Travellers attending meetings and events at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre will find positive new changes. As of this year, the Centre, which hosts hundreds of events annually, established its own rooftop garden to reduce food waste and cut down on the large carbon footprint caused by importing foods.

“Our top priority is to provide our guests with a world-class dining experience, whatever the occasion. By creating our own rooftop garden that can produce herbs and spices naturally, we are not only establishing a self-sustainable and environmentally friendly source, but we are also ensuring the freshness, flavour and quality of our food,” said Richmond Lim, executive chef, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Future plans for the operation include adding a canopy and rain harvesting watering system. Centre employees will be travelling to the Cameron Highlands, an important Malaysian agricultural region, to further their knowledge of sustainable gardening, as well as to source plants.

Other efforts the centre is using to improve sustainability include reducing waste through pre-cooking, reusing non-exposed leftovers and salvaging leftover perishable items. The culinary team also developed their own formula to calculate food items needed for an event, guaranteeing minimal waste. Currently, 95 per cent of all food prepared at the centre is consumed, with hopes to further improve on the impressive number.