Eco-friendly baby steps can grow green initiatives - 0 views
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Ted Turner and restaurant veteran George McKerrow Jr., the co-founders of the 55-unit Ted’s Montana Grill chain,
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Charlie Ayers, the former executive chef of Google and the owner of sustainability-focused Calafia Café in Palo Alto, Calif
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one of the most enlightened businesses in the world
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Ted Turner, George McKerrow Jr, and Charlie Ayers led a panel discussing the local and national benefits of making eco-friendly changes at restaurants. While there is a strong push from customers to eat at sustainable restaurants, "the challenge is convincing them (the restaurants) that being green won't hurt profits." The easiest baby step that seems to have the most ROI is simply changing the lighting in the restaurant to energy-efficient light bulbs. At Ted's Montana Grill, this switch saved his company $80,000 in the first year. Other small changes to consider would be to move to plastic-free straws and biodegradable takeout containers. But those things cost money and may be out of reach for many restaurants. Some places are taking it a step further and incorporating sustainable materials into the restaurant design and decor. The last major suggestion from this panel is a large scale shift in fossil fuel subsidies. If those can be removed, green energy can become a more competitive field and thus offer restaurants another alternative and opportunity to become green.