2019年优秀园林成就

农场到桌进展

在过去的一年中，园艺在园艺中成为公司集体可持续发展计划的重要组成部分，以便在房屋内养成食物的食物，供应更健康的膳食，这些膳食较少，这些膳食较少。

As society becomes more environmentally conscious, the phrases “farm-to-table” or “farm-to-fork” seem to be popping up everywhere. Restaurants, school cafeterias, and now more and more corporate eating establishments are joining the movement that supports food systems, from production to consumption, that better the environmental, social, economic, and nutritional health of a particular place or community.¹

“We sat down with the Merit Café team and estimated how much produce the café uses per week and then calculated how many plants we would need to at least cover a percentage of that produce,” says Laura Flower, Merit Garden Program Coordinator.

从7月下旬到10月初，Merit Garden计划每周收获两到三次，并根据计划数量的目标向MeritCafé发产。2019年，1370磅的产生从优秀花园种植并用于健康的饭菜对于我们的员工。

“By using our own produce, we lowered the amount we’d normally have to order from our food supplier, which saved money and was better quality, too,” says Lindy Whitley, Sous Chef at Merit Medical. “We used Merit Garden produce daily as part of an entrée or in soups. We’d turn tomatoes into fresh salsa. We also used the produce to make fresh veggie cups and to stock the salad bar. It feels good being able to cook with the best ingredients.”

Merit’s Chief Wellness Officer and on-site nutritionist have also joined the program, working with the Merit Café team to provide menu options that are both healthy and appealing. Home-grown garden items are clearly labeled with a Merit Garden sticker, so employees can easily identify them.

因为在峰值成熟时收获生产，它比从遥远的食物转换为食品更营养。一旦收获蔬菜或水果，营养成分开始分解并继续这样做，直到食物被吃掉。²抛出冗长的运输时间，在商店显示的时间，然后在家里储存，以及食品消费者的营养水平可以显着减少。^3.

更重要的是，美国环境保护局报告称，运输是美国温室气体排放的主要来源之一，2017年占28.9％。^4.他们写的交通排放主要来自燃烧的化石燃料，为我们的汽车，卡车，船舶，火车和飞机。^4.

“犹他州的蔬菜中只有两个百分之三的水果实际上在州内发展，”Flower女士说。“将此组成部分添加到我们的花园中，我们允许我们邀请员工参加城市农业，这是一种有效的方法，以便在重振社区和经济的同时保持食物的有效和可持续的方式。”

期待

一年在他们的腰带,价值一个花园nd Merit Café teams are now fine-tuning the program by growing more of what the kitchen needs and planting a greater diversity of produce—in essence, dedicating every last inch of garden space to feeding people and striving for zero food loss.

New this season, the Merit Garden Program team has dedicated a portion of growing space to a U-Pick section, where employees can exchange a bit of weeding for a basket of produce. “It allows employees who do not have time for a garden box to still enjoy the garden and receive free produce in exchange for weeding,” Ms. Flower says.

今年，对U-Pick Garden有超过200次访问，超过了1,100磅的员工带回家to share with family and friends. “We’re excited to make the garden more accessible to the greatest number of people here at Merit,” Ms. Flower says.

喂养社区

With a zero food-loss policy, leftover produce isn’t ever a problem. “We donate surplus produce to a local mobile farm stand that helps senior centers and feeds the larger community,” Ms. Flower continues. This year,4.00 lb of produce捐赠了to local low-income senior centers.

此外，捐赠了120磅的显着受损或不可能的产品to a local animal rescue facility to help feed resident farm animals.

“We’re hoping these practices all will have a great ripple effect,” Ms. Flower says.

Helping Fellow Employees

植物销售全年出现在优点。这些包括夏季和秋季销售以及致力于假日一品红的人。这些销售和其他筹款机会的所有收益都有利于Merit的糖果甘蔗计划，帮助您在节日期间有需要的员工。到目前为止，we’ve raised $8,800到2019年底，目的是达到近10,000美元的目标。

其他值得注意的优秀花园计划成就

• 796总优秀园丁|Since its start in 2016, the Merit Garden has had a total of 796 employees participate, with 38% returning each year and 62% new to the garden. Out of the approximately 2,000 employees at Merit Salt Lake City, 25% of employees have taken advantage of this benefit.
• 20次研讨会/烹饪课程|Ga的优点rden Program offers monthly educational gardening workshops and cooking classes to employees. Topics include fruit tree pruning, patio gardening, food preservation techniques, healthy cooking skills, and more. In 2019, we hosted nearly 20 workshops and cooking classes.
• 制备了80个花布置|Ga的优点rden Program also grows many decorative plants for employees to enjoy. In 2019, 80 flower arrangements were prepared for employees to purchase and put in their offices, take home, and give as gifts.
• 700 Plants Grown for Campus Flower Beds |Hundreds of plants are grown each year to help keep our Salt Lake City facility beautiful. This year, the Merit Garden Program grew 700 plants specifically for campus flowerbeds.
• 7,500家植物在温室种植|所有植物在酒店内的所有植物都在现场，最先进的温室。从生产员工和高级中心到植物的年度销售，今年优秀温室的7,500家植物已经发展。

Ga的优点rden Program is one more way we put employee health and happiness first. Visit ourEmployee Wellness, Health & Safety page更多了解我们如何关心我们的团队。