“Going Out to Eat but Staying Green,” an exciting story by Florence Fabricant in the New York Times (2-13-08), describes the spread of “green” practices at restaurants. Fabricant’s examples include restaurants that use sunflower seeds and straw as building materials, practice intensive recycling, buy local ingredients, and avoid problematic cleaning products.

Fabricant reports that restaurants are seeing cost savings from many of these practices. Even more, she notes that many restaurateurs adopt environmentally sound practices out of a commitment to our planet’s wellbeing.