The enviro-restaurant: Lettuce doesn’t have to be the only thing that’s green

Despite the dark days of winter still being in full swing, everywhere I look I’m seeing green. The cover of a recent of Business Week blared, “Imagine a world in which socially responsible and eco-friendly practices actually boost a company’s bottom line. It’s closer than you think.” And there are days when flipping through the pages of the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times is akin to skimming an issue of Utne Reader or Mother Jones there is so much green coverage and green marketing going on.

In the restaurant world, you mostly see green practices on plates with local and organic food taking a front and center position. (There’s even a local organization called Dine Fresh Dine Local that’s dedicated to furthering this cause, showcasing restaurants from the homey Trotter’s Café in St. Paul to the upscale Oceanaire Seafood Room in Minneapolis.) Of course, the food is only one aspect of running a green restaurant. Operations are another huge element in that equation. But how does a restaurant go about getting deeper into environmental issues by embracing them in operations—and not spending a ton of cash?

I spoke with Sean Gosiewski, the executive director for the Alliance for Sustainability and an absolute treasure trove of information and resources for restaurateurs who want to make their locations more earth friendly. Just like integrating locally raised foods into the menu, you don’t necessarily have to go whole hog into the green world. In fact, just a few small changes can make a big difference and may even save you some green while you go green. (Plus, did I mention that environmentally friendly businesses are a big consumer turn on? According to Dine Green, 80 percent of Americans identify themselves as environmentally concerned.)

Here are some top tips:

• Check into energy efficient lighting: The Center for Energy and Environment offers help for business owners looking to navigate the blinding amount of information about lighting efficiency. Their One-Stop Efficiency Shop offers free audits, provides recommendations and rebates and will help navigate paperwork required when retrofitting lighting systems. Go to www.mncee.org for additional information.

• Incorporate non-toxic cleaners into your regimen: Envirox offers cleansers, like their line of H2Orange2 products that are heavy duty enough to work in commercial settings. It’s even approved as a sanitizer and general cleanser around food processing areas. There’s also a list of good-for-the-earth green cleaning products on Hennepin County’s web site.

• Green up to go: Petroleum-laden plastic containers and cutlery can pile up in landfills for a long while, but there are other options out there. Visit eurekarecycling.org’s business section for information about compostable plastic products made from corn and sugar cane as well as information about biodegradable trash can liners and plastic cutlery made by Cargill Dow from corn and potatoes. (I defy you to notice any difference.) Another good local resource for biodegradable goods is Recyclaholics (www.recyclaholics.com), which offers petrochemical-free food service items like clamshells and more, made from vegetable-based ingredients.

• Reduce waste: There’s no shortage of waste created in an average restaurant, from food scraps to bottles and cans. The Green Guardian web site (www.greenguardian.com) offers help for businesses looking to reduce their waste stream, including a helpful search by category section that offers info on feeding waste to livestock and getting grease and cooking oil turned into recycled animal feed products.

• Buy green power: Local Whole Foods stores are among those who’ve opted in for green power. It’s a simple shift—with no break in your electricity—plus it’s easy to sign up. Contact your electricity provider and ask how to opt in to wind-generated power. Additional information is available at www.pca.state.mn.us/oea/energy.

Those are some simple ways to get started. If you get really into it, here are a few more resources:

• Coop America offers a national green business certification program and publishes National Green Pages, a book of certified green businesses that’s distributed to consumers each year.

• You can also contact Gosiewski and schedule a Natural Step Framework training, designed to help businesses adopt an ecological, social sustainable way of operating.

• Stop by the Living Green Expo on May 5 to 6 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for ideas, contacts and inspiration.

• Last, but not least, there’s national network trying to create a green restaurant association called www.dinegreen.com, which is a national non-profit organization that offers help to restaurants, vendors and others in the restaurant industry information and assistance on becoming more environmentally sustainable.