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however, restaurants are putting climate change on the menu. industry leaders are transitioning their restaurant operations to be more sustainable and climate friendly. here are 5 ways they’re doing it.

renewable energy 

restaurants are converting their spaces into sustainable buildings. azurmendi, a three-michelin-star restaurant in spain and two-time sustainable restaurant award winner, uses solar panels for electricity and uses geothermal energy for indoor climate control. root down, a sustainably focused restaurant in denver, is run entirely on wind power. nomad an ultra-local restaurant in australia operates off of solar energy and is a solar panel host site for the community. 

the shift to renewable energy is not exclusive to high-end restaurants. mcdonald’s opened a new net zero energy restaurant, the first in their fleet of 36,525 locations, in july 2020 in orlando, florida. the new location is a first step in mcdonald’s sustainability goals, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 36% by 2030. 

sustainable sourcing 

the farm-to-table phenomenon that became popular in restaurants over the past few years has been crucial to kick-starting a wave of restaurant sustainability. local, farm-to-table produce emits less carbon, as there is less transportation necessary to deliver it. amber in hong kong, the sustainable restaurant award 2020 winner, specializes in ultra-local, hyper-seasonal selections on their menu. their menu is up to 50% plant-based and they’ve removed all dairy from their dishes.

blue hill, a new york based restaurant, was one of the first to prioritize ultra-local sourcing and foster relationships with the farmers they work with. by seasonally changing menus and sourcing produce and meat products from local, sustainably operated farms, restaurants can greatly reduce their carbon footprints.

recycling

we can all do our part by recycling. we all know the saying: “reduce, reuse, recycle.” restaurants are using recycled paper products, recycled water, and recycled furniture. relae in denmark, winner of the sustainable restaurant award 2019, recycles wherever possible. from reusing empty wine bottles to serve their in-house filtered water, to using recycled furniture and wearing sustainable-fabric aprons, relae works tirelessly to employ sustainability in all aspects of their operations.

founding farmers in washington, d.c., uses recycled materials in a similar way. from recycled paper-composite counter tops, to recycled paper menus and recycled wood furnishings, the restaurant group prioritizes sustainability in all nine of their locations.

circular economy and community involvement 

many restaurants engage in circular economies and community involvement, which helps their communities and involves locals in sustainability efforts. septime in paris sources all of their produce from french farmers, and works with those farmers to save seed varieties and plant species. mil, a restaurant nestled in the andes mountains of peru, fosters close relationships with local communities and the farmers they source from, ensuring that farmers receive 50% of harvest profits. woodberry kitchen, a baltimore restaurant, repurposes oyster shells and returns them to chesapeake bay to regenerate oyster beds. 

zero food print

zero food print is an organization that enables farmers to practice carbon farming. carbon farming is a method that restores soil biology, which then pulls carbon out of the atmosphere, reviving the soil and replenishing nutrients. zero food print restaurants contribute a few cents per meal to helping farmers implement carbon farming through grants from the organization’s restore programs. according to professor rattan lal at ohio state university, “a mere 2% increase in the carbon content of the planet’s soils could offset 100% of all greenhouse gas emissions going into the atmosphere.” 

as restaurants prioritize sustainability, they are supporting local farmers, reducing their impact on the environment, and making an impact on their guests. by continuing to put climate change on the menu, restaurants will be a key player in the fight against climate change. 

asia pulp & paper, or app, a pulp and paper manufacturing company based in indonesia, has created a set of water-based packaging products that are both compostable and recyclable to better serve a wider variety of people and resources.

the company has partnered with villa chicken, a fast food chain based in peru, and has succeeded in maintaining the quality of the food in delivery while still holding onto its sustainable assets. if this product continues to succeed, it may change how restaurants package food moving forward.

it is essential restaurant stakeholders continue to invest in sustainable alternatives to reverse the environmental damage exacerbated by the plastic industry.

this incredibly successful restaurant was created to give family farmers back the pride and confidence they deserve in order to overcome the corporate pressures exerted over them, while maintaining their unwavering commitment to sustainability, which is imbued into every single crumb that founding farmers serves. the restaurants are now owned by more than 47,000 family farmers, members of the ndfu, a number which is inscribed on all of the forks in the restaurants to remind guests just how much went into the meals that they are enjoying.

from farm to fork, founding farmers is committed to sustainability. i sat down with their very own erin chalkley, construction & development project manager and leed green associate, to discuss how they maintain their position as a leader in environmentally-responsible restauranteering.

the farm

the farmers restaurant group is committed to sourcing produce from family owned farms. erin explained to me that reason farmers restaurant group continues to source their produce directly from local farmers is to ensure that profits remain in the hands of the families, communities, and farmers themselves.

additionally, family farms are more likely to want to run sustainably. erin explained, “family farmers have the incentive to run their farm in a sustainable way because they need it, their farm is the value, the land is the value.” she continued to tell me that farms are incentivized to use much more intensive farming practices involving the use of harmful chemicals when on a corporate structure. however, a family farm would see the value in organic farming and more sustainable practices, like using cover crops — which deposit nitrogen into the soil — and other methods to avoid the use of harmful chemicals. when avoiding intensive agricultural practices, including the use of chemicals, farmers ensure that their land will retain its value and continue to thrive.

the restaurant

founding farmers is d.c.’s first leed gold certified restaurant and a member of the green restaurant association (gra) with a green restaurant certification. leed certification means the building and facility are built and run sustainably, while the gra manages operational aspects of the restaurant. both certifications are important because they tell guests that the restaurant is actually following through with its commitment to sustainability.

