Table Talk

By David S

November 6, 2008 9:32 AM | Link to this

Recent UN studies have finally confirmed what responsible animal rights and vegetarian groups have been saying for decades - that the greatest positive impact one can have on the environment is by becomming a vegetarian.

Turning off the lights when you leave the room, not ordering bottled water, recycling and all of those other “easy and non-threatening” activities are fine, but if you really are committed to green and saving the environment, then you should become a vegan. No meat, no fish, no dairy, no eggs, no animal products period.

Nearly 90% of all the water that is taken from the Colorado river goes to produce feed for cattle! Runoff of waste from feed lots and other mass production facilities pollutes lakes, streams, and underground aquifers all over the world. The amount of energy it takes to produce a single pound of meat is staggering, and many times what it takes to produce an identican pound of vegetable protein.

Is your restaurant green? If they serve animal products the answer is clearly no.

Or you can just sit back and be satisfied that you replaced a few incandescent lightbulbs.

And regarding the suggestions made - meat scraps do not belong in a compose pile. Just like in your gut, they rot and can pass dangerous organisms to food that is grown in the compost down the road.

A restaurant should reuse its napkins or paper products? Are you actually willing to be served that? Cloth napkins are fine, but the water and energy used to clean them are a carbon cost too. Recent studies (that are being suppressed) in Britain clearly show that the environmental impact of disposable diapers is actually less than all the impact of washing, drying, etc. cloth diapers. There is no “feel good” approach to anything. There is fact and there is fact. Locally grown is fine, but organic is better and a restaurant has to have a constant and dependable supply of product. Encourage local purchases, but realize that the production will need to rise to meet rising demand and that takes at least a growing season if not more.

If you want to be even more environmental, consider a raw vegan diet. No heat, no energy consumed.

By clyde

November 6, 2008 10:24 AM | Link to this

One can always take the issue to the nth degree and forego food of any kind.That way you wind up in the compost pile a lot earlier.

Locally grown food is fine,if you know the farmer.Some I’ve seen are very liberal with pesticides.Some I’ve seen aren’t too clean around their barns,if they also raise animals.It pays dividends for you to go visit the farm where you intend to buy your produce.You can learn a lot if you know what you’re looking for.

Many farms ship their best produce and sell their culls to locals.Watch for that.Look for weeds.If there are none ,this indicates a large work force,maybe illegals,or it indicates that weed killer is used on the land.

Local grown food isn’t so simple now is it? I grow a lot of my own.I knpw what’s on and in mine.

By charlie309

November 6, 2008 10:56 AM | Link to this

I like meat…a lot.

By Rodney

November 6, 2008 11:51 AM | Link to this

I’m with you, Charlie309 - I’m an omnivore with SERIOUS carnivore leanings. I don’t care if I have to give up daily hot showers and/or clean napkins, I will be eating meat if available.

And if I’m in the mood for meat - there’s something to be said for a tasty veggie plate but that’s not really the point, is it?

So - more to the point of the post - going “green” for a resto is tricky in that it will certainly cost more $$ to accomplish and where is that $$ going to come from? From a hike in per-plate cost to the diner.

And when you start hiking up prices just to offset the cost of buying local and environmentally clean products and processes (which I’m all for, by the way - just playing devil’s advocate) there’s a large number of diners who will not buy into it and will choose to go elsewhere.