Oak View Group – Ariela Gildenson – 2023
Goals
OVG Hospitality engaged EDF’s Climate Corps fellowship program and ReFED to support the company in its commitment to assess and reduce its food waste across its operations. Through case studies, broad research, and data analysis, Ariela was expected to assess scalability and feasibility while adding value to each account.
Solutions
Across 11 weeks, Ariela Gildenson approached the goals with different actions:
- Interviewed employees to understand company dynamics
- Conducted extensive benchmarking and research across the industry
- Built guidelines for a systemic data collection system to establish future baseline measurements
- Designed a comprehensive strategy to reduce waste, including a solutions directory of over 60 initiatives
- Helped the team in the drafting of the corporate sustainability strategy, setting the goals for waste reduction and procurement
Potential Impact
Ariela’s contributions have ignited essential discussions about food waste reduction throughout the company. Through the successful implementation of her proposed data collection system and a thoughtfully crafted blend of waste reduction strategies, OVG Hospitality is positioned to significantly diminish waste across all aspects of its operations.
This comprehensive approach established a series of advantages, encompassing financial gains, streamlined operations, reduced emissions, and a heightened competitive edge.