furthermore, being a sustainable restaurant is not as costly as people think. since day one, founding farmers built sustainability into their total operating costs, and because of this, sustainability itself has never been an issue for any of their price points or impacted the guests’ experience. their biggest cost of creating a sustainable restaurant was construction in order to acquire leed certification. however, when a restaurant is smart about its investments, it pays off in the long run, like how decreasing energy consumption will decrease energy bills.

surprisingly, when you walk into the restaurant, the lengths gone to create this sustainable experience are not obvious, despite everything in the restaurant, right down to the faucets, being carefully selected to be the most sustainable option. the subtle details which make the restaurant sustainable are tucked away so guests can have the best experience. this is partially because the restaurant knows it will get nowhere by pushing their sustainable agenda down their guests’ throats, who come in for their iconic chicken and waffles, not a lecture. erin described the choice to avoid putting sustainability at the forefront of the restaurants messaging by explaining “we really try and make it so we’ve already made the hardest decisions for our guests before they come in so that way they don’t have to make them themselves.” she continued to explain that the restaurant owners already know they are responsible and only wants to give the guests a great experience, which means not explaining every little decision. nevertheless, individuals who do care and are conscious of the sustainable choices made in the restaurant will notice the filtered water in a glass bottle that is served in glass cups without ice, they will notice when the waiter pushes their homemade scratch sodas made from freshly pureed fruit, and they will notice the upcycled decor within the restaurant.

the food

founding farmers does an unbelievable job at appealing to the masses by putting their own spin on classic, american comfort foods. with menu items ranging from skillet cornbread to homemade pastas, there is something for everyone. compared to other top-rated d.c. restaurants, you definitely get more bacon for your buck because of their all-american portions that are still modestly priced.

because the restaurant was explicitly structured from the very beginning, they actually do not accumulate much waste. as erin put it “the best impact we make is preventing the waste from coming in here in the first place, waste reduction as opposed to how do we handle the waste after the fact.” regardless, the kitchen still has ways to prevent food waste. founding farmers cooks everything from scratch, right down to the bread and dressings, which significantly reduces food waste. additionally, the restaurants run on a tightly controlled production schedule to avoid any major food waste due to spoilage. nearly eliminating waste with methods like these help the restaurant save money.

room for more?

founding farmers will continue working towards their mission of finding more ways to bring people closer to their food and farmers. at the end of our conversation, erin reflected on ways in which other restaurants could follow in their tracks in becoming more sustainable, which could translate into higher profits.she left me with this word of advice: “turn sustainability into dollar signs.” since in reality, our world runs on money, it is important to learn how to make a business case for sustainability, like how decreasing waste means saving money, to see a bigger impact overall. it is motivating for the founding farmers team that other companies see their success and try to emulate it, knowing that sustainability is part of their equation to success.

want to learn more?

https://www.wearefoundingfarmers.com/about/story/

https://www.wearefoundingfarmers.com/about/story/sustainability/

http://ndfu.org  

1) there are dozens of microgreen varieties

people often believe the number of microgreens produced and available on the market is a small fixed number of plants. this is not true. in actuality, there are many dozens of varieties including everything from carrots and spinach to beets and mustards and beyond. this producer, for example, has over 115 different varieties of microgreens available for consumers. many smaller farms produce about 10-15 varieties at a time.

2) they have a greater nutritional density than fully mature plants

the nutritional benefits of microgreens vary from plant to plant, but so far it appears all microgreens have a higher concentration of phytonutrients than their fully mature counterparts. it has been shown that some varieties have many times the ratio of vitamins than their fully grown counterparts.

researchers from usda and the university of maryland found in a study leaves from almost all of the 25 microgreens they examined had four to six times more nutrients than the mature leaves of the same plant.

there was much variation between microgreen varieties with red cabbage having the highest density of vitamin c while green daikon radish microgreens had the most vitamin e.

“microgreens aren’t going to replace a big, leafy salad that has lots of fiber and will give you a good sense of satiety… but if you throw a big bunch of microgreens on anything, that’s a pretty good shot of vitamins.” ­– gene lester, usda researcher

although so far it appears microgreens are scientifically superior in nutrition to mature plants, more research is needed and it is important to remember that microgreens are not typically consumed in large quantities. instead, the greens are most commonly used in salads and to garnish small dishes. still, the benefits seem undeniable.

3) really, they only take one or two weeks to grow

yeah, that’s right, a higher density of nutrients grown in one week. this also allows quick turnaround for farmers beneficial to everyone.

4) you don’t have to be a top chef to use them, or an experienced farmer to grow them

really, it’s actually not that difficult and there are a lot of online resources like this one that have step by step instructions on how to grow many varieties of microgreens at almost any home.

5) microgreens are not sprouts

unlike sprouts, which can be harvested after germination in water after only 48 hours, microgreens have not been implicated in foodborne illness outbreaks.

microgreens typically require soil and sunlight, although there are alternative methods such hydroponics and the use of artificial light. they also can only be harvested after one or two weeks. this means there is much less risk in consuming microgreens, although they are not risk free.

will you be growing or using microgreens in your kitchen? let us know how you’re mixing these powerful greens into your diet. 

john perrino is a senior majoring in political communication at the george washington university. julia blakely is a senior majoring in journalism at the george washington university.