How To Care For The Environment When You’re Eating Out

More people than ever are choosing to lead an eco-friendly life. However, finding great eco-friendly places to eat can be difficult! Rest assured – choosing to live consciously doesn’t mean you’ll never leave the house or enjoy delicious food again. Take a look at these ways to incorporate eco-friendly routines when eating out.

Choosing a Sustainable Eatery

Sustainable food options are increasing in demand, and more eateries are now growing their own produce. Try jumping online to easily locate information on eateries and find the best sustainable options. There are websites, review sites, social media and other digital platforms available for these purposes.

Pick an eatery that actively collaborates with local suppliers and growers. Check to see if they mention using in-season ingredients, and preserve what is plentiful at the time for later use. Some restaurants pride themselves in using free-range produce as well as ingredients from their own gardens. By choosing a sustainable eatery, you are encouraging eco-friendly practices.

Urban farming is a growing trend that is gaining popularity all over the world. Eat out at a restaurant that supports local farmers – you’ll enjoy the freshest produce possible, and will help the food industry continue to grow in your neighborhood. Urban farms offer freshly picked, reasonably priced vegetables and fruit. Many farms also bring you the best produce in a used container that is engineered to allow crops to thrive and grow in your local community. Future advances will likely see the containers become more energy efficient. Ultimately, they aim to be self-sufficient.

Eat Somewhere Closer

With so many sustainable eateries available, you don’t have to travel long distances to dine out. Reduce your carbon footprint by driving shorter distances. If you’re up for it, try walking to the restaurant and back. This helps preserve our planet and is a great way to aid digestion after a meal.

Invest in a Reusable Drink Bottle

Whether it’s to a restaurant, to the office, or anywhere you go out during the day, bringing your own water with you is a great way to care for the environment. Disposable plastic bottles are extremely bad for the environment. These don’t biodegrade and take a very long time to decompose. Producing these bottles also requires fossil fuels like petroleum. By having a reusable drink bottle, you’ll help the environment and save a lot of money at the same time!

Dine Smart

You can do countless things to care for the environment when at a restaurant. If you are ordering a drink, simply tell the waiter or waitress you won’t be needing a plastic straw. A major issue with plastic straws is that they are too small to be captured in modern recycling equipment and thus end up in landfills or beaches. This video of a plastic straw being pulled out of a sea turtle’s nose is a harrowing reminder to eliminate them altogether. Instead, purchase your own metal straw that you can reuse and take it to the restaurant with you!

When seated, take a look around you. If the utensils are wrapped with a paper napkin, take it home with you and compost it. If your table isn’t set up yet, just ask your server to bring your utensils without the paper napkin or opt for a reusable one. Also, remember to bring reusable containers for the leftovers if you’re not a big eater. Food wastage uses up a lot of our planet’s resources!

Conclusion

Taking care of the environment while eating out is absolutely possible. It’s all about staying aware of your actions and making eco-friendliness a priority!