In 2024, we formalized our PPCC Action Plan and kicked off a Pilot Program with strategies to target the driving contributors of food emissions. We’re proud to report over 22% reductions in our menu emissions year-over-year, a total savings of 188,252 kg CO2e and 2.4 kg CO2e per guest served at our events!

Read more about our progress in our Annual Emissions Report below:

The post Our Annual Carbon Impact Report first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

One of our biggest goals this year was to further curtail single-use plastics in our company. Finding viable alternatives is an ongoing priority and we’re beyond proud to share that we…
• Launched a full line of “reusables” inventory, including food vessels, cutlery, and cupware, to use on events and internally
• Designed biodegradable snack bags created solely from plant byproducts
• Upgraded our bar program by transitioning to aluminum cans for water and soft drinks

Say Hello to the Water that Does More

We composted 8,802 pounds of food scraps in just the last four months! This fall, we partnered with Afterlife Mushrooms, a local indoor mushroom farm, who’s helping us conquer one of our top sustainability goals: expanding our composting program across our events throughout the city! With their help, we’re now supplying the compost to grow the beautiful and tasty mushrooms featured in our menus. A true circle of life story!

Creating a Circular Food System with Afterlife Mushrooms

Selected from hundreds of NYC-based food businesses, we proudly signed on as an inaugural signatory to New York City’s Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge and committed to reducing the carbon emissions from our menus by 25% by 2030. This initiative has empowered our Green Team with the support and resources to take our sustainability efforts to the next level.

Our 25% Carbon Cut: NYC’s Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge

Through our ongoing partnership with Billion Oyster Project, we recirculated 1,040 pounds of shells into NY Harbor, contributing to the restoration of over 122 million oysters in our local aquatic ecosystem. This effort helps filter our local waters by supporting a thriving oyster population, and by extension, other marine wildlife as well. In total, we’ve collected over 208,000 oyster shells from our events—always a crowd favorite!

A Drop in the (Blue) Bucket to Restore NY Harbor

For the second year, we reached our plastic-neutral goal by cleaning up 6,000 pounds of plastic pollution, ensuring proper recycling and preventing it from being openly burnt, dumped, or ending up in our oceans. Our cleanup efforts directly support the North Sulawesi community in northern Indonesia, one of the world’s most biodiverse marine environments and, sadly, one of the most impacted by plastic pollution. Two years ago, nearly 48% of non-recyclable waste in this community ended up in landfills. We are proud to say we’ve helped reduce that to roughly 3-7% in 2024!

World Oceans Day: Our Plastic Neutral Pledge!

At TPC, sustainability extends beyond reducing food waste and plastics. Our goal is to think creatively to create a completely circular event process. This year, we continued our partnership with Materials for the Arts, donating decor and other event materials to local students, art programs, and non-profits to reuse creatively in their artistic endeavors.

One Event’s Trash is Another’s Masterpiece

We also began a new partnership with RETI Center in Brooklyn, repurposing corks from our bars to create floating gardens along the NYC coastline. This initiative helps clean our waterways, reduces landfill waste, and creates safe habitats for wildlife to thrive.

From Wine to Water: Recycling our Corks with RETI Center

Our Green Team not only talks the talk, but we walk the walk by continuously educating ourselves, our clients, and our industry. Our website, our menus, and even our event contracts explain our commitment to these sustainability initiatives because for Preti, what we do is about so much more than catering. Keep an eye out for our upcoming Sustainability panels, events, and more in 2025!

The post 2024 Wrapped: Sustainability Edition first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

The Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge is designed to galvanize the private sector in slashing carbon emissions from our food system, responsible for a third of greenhouse gasses globally (UNFAO).

As an inaugural member of this game-changing program, Thomas Preti Events to Savor has committed to cut the carbon footprint of our menus by 25% by 2030.

