OUR COMMITMENTS & ACTIONS
AN ECO-RESPONSIBLE HOTEL
WITH HARRIS SHEIKH, DIRECTOR OF THE EDGAR & ACHILLE HOTEL
How would you describe the hotel ?
The Edgar & Achille Hotel is a friendly, intimate, warm place to live that offers guests a different experience every time they visit with unique rooms decorated by more than 20 artists in 2 buildings
For you, what is a "responsible hotel"?
It is a hotel that cares about the well-being of its guests while respecting the environment. It tries to involve its guests in its approach by spreading simple but important messages about the behaviors to have individually and collectively within the establishment... and to give ideas to take back home
What do you do on a daily basis for sorting and recycling ?
We sort paper, light bulbs, batteries and plastics. We collect plastic caps from our customers' bottles or from our own cleaning products and give them to an association to finance medical equipment for people with disabilities. Our bathrooms are equipped with shampoo/shower gel dispensers in order to limit individual packaging and therefore our waste. The coffee grounds are used for our plants or are recycled, along with the organic waste from our restaurant, into green energy..
And your energy ?
We have a reversible hot/cold heat pump. This technology saves electricity compared to standard heating and is just as efficient. It also allows us to have only one device for the 2 functions. We have implemented water conservation techniques such as dual flush toilets, energy saving shower heads and flow regulators. Insulation has been done from the inside for greater efficiency. Sheets are changed every 3 days for the same client. They can also choose to have their towels washed less frequently to save on water, transportation and washing products. We regularly perform maintenance operations to replace worn elements (bulbs, washers, gaskets...
Any future projects / actions to go further in your approach ?
We are thinking about eliminating our single-dose products in the room, which is not an easy exercise without disappointing our clients who like the idea of the little "gift" they find in their bathroom, we would like to plant the façade of the hotel, we are dreaming of a vegetable garden on the roof... and from now on we are socially committed with, for example, the auctioning of stays with us to give the totality of the funds to associations such as ViensVoirMonTaff, the Maison des Femmes 93, Info-Endométriose or the nursing staff during the confinement. During this period we also opened our kitchens to prepare more than 2,000 meals for various associations (Secours Populaire, Salvation Army, Emmaüs...) in partnership with the Refettorio Paris and the artist JR.
A RESPONSIBLE CUISINE
WITH SERGE LEIGNEL, CHEF OF EDGAR RESTAURANT AND ALEXANDRE AUBRY, DIRECTOR OF EDGAR RESTAURANT
How would you describe your cuisine ?
Serge : "We mainly offer seafood, but also vegetarian dishes and some meat. It's a refined home cooking, which sublimates quality and seasonal products."
For you, what is a "responsible cuisine"?
Alexandre: "It's a respectful and committed cuisine that prioritizes our health, respect for the environment, the fight against waste and the quality of the dishes."
How do you manage to cook in a responsible way all year round?
Serge: "We adapt to the seasons and what nature can offer us. We always order in small quantities to have good fresh products and avoid food waste."
How do you choose your suppliers? On what criteria?
Serge: "Based on their involvement in our approach, their respect for the environment and its ecosystem, their ability to deliver quality products to us on a daily basis."
You are a fish restaurant, what are your requirements?
Serge: "To work with French producers concerned with preserving marine resources, to respect fishing quotas. Fish, shellfish and crustaceans are offered to us by our supplier according to seasonal products to guarantee traceability and ultra freshness. Our fish are line-caught and not farmed or Label Rouge certified."
You also have meats on the menu, where do they come from?
Alexandre: "All our meats are of French origin. For example our beef cuts are from Aubrac and Limousin, our beef jerky comes from the Paris region, our duck breast from the southwest..."
Are your fruits and vegetables organic?
Serge: "We work with suppliers who are committed on a daily basis to supporting agriculture based on local economies. They work with small producers all over France who are committed to sustainable agriculture. As a result, our fruits and vegetables come from short circuits, and are mostly organic."
And your spirits?
Alexandre: "We have more and more wines and alcohols from reasoned circuits and some are organic or natural."
What are you doing concretely to reduce your impact on the environment?
Alexandre: "Our restaurant is committed to no longer using single-use plastic. Our napkins are compostable. We sort our waste and 100% of our organic waste, is recycled and transformed into green energy and fertilizer by the companý Bionerval. As for our food oils, they are recycled into second generation biodiesel. We have more vegetarian dishes on the menu."
And against food waste ?
Serge: "We order in small quantitieś. Our broths are made from vegetable peelings, meat trimmings are used for our sauce bases, our fish smoke is madé from some fish bones. And our breadcrumbs and croutons, from the day-old bread..."