Aug 26, 2009 4:55 pm US/Central
Some Chicago Restaurants Officially "Green"
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Mom may have told you to eat your greens, but how about eating "green?" Environmentally, that is. Just one restaurant produces 50,000 pounds of garbage per year.
CBS 2's Vince Gerasole has a look at how some local establishments have come up with a new seal to let diners know they're doing their part for the environment.
The meat of this story goes beyond the chicken on the plate.
"Everything we harvest ends up on a plate downstairs," said Helen Cameron, owner of Uncommon Ground in Edgewater, while showing us around the restaurant's rooftop garden.
She grows beans, pumpkins and tomatoes, but that's not the only way her roof is green. Large solar panels help her save energy too.
"There's a gel that circulates here and it goes through two large water tanks in the basement and it heats those two large water tanks," Cameron said.
From the recycled wood tables to the local foods on them, owners made a commitment to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
"I save money if I am conserving energy so I think it's a good business practice to be green," Cameron said.
Restaurants eat up a lot of energy. A single commercial appliance can use more energy than a typical residence; and there's more.
Restaurants produce 1½ pounds of trash for each meal served. They consume one-third of all the energy used by the retail sector and use about 300,000 gallons of water each year.
Ina Pinkney, owner of Ina's in the West Loop, said, "We are major energy consumers."
It's why the Green Chicago Restaurant Co-Op debuted its Guaranteed Green logo on Wednesday to help diners know members displaying the logo have received independent green certification for their food and their operations.
"We want to be known as having a purpose more than just serving food to our customers," said Bill Post, owner of Roti Mediterranean Grill in the West Loop. "Everything we print on is recycled paper and we print using soy ink."
At Roti, green means that recycling takes priority; including their corn fiber cups.
"The concept with this is it's 100 percent compostable," Post said. "You can take this and put it in the ground … five or six months later it won't be there."
The real question might be: will diners eat it up?
A couple diners we spoke to at Roti on Wednesday think so.
Beth Porter said, "I think in general (diners) are starting to care."
Manuel Quintopozos said whether or not a restaurant is green is "wasn't a particular factor in choosing today, but something I take into consideration sometimes when I am finding a place to eat."
The logo --- a green fork sprouting three leaves --- will be displayed not just in restaurant windows but on over a dozen dining websites and publications including the "Go To" Chicago Magazine restaurant guide. So far, about two dozen establishments have qualified for the local certification; a small number but it is a start.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Jewish Celebrities
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