This bold goal is a promise to our people and to our planet that we’re committed to ambitious, collective action to fight climate change. We are proud to stand among incredible organizations from across our industry that are leading the charge toward a greener future.

In coordination with NYC’s Office of Food Policy and Greener by Default, we are developing a formal action plan to reach this target, which includes regularly measuring our carbon footprint, designing climate-friendly, plant-forward menus, and reporting on our progress over time.

“We’re beyond honored to be recognized by the city for our commitment to sustainable catering,” said Tommy Preti, co-founder of our Green Team. “We’ve always felt that moving the needle on climate change is all about building partnerships with other businesses and organizations who want to make a difference, and this initiative perfectly aligns with that vision.”

“Catering to our future” (as we like to say at Preti) means finding win-wins for our palates and our planet. This bold initiative reinforces our mission to show by example that long-term thinking and responsible action are what will create the best experiences for our clients, our community, and our company!

Stay tuned for updates on this exciting new journey as we contribute to a greener New York, one bite at a time.

The post Our 25% Carbon Cut: NYC’s Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

Founded by Banskota and Pratik Rijal, the Nepal Tea Collective is more than just a tea company. It’s a movement with a mission to lift one million farmers out of poverty within their generation. This immigrant-owned business, established in 2016 and based in New York, is disrupting traditional supply chains to ensure fair wages and sustainable practices from leaf to cup.

What sets Nepal Tea Collective apart is its unwavering commitment to people and planet before profit. By prioritizing organic cultivation and fair trade practices, they’ve turned once impoverished communities into thriving ecosystems. By partnering with Nepal Tea, we’re not only serving exceptional tea, but also supporting a cause we deeply believe in!

One of the most inspiring aspects of Nepal Tea Collective’s approach is their dedication to transparency and traceability. Each tea bag comes with a QR code that allows consumers to learn about the farmers who picked their tea and the region it comes from. This connection between producer and consumer fosters a sense of accountability and empowerment, reinforcing the values of sustainability and ethical sourcing.

Not only does Nepal Tea Collective prioritize social impact, but they also deliver exceptional quality and taste. Their loose-leaf teas and organic blends have garnered international recognition, winning numerous awards for their richness and complexity of flavors. And with their commitment to plastic-free packaging made from fully compostable materials, every sip of Nepal Tea is a step towards a greener future.

For Thomas Preti, partnering with Nepal Tea Collective means more than just upgrading to a premium beverage for our events. It’s about aligning our values with like-minded companies and collectively striving to make a difference in the world. Whether it’s a corporate meeting, gala, or social gathering, we’re proud to exclusively serve Nepal Teas, knowing that each cup supports a brighter future for tea farmers and our planet.

At a time when responsible action is more important than ever, our partnership with Nepal Tea Collective represents a meaningful step towards positive change. Together, we aim to prove that businesses can thrive while prioritizing social and environmental responsibility. So please join us in raising a cup of Nepal Tea, and let’s sip with purpose towards a better tomorrow!

The post Sustainabili-Tea: Sip with Purpose first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

Open Water’s mission is to fight ocean plastic pollution by eliminating one billion plastic bottles over the next five years. In addition to being Women Owned, Minority Owned, and LGBT inclusive, Open Water has numerous superlatives that align with our sustainability goals at Preti:

Plastic drink bottles and their plastic caps are the number one and number two top items found in beach clean ups. In fact, 91% of plastics never make it to the recycling bin and mostly end up in oceans and landfills. A portion Open Water sales is donated to their ocean clean up projects, which perfectly compliments our company’s goal to remove 6,000 lbs of plastic pollution this year!

But Open Water isn’t just committed to protecting our oceans; they’re at the forefront of offsetting environmental emissions as a whole. Their innovative and thoughtful packaging, production, distribution is 100% carbon neutral. They also champion infinite recycling, as aluminum–unlike plastic or cartons–can go right back into producing another identical bottle. Plus they are BPA-free, meaning they can be safely refilled, which makes Open Water ideal for all-day events and grab-and-go stations.

