Minor kitchen changes, major water savings

When University of California, Santa Cruz’s dining services received its water usage allotment of 4.86 million gallons from the university to use from May 1 to Oct. 31, 2014, dining staff had to budget wisely—it was 7 percent less than they’d been given the previous year. But small equipment adjustments and training allowed them to beat that goal, using just 4.23 million gallons—a 19 percent decrease in usage.  “It’s taken extremely seriously,” says Clint Jeffries, unit manager and department sustainability manager for UC Santa Cruz Dining. “Not just in Santa Cruz, but the entire state.”

Here are some ways to tackle the larger challenge of conserving water by making small changes throughout the kitchen.

1. Flight machines

Instead of continually running water from the machine’s flume after meal service, Ami Bhow, associate director of nutrition and food services at University of California San Francisco Medical Center at Mission Bay, instructs employees to dry-scrape waste from plates in batches and use the flume for 20 minutes at a time. In addition to saving water, this method makes composting more effective as less waste is washed down the drain. Meanwhile, Jeffries says he tells his staff to shut off flight machines during slow periods.

2. Kitchen staff

Both Jeffries and Bhow also teach their employees to speak up immediately when equipment leaks are spotted so they can be patched quickly. “Those leaks are going to happen, but it’s an easy way to make sure you don’t waste water,” Jeffries says. 

3. Tray washing

At Mission Bay, a stationary cart collects used trays after each delivery round and returns them to the kitchen once or twice per shift for batch washing instead of constantly cleaning soiled trays. This method has reduced tray-cleaning efforts by 90 percent.

4. Pasta cookers

Using a drop-in pasta cooker that resembles a deep fryer instead of a large steam kettle gets the same job done with less water, because it doesn’t need to be refilled each time, Jeffries says. “You’re still going to find the same foods being served, but it’s just a different way of [preparing] it.” Three of his five dining halls use the drop-in machines for reheating pasta and cooking smaller, made-to-order batches.

5. Hand-washing sinks

Jeffries swapped out the aerators and added faucet adaptors, which minimize water flow and use one-third less water.

6. Rack warewashers

Jeffries holds seminars three times a year to refresh protocols for existing staff and bring new members up to speed. This ensures that all dining department workers, including 175 full-time employees and 800 students, are using the water-saving tactics. He teaches staff to place glassware and sheet pans facedown in the rack dishwashers—a move that can save 6 gallons per wash.