FIREKEEPERS CASINO HOTEL CONTINUES SUSTAINABILITY WORK WITH NEW PARTNERSHIP
(Battle Creek, Mich.) March 14, 2022 — FireKeepers Casino Hotel has partnered with My Green Michigan, a food scrap management program, in an effort to lessen the impact of food waste, and increase sustainability for future generations.
FireKeepers collects organic food scraps from each of its eight restaurants for My Green Michigan to compost and create high quality, nutrient rich soil at their state certified commercial compost facilities.
FireKeepers is on track to recycle, rather than landfill, more than 250,000 pounds of organic food waste this year! Future plans for this program include returning the compost for use at FireKeepers’ Fire Hub greenhouse and garden, located on the Pine Creek Indian Reservation.
“We continue to review ways to improve the world we live in, repurposing usable products for various needs, such as the South Michigan Food Bank, to watching our pre and post-consumer waste to not only decrease the quantity, but to also repurpose back into the earth as compost verse landfills,” stated FireKeepers VP of Food and Beverage Michael Hamilton. “Following the examples of our owners, in looking out for the next seven generations.”
The partnership with My Green Michigan is just part of FireKeepers’ wide range of sustainability efforts. Other programs include food reclamation, where food from the restaurants and banquet events that has been prepared and not served is blast chilled, then repackaged and distributed to those in need in the community. FireKeepers also works with area food banks to prevent waste through the Fresh Food Initiative (FFI). At FFI events fresh produce is distributed to neighbors in need; to prevent this produce from being wasted, the FireKeepers Culinary Team develops easy recipes using the items distributed and provides samples to encourage clients to utilize all the items they receive. In addition, the development of a greenhouse on local tribal land has generated fresh food which is creating being utilized to provide free, fresh, organic salad bars in local schools.
FireKeepers was recently named a 2020-21 Food Recovery Challenge Award winner by the EPA for making significant progress in reducing food waste in America.
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FireKeepers Casino Hotel, located just off Interstate 94 at Exit 104 in Battle Creek, MI, has been named Best Casino by audiences in Western Michigan and Northern Indiana, plus earned multiple awards in the Casino Player Magazine Best of Gaming 2021 Native Midwest category. FireKeepers was recognized as 2019 Employer of the Year by Michigan Works! Association and was also selected as one of the Best Casinos to Work For by Casino Player Magazine. FireKeepers' signature restaurant, Nibi, is a multiple recipient of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The property features 2,900 slot machines, 70 table games, and a live poker room. FireKeepers offers a AAA-rated Four Diamond resort-style hotel with 446 rooms, a functional multi-purpose event center, six distinctive dining destinations, and multiple lounges. FireKeepers is the title sponsor of the FireKeepers Casino 400, a NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, and a host of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship an EPSON Tour-Road to the LPGA golf event. For more information, visit www.firekeeperscasino.com.
FireKeepers Casino Hotel is owned and operated by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi.
