LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTS HONORED BY LOS ANGELES COUNTY WITH GREEN LEADERSHIP AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EFFORTS
(Los Angeles, California – April 29, 2015) Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) was honored with an annual Green Leadership Award on April 28 by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for “its outstanding and innovative environmental sustainability project.” The LAX Harvest Food Program benefits homeless and low-income families. HMSHost and the Hudson Group spearheaded the food-donation program at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
“The Green Leadership Awards were established by the Board in 2008 to promote citizen involvement in conservation and the protection of our natural resources,” said Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. The award was presented to LAWA representatives in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administrative in downtown Los Angeles.
LAWA representatives who attended the awards ceremony included: Scott Tatro, Airport Environmental Manager II; Carolyn Lin and Marjorie Phan, Environmental Affairs Officers; Erica Blyther, Environmental Supervisor II; and Lisette Maliwat and Nancy Price, Environmental Specialists II; all of the Environmental and Land Use Planning Division.
HMSHost, the original member organization of this program, began donating high-quality, unsold, individually-wrapped food in May 2012. Hudson Group joined in April 2014. LAWA began actively promoting the LAX Harvest Food Donation Program in the hope that other airport tenants would also participate.
“By donating high quality, unsold food, the food is sent to local organizations that help those in need while minimizing the amount of food waste sent to a local landfill,” said Environmental Affairs Officer Lin, who coordinates the program at LAX.
Third-party vendor, Food Donation Connection, worked with HMS Host and Hudson Group to develop the process and supplies for their programs, and also linked with other local charities to receive donated food items.
Since May 2012, LAWA and its partners have donated more than 178,000 food items weighing a total of 87,514 pounds.
“Local charities are placed on a schedule so that the donated food is picked up by a charity every day. Currently, the food donated through this program is individually wrapped, but it is not a requirement,” Lin said. “Containers can be provided by Food Donation Connection for larger portions of food. Everything is weighed, logged, and put into larger tubs for pickup.”
Since the inception of this program at LAX, receiving charities that have included: U.S. Vets of Inglewood; Vickers Foundation, which serves victims of domestic abuse; Oceangate Southern Baptist, which feeds homeless; and Much More Bounce, which serves youth in need, and offers programs and services for females.
“We continue to recruit more concessionaires and restaurants at LAX to join this worthy program,” Lin said.
For more information or to join the LAX Harvest Food Donation Program, please contact Carolyn Lin at clin@lawa.org or at (424)-646-6480.
