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How We Eat, Drink and Be Merry The Green Palate Dining out is one of life’s absolute pleasures and privileges, especially when there are so many local and organic cuisines peppering the culinary scene.
The result is the consumption of nearly 70 million restaurant meals a day at almost one million restaurants across the country. Each establishment churns out approximately 50,000 pounds of waste and uses around 300,000 gallons of water every year. To make matters worse, many people who are environmentally conscious at home have the tendency to leave their green living habits behind when they go out to eat. This happens more often than you think. Bad habits like using polystyrene to-go containers, drinking with a plastic disposable straw, using paper napkins instead of cloth versions are all common practices with diners. Thankfully, a growing number of restaurants have begun transforming the food business to become more sustainable. To date, there are more than 1,000 restaurants in 23 states that have become “certified green” establishments. For the rest of us as consumers, indulging in a delicious meal at our favorite restaurant doesn’t mean we have to check our green habits at the door. If you’re going to step out, step out in style, the go green way. Green Dining| Going Out | Learn More Eat Happy Cows and Chickens –When ordering meat, inquire where your animal lived (local is best), how it was raised, and what it was fed. At a minimum, go for hormone- and antibiotic-free animals. Even better, look for free-range chicken, pasture-raised and grass-fed beef, or wild or organic-farmed fish. Other things to inquire about are cruelty-free meats and organically grown produce. Do advance research. Some restaurants cook exclusively with environmentally-conscious food items.
Ordering menu items made from local produce and ingredients not only support local farmers, it also benefits the air because of reduced transportation emissions compared to imported foods and goods. Bring a Container – Wasted food comprises 12 percent of the U.S. waste stream (approximately the equivalent of 30 million tons per year), and 98 percent of that ends up in landfills where it pollutes the atmosphere with methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases. To avoid food from ending up in the waste, consider portions when placing an order. Ask for smaller portions--half-size orders are usually just enough and cost less. Some restaurant portions can be large enough for two. If so, split your meal with a friend. If no one shares your distinctive palate, save your unfinished portions in a reusable container, and you will have something to nosh on later. Two meals for the price of one, yum! Drink Up! – If you’re age appropriate, a celebration isn’t exactly complete without some fine wine. With the high cost of fossil fuel driving up the cost of shipping, the price of good imported wines began rising out of range for the average buyer. Thankfully for wine enthusiasts and quality-conscious wine-drinkers, there are cool establishments that have found a green yet tasty solution. Restaurants have become greener by partnering with organic wineries and winemakers that use only traditional, natural winemaking processes. Environmentally-responsible and affordable fine wine made with 100 percent organic hand-picked grapes. Now that is a reason to celebrate!
“Just tap, please” used to be considered a less classy H20 option compared to the fancier variety bottled from the French Alps. Today, everyone’s choosing to be greener by drinking locally filtered tap water. In fact, you can get the best water from tap through a multi-stage filtration process. Learn how this works. Many restaurants are now responding to customer demands and have started offering their own filtered water. Don't Suck –Drinking straws are bad for the environment, first because the plastic straw, itself, doesn't biodegrade; and, second, each straw usually comes wrapped in wasteful paper. The drinking straw, generally serves little to no purpose. It can’t be a matter of hygiene since drinking through a straw isn’t going to prevent you from vacuuming down bacteria transferred from glass to fluid. Therefore even compostable straws are a waste of our precious resource. But if you really do need a straw, buy a reusable one.
Think about it—the waxed paper wrapper for your burger, the paper cup each with a plastic lid and straw wrapped in paper, individually packaged condiments, large paper (sometimes plastic) sack for multiple or large orders. Is this what convenience means to you? It doesn’t have to be this way. Learn more about How to Reduce Your Fast Food Trash. Park the Car and Dine In – Idling your vehicle while you’re waiting for your meal to be prepared at the drive-through can really harm our air. An idle car is a waste of fuel, a hazard to the environment, and to our health. Instead of burning precious fuel and polluting the air, why not turn off your ignition and opt for dining in? Eating at a sit down restaurant is one way to go green while eating out. Eat Closer to Home – You may not think it’s possible to go green while eating out. It doesn’t seem the control is in your hands. Surprisingly, there are actually things you can do to go green while eating out. Going green while eating at a restaurant is all about making the right choices. Sometimes the difference lies in where you eat as well. Some restaurants are more eco-friendly than others. Some even serve go green food. Eating close to home saves transportation costs and pollution. Whether you’re planning a girls’ night out, a shopping trip with pals or Sunday brunch with the in-laws—being out is always exciting. Here are some green tips on ways to enjoy the company of your friends and family while out and about. Traffic Check – Before heading out, get the latest traffic report. You can avoid wasting valuable time, being late and idling excessively in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Knowing the traffic conditions can help you plan and map your route better, which not only contributes to better fuel efficiency, but also benefits air quality.
Even if you’ve lived all your life in the area, all towns, roads, cities and counties evolve. Mapping out your route in advance or using an updated GPS device will mean you spend less time on the road (trying to figure out directions) and more time where you want to be. Make Reservations – Planning ahead also applies to popular destinations. If you and your friends are planning a celebration at a trendy local restaurant or hot spot on a Saturday night, it is always wise to make reservations in advance. Don’t get stuck in a situation where you’ll have to move your entire party to an alternate location because you didn’t think ahead. This will not only save you time and help air quality, it will also keep things simple and fun. Share a Ride – Too often we make plans to go out with friends, yet we fail to make plans for driving together. Sharing a ride can be rewarding in so many ways—you can enjoy lively conversation and build the atmosphere for the day/evening even before you’ve reached your destination. Carpoolers can also drive in the HOV lane which means you’ll all make it there in record time. As always, there are significant air quality benefits with fewer cars on the road; which consequently also mean less congestion.
Walk About – It may be tempting to adopt the “drive, park and repeat” routine over and over again when there are multiple shops located within close proximity of each other (i.e. outlet malls, town squares, et al.) How about parking at a central point and relying on your own two feet? Walking is always relaxing, has calorie burning benefits and can be informative (you see a lot while you’re walking.) Not to mention how much better the air quality will be.
It can be easy to forget the environment when we’re in celebration mode while enjoying the company of friends and family. But the simple tips offered above can make a world of difference when drinking and dining out. And that is something we can all toast to. Just do one green thing today—it will lead to many more.
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