Leading this charge in an educational series was none other than Ted Turner, of CNN fame and now a principal in Ted’s Montana Grill restaurants, who fired up capacity crowds with his call to “Join the Green Restaurant Revolution” by emulating what he and his partners are doing. "Imagine the implications for global warming if we get the whole restaurant industry to go green," said Turner in an interview.
The restaurant business, according to many sources, is retailing’s largest energy user – consuming up to five times the energy per square foot than anything else in that sector of the economy. Industry studies, including a controversial one last year by Pacific Gas & Electric, claim that up to 80% of that energy is lost to inefficient food cooking, holding and storage – which results in about 490 tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere per year per restaurant. That’s a high amount and probably is lower in real life – but it dramatically supports the point that Turner was trying to make: Restaurants can both save money and help the environment by going “green”.
The effort also must include doing something about trash and food waste, which averages about 100,000 pounds per year for the average restaurant, according to estimates by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), which has certified “green” restaurants in the U.S. since 1990 – showing that this interest didn’t just sprout overnight. The double whammy of higher energy costs and economic downturn have certainly sharpened the focus, however.
Biomass waste is the toughest challenge for restaurants wanting to become eco-friendly. Some cities – mostly Seattle and others on the West Coast – have commercial organic composting efforts that provide an outlet for restaurant food waste. Other areas, like counties in southwest Virginia near Bristol, are served by small for-profit start-ups that have been certified as commercial composters. These are not common, either, but seem to be gaining some slow steam.
Mostly, restaurants are left on their own for recycling and composting – and there are no easy answers, although some of the newest equipment featured at this year’s National Restaurant Association show, notably by the Somat Co., offers solutions that work after an initial investment. Less costly options range from standard composting devices to those featuring the use of earthworms – who supposedly compost their own weight every 24 hours! Large restaurants also provide their waste as feedstock for biofuels or for other bio-uses, but this avenue is not there yet for smaller or isolated efforts.
But all restaurants, everywhere, can begin saving energy (and money) instantly in a number of ways – including the usage of “turbo pots” which decrease cooking time and also reduce labor costs; switching to energy efficient light bulbs; eliminating paper towels in favor of energy-saving dryers; buying sustainable food products locally and only in-season; recruiting and training energy-savvy employees; fixing all leaks; using dishwashers only when completely full and with organically approved cleaners; using spray valves that control water waste; and doing any of the other things suggested at the National Restaurant Association website (http://conserve.restaurant.org/) or the GRA website (http://www.dinegreen.com/). A number of community efforts also are popping up around the nation, notably in Chicago and recently in Memphis, for example.
The National Restaurant Association says more than 60% of its member restaurants have invested in some energy-saving equipment in the past two years, and that this market seemed to attract the most interest at this year’s show – indicating continued growth.
Replacing traditional food service devices – like plates, silverware, cups and napkins – are not always easy “green” decisions for restaurant owners, although a few suppliers are getting competitive with chlorine-free molded fiber products and 100% recycled paper and packaging materials – anything but polystyrene foam! A number of non-toxic cleaning materials also appear to be selling well despite the current economy.
The main theme of the National Restaurant Association – economic survival – dominated most sessions. And one of the greatest truths in the industry, sadly, remained: “Organic costs more.”
But this year, if only for now, that truth had an asterisk clearly beside it!
