Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort, has installed an advanced hydroponic farm on site.
The hotel is doubling down on its sustainability endeavours and trying to increase its share of locally sourced produce.
The hotel will grow its fresh produce on-site, allowing it to harvest fresh produce such as lettuce, herbs, and microgreens. Guests visiting Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island dining venues, including multi-cuisine restaurant White, can enjoy dishes made with ingredients sourced daily from the farm.
Savino Leone, general manager at Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort said: “At Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort, we are committed to investing in eco-conscious solutions across our operations and supply chain.
“Our goal is to use precious resources as responsibly as possible, and the launch of our own onsite hydroponic farm is a key step towards reducing our carbon footprint and water usage whilst providing the freshest produce and tastiest ingredients for our discerning guests.”
The reason behind the move is hydroponic production’s ability to enable a more sustainable method of sourcing ingredients. It ensures consistent quality all year long since it is not dependent on nature’s extreme weather conditions.
Additionally, it helps reduce water consumption by up to 90 percent, as no soil is required for farming, while further reducing the carbon footprint created by traditional transportation methods used for distribution. This allows shorter window from harvest to consumption and more fresh produce with higher nutritional value and better taste.
“The initiative serves as a symbol of the resort’s dedication, not just for environmental preservation, but also to leading the way toward a more environmentally conscious future in the hospitality industry,” the hotel says.
Other sustainable initiatives
The hydroponic farm is just one of a host of sustainable practices implemented by Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island, which holds ISO 21,401:2018 Certification on Sustainability covering overs a broad spectrum of operational systems and impact including biodiversity, energy efficiency, waste management, water use, and emissions.
The resort is also committed to eliminating single-use plastic across its operations. In addition to the removal of plastic straws and the transition to sustainable packaging, the resort provides guests with filtered, still and sparkling water in reusable sports bottles which can be refilled at the resort’s water stations and has removed single-use plastic packaging from the room mini-bars.
This dedication to sustainability has resulted in Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort becoming the only resort in the Middle East to be awarded ‘Straw Free’, ‘Sustainability Steward’, and ‘Ocean Champion’ by global NGO, The Oceanic Standard, Jumeirah says.
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