Green Crew Hero,Jonathan Darr, CEO of Love Catering.
Green The Bid Crew Heroes is a series that highlights individuals who bring sustainable practices on set and seek to inspire others to do the same. Production can’t happen without crew-members, and the same is true of their support of Green The Bid. Here Green The Bid’s Gabi Kay talks to Green Crew Hero Jonathan Darr, CEO of Love Catering.
G.K. Where did you grow up and how did it inform how you do your job today?
J.D. When I was a kid we moved every few years so I grew up all over the Midwest and South. I learned to get used to change and to be resilient. I was forced to start over frequently with new friends and new schools so it prepared me for the rapid pace and constant change of catering and production work. I’d also say that it made me appreciate being an outsider and learning to see how things work. It made me open to new things and ideas and kind of left me never satisfied with the status quo. In my career it has served me well and guided me to help evolve our company and how we do things and be ready to adapt as challenges arise. It came in handy when COVID-19 struck and we all had to get used to a new reality very quickly!
G.K. What are some things you do as a caterer to be sustainable and what things would you love more production companies and crews to adopt?
J.D. We became a certified green business almost three years ago and that really put us on the road to pursue more and more sustainable practices. We were one of the first on-set caterers to use biodegradable disposables when we started back in 2007 and we’ve always served our food on real platters rather than plastic or disposables.
Since then we have continued to evolve and improve our offerings as we have discovered more sustainable options and found ways of reducing waste. We have managed to divert 87 % of our waste stream by recycling and composting at our commissary and in fact we received a Platinum Star RecycLA award for excellence in recycling and landfill reduction because of that work. We also source our food carefully and responsibly by working with local products and keeping our menus seasonal and sustainable, and organic where possible. Last year we finally got rid of all beverages served in plastic (like single use water bottles) and committed to using filtered water drinking stations. We’ve had to adapt that in light of COVID-19 but we are committed to reducing single use products as much as possible. While I think we’ve seen an increasing awareness of environmentally friendly behavior on set, like everyone bringing their own water bottles, we still see a tremendous amount of waste. We work with our clients to get just the right amount of food but it is tricky and some productions tend to over order so that they don’t run out of food but it can create so much waste. I’d love to see more people bring their own mugs or cups for coffee. It’s crazy the number of cups and lids we go through.
G.K. What are the things you have changed in your own life to be more environmentally conscious?
J.D. First and foremost having kids really makes you think about the choices you make and the values that you hold. I really want to be sure that we leave a habitable and beautiful world for kids and future generations to enjoy. Since the Coronavirus outbreak, I’ve had more time to reflect, and meditate, and I’ve really come to value my time in nature and have to come to understand how healing and necessary communing with the great outdoors is to our health and sanity. And further, we are all connected to each other through where we live, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. Our actions and choices affect each other and we have a moral obligation to take better care of our planet and each other and make sure our world is livable for everyone. For me personally, I’ve started biking to work a couple of days a week and have tried to reduce my driving. As a family, we’ve also been shopping at our local farmer’s market more frequently and try to purchase food with minimal packaging. This summer we’ve reduced our use of air conditioning as much as possible. As a company, and a family, we’ve also worked with Friends of the L.A. River (FoLAR) for their annual river clean up the last 4 years, which is the largest urban river clean up in the country. I try to instill environmental stewardship as much as possible in my children and help them realize that we can all ALWAYS do more to help with environment so it is a work in progress for sure.
G.K. Who most influences you and inspires you when it comes to being socially and environmentally responsible in your work life and your personal life?
J.D. Aside from my wife and kids, I’ve been inspired by my mediation practice to try to do more for our environment and have a positive impact on those around me. I recently started doing Transcendental Meditation and it really has made me feel like a man on a mission. I have an opportunity and responsibility to help others however I can and I feel rewarded by doing right by others. If I had to pick one person in regards to environmental responsibility, Lewis MacAdams, the poet who founded FoLAR, has also been a positive influence on me. To see the amazing progress that FoLAR has made is very inspiring and is reminder that we can all contribute in our own backyards and reap the benefits of community, togetherness, and peace of mind that come from reclaiming our rights to a healthy and thriving environment.
G.K. If you could do any other job on set - what would it be and why?
J.D. That’s a very tough question. I don’t really envy the other crew members because I think we have it pretty good. We get to drop in and feed people (and get them their coffee!) and everyone looks forward to seeing us on set. Feeding people and keeping them going with delicious and fresh food is very rewarding in and of itself.
----- Are you a crew hero or do you know one? We want to hear from you!
