Discover a traditional pub with a sustainability twist
Meet the team of self-confessed “sustainability nerds” leading by example in the carbon-heavy hotel industry
If you’re a long-term resident of Wollongong, you will likely have had a memorable night or two at the Illawarra Hotel.
Established in 1938, the venue was recently renovated and the team, led by publicans Ryan and Nikki Aitchison, are committed to sustainable practices. In fact, they are the only hotel in Australia to have a university-trained Sustainability Manager!
The team of self-confessed “sustainability nerds” are leading by example in the carbon-heavy hotel industry. They have established an urban farm in Smith Street on what was previously a weed-infested concrete junkyard. The farm is delivering fresh produce for the pub kitchen. Not content with repurposing their own kitchen waste into compost, they now take food waste from several other local businesses.
“This year, we had a great harvest of lettuce right as the lettuce crisis came into effect. We've also been able to use a lot of the native saltbush we're growing and the general herbs. We're currently preparing for this spring season where we'll be planting our summer crops,” Ryan told me this week.
The primary crop is passionfruit, which they use in the kitchen and in the soon-to-be-launched distillery. They have also introduced chickens to the site to eat food scraps and produce fresh eggs and fertiliser.
When establishing the farm, the team sought advice from the Green Connect team to learn more about soil development for healthy crops.
The neighbours from the surrounding apartments are happy too. They get a much nicer outlook from their windows and balconies, and there is no odour issue as the farm team uses smell-suppressing mulchers.
The bistro sources 55% of the food and beverages from local producers, supporting the local economy and reducing food miles. This includes a local beef farmer who produces free-range beef using organic practices whilst offsetting the carbon impacts of beef farming through vegetation regeneration offsets. The team at the Illawarra intends to launch a campaign, though, to “keep beef a treat”.
Most of their local suppliers are part of the hotel’s aspirational closed-loop food system. The spent grain and botanicals used in the brewing and distilling processes are used for composting and animal feed.
So the Illawarra Hotel of your youth is not as you remember it. Times have changed at The Illawarra and it’s time you became reacquainted.
The Illawarra is at 160-164 Keira St, Wollongong
