food from local businesses and redistribute it to those in need through a network of nonprofit partners. Since 2015, they have repurposed enough food to provide 12.6 million meals, making them perfect allies for Santana Row's sustainability goals.
In just three months, significant progress had been made. These efforts resulted in a rush of tenant compliance, including noteworthy participants Sugarfina, Boba Guys, Vintage Wine Bar, and Starbucks. By June, Santana Row had achieved nearly 100% compliance, with over 30 food-serving tenants securing food recovery partners.
"We saw SB 1383 not just as a regulatory requirement, but as an opportunity to drive meaningful change within our community," shared Runa.
"By simplifying the process with a food recovery partner and providing ample support, we've empowered our food tenants to participate in the food recovery initiative. Achieving this level of adoption has significantly reduced food waste and supported those in need, and we're proud of the positive impact we've made together."
Runa Brakaj, Senior Area Manager of Operations, Santana RowA holistic approach to sustainability
The success of this initiative is due to thoughtful planning. Runa and her team crafted contracts that balanced tenant convenience, ethical food recovery practices, and the professionalism of partnering agencies. They also emphasized that food waste safe for human consumption should be donated, while ensuring that food viable for sale remained unaffected. This approach safeguarded tenant profits and sustainability for all parties involved.
Since January, Santana Row has facilitated the recovery of food equivalent to nearly 2,000 meals, reducing carbon emissions by 7,735 pounds and saving 1,018 thousand gallons of water.
Ewell Sterner, Founder and CEO of Hunger at Home, stressed the impact of the partnership: "Santana Row's commitment to food recovery has significantly boosted our efforts to combat food insecurity in Silicon Valley. Their proactive approach and seamless collaboration have set a new standard for community engagement and sustainability."
Value for tenants
Santana Row's food-supplying tenants have expressed satisfaction with the program, sharing their enthusiasm for the cause as well as their landlord's practical approach to achieving compliance.
"Being part of Santana Row's restaurant community and their leadership in food recovery efforts is deeply meaningful to us, both culturally and spiritually. Donating food is the first step to creating a better life for all."
Representative from Straits Restaurants"We are thrilled to be working with Hunger at Home. Our community is at the core of everything we do and we're dedicated to both minimizing waste and ensuring [people] are well-fed."
Representative from OzumoLeading by example
Santana Row's proactive response to SB 1383 showcases Federal Realty's dedication to innovation, partnership, and enhancing tenant value. By setting new standards in food waste reduction, we've demonstrated that responsible and forward-thinking operations can foster tenant success and benefit the wider community. "At Santana Row, we excel in creating unique environments that support our tenants and engage the community," shared Collette, Senior Director of West Coast Marketing. "Our boots-on-the-ground approach and strong tenant partnerships make Federal Realty a leader in curating vibrant, sustainable destinations."
As we look ahead, we remain committed to shaping dynamic spaces that thrive and create lasting value for our communities, tenants, visitors, and investors alike.