Attention to every detail was a behind-the-scenes theme at the 82nd Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC 82), April 12-15, an annual event run completely by students to showcase Cornell's School of Hotel Administration. The more salient theme this year, however, was sustainability through innovation.

While Saturday's sustainable dinner featured produce from local farms, Friday's gala banquet menu, designed by Bradlee Hancock '07, featured innovation. For example, Hancock served a starter course, fennel Napoleon, which was based on goat cheese and pistachios and a second course of a foie gras crème brûlée. But Hancock also kept an eye on sustainable choices. "I would never put strawberries on a menu for April simply because they are not seasonal," he said. He worked on the menu for a week, supervising 16 student cooks who worked together closely to bring off a flawless dinner.

Students' efforts were hailed by the guests. Mark Lipschutz '81, CEO of the Caribbean Property Group, said HEC 82 reminded him of his student years and the tight "Hotelie" network, which now includes his daughter, Jessica, a freshman who worked at this year's event. Industry advisers for HEC 82, Rajesh Chandnani '95 and Richy Petrina '01, both referred to HEC 82 as a "refreshing experience."

On April 14, a panel discussion, "Beyond Service: Hospitality Through Sustainability," was led by Mark Milstein, director of the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell's Johnson School. The panelists agreed that sustainability should be a lifestyle choice and a commitment for the entire hospitality industry.

"Being green and luxurious should no longer be mutually exclusive concepts," noted panelist Stefan Muhle, general manager of the Orchard Garden Hotel in San Francisco, California's first hotel certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Sandra Taylor, Starbucks senior vice president of corporate social responsibility, discussed the company's efforts to keep farmers in business and reduce the company's footprint. Overall, the panelists emphasized that industry leaders cannot wait for big initiatives to occur in the industry but should use the technology and capital they have now to take rigorous approaches to sustainability.

Graduate student Zheng Yang is a writer intern at the Cornell Chronicle.