SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—Deep-fried foods may not be so good for your waistline, but at least you could be helping the environment when ordering those French Fries at the Fairmont Scottsdale. The resort has launched a new program to convert its kitchen grease into biodiesel, one of the world’s fastest-growing new alternative fuels.
Partnering with local manufacturer AZ BioDiesel, the Fairmont Scottsdale will help to prevent more than 100,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere with the new program. By collecting more than 700 gallons of used cooking oil from the resort’s kitchens, AZ BioDiesel will be able to create nearly 600 gallons of biodiesel monthly; enough to power at least seven diesel vehicles per year.
Formerly, the resort’s grease was collected and shipped out of state. Now it is collected by the locally based biodiesel manufacturer, which converts and sells it in Arizona as a cleaner alternative for diesel vehicles.
“The Fairmont Scottsdale is committed to being good stewards of the environment,” said Bob Foster, general manager of the Fairmont Scottsdale. “And, it’s pretty amazing to think that our kitchen grease can be used to help power school buses and other vehicles.”
The new biodiesel collection program is one of many green initiatives at the Fairmont Scottsdale. Additional recent initiatives include: the adoption of a Desert Tortoise, a threatened species in the Sonoran Desert; the implementation of the resort’s Sonoran Trail, a tour of the resort showcasing its plants and animals; and a stepped-up recycling campaign that generates more than 200 tons of recycled paper, glass, plastics and aluminum each year.
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