Dine Sustainably, Eat Enjoyably

Find a Restaurant that Suits Your Taste and Ethics

A “sustainable” restaurant can mean many things: an establishment that serves local food, organic food, sustainable seafood, or a combination of these. Green goes beyond the type of food on the menu.  It includes the farms it comes from and even the plate it's served on. That’s why some guides to sustainable eateries also look at operating practices like Styrofoam products and recycling procedures. Use one of the guides below to find a green restaurant. Or look at our Sustainable Seafood page for guidance on choosing seafood anywhere you go without contributing to overfishing.

Guide Name
Search for
Edible Communities Local foods. Regional websites with links to pdf versions. Print version available. Look in local markets for a free copy.
Friends of Animals Vegan Restaurant Guide Vegan food, in a few major cities only. Print version also available.
Green Restaurant Guide Green operations like recycling and eco-friendly dishes as well as sustainable food.
Happy Cow Compassionate Eating Guide Vegetarian/Vegan, also outside US. Iphone app, mobile version also available.
Local Harvest Organic and local food
Organic Food Database Organic-serving restaurants
Organic Highways Organic is the largest category. Also specialty areas like gluten-free
Slow Food USA Eco- and Community friendly Restaurants Motto: "Good, Clean, Fair Food"
VegDining.com Vegetarian food, US and international
VegGuide.org Vegetarian
VegetarianUSA Travel Guide Free printable city/state guides for vegetarian restaurants in US

 

Why it’s important

Running the Restaurant

The restaurant industry consumes a surprisingly large portion of our resources. It accounts for 33 percent of the electricity used by retail outlets in the US, ranking behind only health care and food retailing. Every year, the average eatery uses 300,000 gallons of water and generates 150,000 pounds of garbage. And that's just operational consumption—imagine the added cost of getting all that food to your plate!

Sourcing the Food

The average restaurant food travels about 1500 miles before your waitperson carries it to your table. The seafood may originate in overfished waters, the meat and poultry could be from farms using unhealthy and inhumane practices, and the produce could be far from fresh. Some fruits, coffees, and teas may come from farms where workers rights are ignored. Take the first simple step to helping your favorite joint save water, energy, and money: write and ask them to stop serving bottled water.

A night out often means dining on highly processed food filled with fat, salt, and additives. When eating out, customers often eat more than usual, not wanting to waste any of the (deliciously) large portions commonly served in restaurants these days. Is there any way to escape the kitchen and enjoy a relaxing meal in a nice atmosphere, without sacrificing environmental or health concerns? By giving some thought to what you order and what restaurants you patronize, dining out can be a fun, enjoyable experience—perhaps even more so with the added pleasure of knowing you’re eating sustainably.

Treading Lightly: Carbon Consciousness

A discerning customer can still enjoy a nice meal out while seeking out sustainable seafood, organic and/or vegetarian options, and local foods. Since about 3/4 of the world's fisheries are overfished or at risk of over-fishing, choosing the ethical seafood is an urgent consideration. Menu items made with organic ingredients are produced using agricultural practices that reduce pesticide usage, conserve soil and water (link to letter writing) and conserve wildlife habitat. Dining vegetarian means you may reduce the carbon footpint of your meal. Restaurants serving local food purchased from farms between 100-200 miles away, get the freshest food on your plate while bolstering small scale farmers in your community. (By contrast, restaurants serving non-local foods produces over 100 times more CO2 than locally bought ingredients.)

Keeping it Fresh: A Competitive Edge

Overall, dining sustainably means better health for restaurant patrons and the environment. In addition, restaurateurs are beginning to see that offering planet-friendly options can be good for business in their highly-competitive industry. Since many of the necessary changes are invisible to the patron, savvy foodies can ask about their favorite spot's business practices, inquiring into water, electricity, and HVAC efficiency. Making changes in these areas can be extremely beneficial. According to EnergyStar's Commercial Food Service Equipment section, based on projected shipments of ENERGY STAR qualified commercial food service equipment, it is expected that approximately 35 thousand metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions will be avoided, the equivalent of about 25,000 cars.

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Learn more about the Conscious Consumer Marketplace.

If you would like for your company to be listed in the Conscious Consumer Marketplace, please email Carolyn Danckaert or call 301.891.3683 ext. 125.