One more thing we love about Open Water: the taste! Open Water goes through a multi-step purification and remineralization process that creates a deliciously crisp and smooth experience. Each can is packed with natural electrolytes and has a neutral pH to match the healthy pH of your body. The sleek cans are available in both still and sparkling and are a first of their kind.

The post Say Hello to the Water that Does More first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

Did you know that 15,000 disposable cups are produced and thrown away EVERY SECOND…and less than 5% are ultimately recycled? Thanks to our incredible partners, Cup Zero, we’ve been able to expand our sustainability mission with their full line of infinitely reusable cups, plates, and flatware at our events in both our front- and back-of-house!

Cup Zero makes it easy to ditch single-use cold and hot cups (with lids!) with their full service “reusables” program in New York City. Their offerings include multiple cup sizes with custom branding options, turnkey reuse logistics like collection bins and delivery totes, and they even handle drop off, pickup, and cleaning. And maybe best of all, they’re our neighbor around the corner from our commissary in Long Island City.

We are happy to share that single-use plastic cups have been cut from our company’s inventory. Our old “disposables” have been replaced with Cup Zero’s elegant and durable cups, which can be custom branded for any event with your mitzvah monogram or corporate logo. This means we can offer our clients a sustainable solution that is more cost effective than rental glassware, making Cup Zero a win-win! This partnership not only allows our team to make a difference, but also includes our clients and their guests in improving the environmental footprint of our events.

For your next event, please ask about Cup Zero and help us continue building the future of sustainable events, one cup at a time.

Cheers!

The post Ditching Single-Use Plastics with Cup Zero first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

A year ago, we made our Plastic Pledge to become New York City’s first plastic neutral-catering facility. Today, we are so proud to have achieved this goal with our official CleanHub Plastic-Neutral Certification! CleanHub is, “the first plastic credit system verified by industry leaders in auditing environmental impact TÜV SÜD, bringing a new level of transparency and rigor to the plastic credit market” (cleanhub.com).

We have been working with CleanHub to slash our company’s plastic usage and measure our remaining footprint at regular intervals. With those calculations, we teamed up with the No Trash Triangle Initiative so that every pound of plastic we consume and recycle is matched with a pound of plastic removed from polluting our oceans.

The No Trash Triangle Initiative protects the Coral Triangle, one of the world’s most biodiverse marine ecosystems in South East Asia. In addition to constant coastal, river, and beach clean-ups, the No Trash Triangle Initiative educates local communities about the environmental and health impacts of plastic pollution. Sadly, for many of these communities, the No Trash Triangle is the only resource for proper waste management and recycling infrastructure.

So far in 2023, we have collected over 1,500lbs of plastic pollution, equivalent to about 75,000 plastic bottles! We are well on our way to achieve our goal of removing 6,000lbs of plastic waste and making our Earth a little bit cleaner. We may be local New Yorkers, but our impact is becoming global.

The post Earth Day 2023: Plastic Neutral Update first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

Growing populations and the loss of farmable land mass have led to a modern resurgence, particularly in dense urban areas. This often incorporates controlled-environment agriculture, which aims to optimize plant growth and soilless farming techniques. Common structures that house vertical farming systems include buildings, shipping containers, tunnels, and abandoned mine shafts.

The benefits of vertical farming are abundant. Aside from farming and harvesting in a smaller geographical footprint, vertical farming has greatly enhanced our sustainable supply chain by allowing us to circumvent industrial agriculture and its soil degradation, excessive pesticides, and long-haul transportation.

There are 3 common types of vertical farming:

Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants without dirt. In hydroponic systems, the roots of plants are submerged in liquid solutions containing macronutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, as well as trace elements.

Aquaponics combines two concepts: aquaculture, which refers to fish farming, and hydroponics, growing plants without soil.

