Customers in this Massachussettsrestaurant might not notice that the cup they are using is made of corn and isbiodegradable.But this is one of thesteps the casual food restaurant chain, Boloco, has taken to be labeled"green."
MichaelHarder is president and chief operating officer of the chain.
"Firstof all, we had to eliminate the Styrofoam as one of our options,? Harder said.?We actually replaced the Styrofoam with a corn-based polylactide PLAcup."
The smallsign on the window reads, "Certified green restaurant."
It provides a hint that the owner hasembraced a number of ecologically minded practices.
Thecertification is issued by The GreenRestaurant Association or GRA, a Boston based organization founded in1990.
Michael Oshman, the founder, saysthe words "green" and "business" was rarely seen on thesame page back then, but the green restaurant movement is finally flourishing.
"Wecurrently have about 260 restaurants across the country, and also a little bitin Canada, that are certified green restaurants and restaurants that are on theway to certification,? Oshman said. ?We are currently growing at an incrediblepace. Last year we tripled in size, the amount of restaurants on board.
And this coming year, we will likely to dothe same."
To meet theGRA's environmental guidelines, Boloco's Harder says the chain has implementeda recycling program, outfitted employees with organic cotton t-shirts, andintroduced naturally raised meats and chicken.
The animalsare allowed to roam freely, and are free of antibiotics and additional growthhormones.
He says his restaurant istaking four additional steps this year, including replacing the plasticcontainers with the ones made from compostable plant fibers.
BrendenMahoney is a regular customer. "I think it is important to support placesthat are environmentally friendly,? he said. ?So, it will definitely reinforcemy habit of coming here."
In additionto increased customer loyalty, restaurants find other benefits fromenvironmentally conscious practices.
Jose Duarte is the chef and owner of Italian restaurant Taranta indowntown Boston.
He says he hascompleted GRA's 20 environmental steps.
"[For] each single item that we actually put in the restaurant and we changed,we have seen the result,? Duarte said. ?The tankless water heaters were one ofthe nicest things that I can put in there because we are saving about $150 to$200 a month in our normal gas bill."
Duarte saysswitching to environmentally friendly systems, such as energy efficientlighting, water-conserving spray heads, and delivery vehicles fueled by cookingoil often costs money.
But he saysthat long-term savings cover those expenses and result in lower operatingcosts.
He says recyclingand food waste composting programs help him cut the garbage bill by 40 percentand now very little trash actually goes to the landfill.
"Weknow that it doesn't change the world. It changes our part of the world. And it is the things that our customers are asking for, so it isrelevant to our customers. It is thethings that we are trying to do for ourselves as well. We live in our communities,? Harder said.
Industryand government figures show that food service buildings are the most energy intensiveof all commercial buildings.
GreenRestaurant Association's Oshman says, with restaurants accounting for 10percent of the nation's economy, the push for sustainable practices in theindustry has great potential to help the planet.