Tackling New Restaurant Standards... What Makes a Restaurant “green”?
From new industry standards and self-regulation to consumer awareness, the criteria are still a moving target at best.
As we have been given all of the recent formation concerning different organizations and groups such as the Sustainable Restaurant Association, the world of food service and business finds itself on the verge of something big, big changes that is. Of course, currently all businesses and restaurants are not all the same therefor all of the changes are not going to be the same or equal in the same regard.
The Rise of Voluntary Standards
As not all of the environmental changes for the restaurants are going to be mandatory, it will me a difference to those business owners who choose to sign up and go green on their own. One of those volunteer programs include, the National Restaurant Association’s Greener Restaurants, this is one of the programs that will hold the restaurant volunteers accountable for their restaurant and they will report all things asked of them in regards to going green, and keeping to the standards of the program.
The Eat Well Guide uses Standards for Inclusion that seek to lead patrons to restaurants that serve what they deem as local, sustainable and organic food. These well-intentioned projects are useful aids to the eco-minded consumer, but they are not to be confused with certification programs, which are more stringent.
There are going to be programs out there that will be voluntary but there are also going to be new standards that are going be required to hold businesses and restaurants responsible for holding up their end of the responsibility when it comes to going green in their businesses. This will mean using different ‘green’ friendly equipment, ovens, fryers and other things that are found or required in the kitchen.
By holding these different restaurants responsible for their water usage and electricity in their businesses, they will have no choice but to come face to face with the amount of waste that the see on a daily basis. By seeing what kind of water and power is needed to run a business, let alone a restaurant will force those involved to take the steps necessary to do their part to see that the business world does not destroy the only world we have to live in.
It is the responsibility of everyone, business owner, restaurant owner, and home owner to do their part to see that our only loveable planet stays safe for humans to live on, with that said, it is all of our responsibilities to live on this planet as if it were a rental property, you leave it how you found it, and that is something that we have all gotten away from. This is not our home to destroy, therefore, in order to thrive here later; we need to take care of it now. Use our areas of expertise, such as restaurants, or businesses to utilize different areas where we can help. Go green in your restaurant or home and show pride in your planet, set the example for other restaurant and business owners.
Article source: Contributed by RestaurantNewsResource.com, a global restaurant news distribution service.
