Restaurant Reformer » 4200 Recycling

Sierra Nevada Brewery (Chico, CA)

RR — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:25:51 +0000

With the first batches arriving in 1980, the Sierra Nevada Brewery takes its brewing quite seriously, but has a major commitment to sustainable practices as well. What sort of sustainable practices? It’s a laundry list… here are some highlights:

₂

They’ve made it a big enough deal to score a very detailed page at Wikipedia and a visit from Governor Schwarzenegger.

If you can get through all the beer and concert information, there are tidbits to find. Information on the fuel cell system [pdf] is available. There is also an on-topic interview with Ken Grossman.

Wasted Food

RR — Sun, 18 May 2008 23:26:05 +0000

New to the links section, Wasted Food. Catch Jonathan Bloom’s thoughts and findings as he works on a book on food waste in America.

Cork and Knife – Restaurants Tackle Their Own Inconvenient Truth

RR — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:52 +0000

Some restaurant sustainability metrics are assembled by Cork and Knife

The average American meal has a shockingly large carbon footprint, usually traveling 1,500 miles to the plate and emitting large amounts of CO2 in the process, according to the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Each meal created produces 275 pounds of waste a day, making restaurants the worst aggressors of greenhouse gas emissions in retail industry, says the Boston-based Green Restaurant Association [GRA], a non-profit organization that works to create an ecologically sustainable restaurant industry.

A recent NRA [National Restaurant Association] study shows utility costs are a big line item for restaurateurs, accounting for a median of between 2.3 percent and 3.6 percent of sales, depending on the type of operation.

According to Zagat’s 2007 America’s Top Restaurants, 65 percent of surveyors said they would pay more for food that has been sustainably raised or procured. According to 2007 National Restaurant Association research, 62 percent of adults said they would likely choose a restaurant based on its environmental friendliness.

Discussed in the article, which focuses on the Washington DC market, Chef Todd Gray of Equinox (Washington, DC), Chef Barton Seaver of Hook (Washington, DC), Chef Nora Pouillon Restaurant Nora (Washington, DC), Tom Holland of Juice Joint Café, George Velazquez of Napa 1015, Citronelle (Washington, DC), and Maziar Farivar of Peacock Grand. Also briefly mentioned, Sweetgreen, Le Pain Quotidien and CakeLove and JavaGreen both working with Clean Currents.

Recycle corks

RR — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:33:27 +0000

Some restaurants go through a lot of wine… and a lot of wine can mean a lot of cork. You should think about doing something with them.

Currently lighting up the blogs, Recycle Cork USA in York, Pennsylvania is promoting a “Korks 4 Kids” charity program to collect corks for children’s charities. There isn’t a lot of information on this organization outside the website and the various blogs pointing to it. They’ve been around a little more than a year.

[via Brooklyn Green Team]

Another option is Yemm & Hart in Missouri, which has a longer track record with a slightly different program.

It’s not the newest of ideas, and the rest of the world is at it as well… a couple other examples:

In Ontario, Canada, see Bag-A-Cork.

In Australia, see Friends of the Zoos.

Presentation Center Welcome Center (Los Gatos, CA) [LEED-NC Gold]

RR — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:18:23 +0000

A new 10,170 square-foot straw bale welcome center and dining facility for the Presentation Center includes a kitchen and three dining areas with enough room to serve 200. The facility includes photovoltaics, solar thermal, straw-bale construction, a living roof, graywater use for landscaping, and extensive use of recycled construction materials.

Results include LEED-NC Gold [pdf], 50% reduction in energy consumption and 30% reduction in water consumption.