Aeroponics was invented by NASA in the 1990s to efficiently grow plants in space. Unlike prior techniques, aeroponics does not require any liquid or solid medium. Instead, a liquid solution with nutrients is misted over plants suspended in air chambers. Aeroponics is the most sustainable soilless growing process.

At Thomas Preti, we partner with several local vertical farms, including Brooklyn Grange, Gotham Greens, and Smallhold. Each has a fascinating approach to vertical farming in New York City.

Brooklyn Grange, with farms in Brooklyn and Queens, operates the world’s largest soil-based rooftop collective. Their season has multiple harvests of hyper-seasonal vegetables and micro greens. Natural pollination is provided through rooftop apiaries, which has an ancillary benefit of amazing honey, which we feature on menus like our cheese and charcuterie boards.

Gotham Greens operates 550,000 square feet of greenhouses throughout 5 states and can be found in NYC, Chicago, Baltimore, and Colorado. Specializing in leafy greens, the local harvest provides first-day harvest and second-day delivery. This partnership enables us to proudly assert that ingredients from Gotham Greens go from harvest to plate within 24 hours.

Smallhold is a mushroom farm housed in an unassuming Brooklyn warehouse. Our culinary team recently had the pleasure of touring their facility. Smallhold uses a simple method to germinate their mushrooms and maintains them in a temperature- and light-controlled environment. We exclusively use Smallhold’s mushrooms at Preti. And, like Gotham Greens, we can say that whatever we source from this local farm hits our clients’ plates in a very short turnaround.

These innovative local farms empower us to deliver rapid harvest-to-plate times, which avoids food waste typical of long-haul produce and promotes untreated natural ingredients free from industrial farming additives.

As chefs in NYC, never did we think we’d be able to take an agrarian approach to our ingredients and the dishes we create. But thanks to these incredible partners, now we do.

The post Vertical Farming in the Big Apple first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

To recognize all the heart and dedication our team has invested in this effort, we’d like to highlight just a few of our proudest accomplishments:

• Coming into 2022, our “Green Team” was tasked with reimagining our culinary philosophy to design every new menu item with sustainability at the fore. After 36 years of culinary tradition, that wasn’t always easy…
• This greener approach led us to introduce hyper-seasonal and plant based menus, featuring ingredients like alternative meats, milk, and eggs as well as produce from innovative vertical urban farms, like Brooklyn-based mushroom farm Smallhold.

• Our culinary team rebuilt our food sourcing around local farms and purveyors (<250 miles from NYC) and launched an ethical protein program for our meat & poultry (D’Artagnan, Green Circle) and seafood (Lobster Place, Ōra King).
• Since partnering with Billion Oyster Project this spring, we’ve recirculated over 900 lbs of oyster shells into New York Harbor to help revitalize the oyster population, key to restoring the ecosystem and cleaning our local waters!

• For our other organic byproducts, we revamped our commissary’s composting system to eliminate food waste and divert organic material back into the soil. And after our events, RLC (Rescuing Leftover Cuisine) is on call to redistribute any excess food to people experiencing food insecurity.
• In June, we announced our Plastic Pledge to become New York City’s first Certified Plastic Neutral Caterer! After months of slashing plastics from our inventory and measuring our plastic footprint, we officially teamed up with CleanHub to offset our remaining plastic usage by sponsoring the cleanup of plastic pollution before it reaches our oceans.

• This fall, we proudly became Founding Members of MUSE (Members United for Sustainable Events), joining with passionate, like-minded event professionals to help build a sustainable future for the events industry through education, inspiration, and community building.

Our Green Team kicked off the year with the mantra, “the journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step.” Looking back now, it’s safe to say we got our steps in!

While there is still a long road ahead, we’re incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made simply by putting one foot in front of the last. With the lessons learned along the way, Thomas Preti Events to Savor is eager to continue this journey into 2023 and beyond. So, stay tuned–the party’s just getting started!

The post 2022 Wrapped: The Green Edition first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.