Carpé Diem: Ethical UK Restaurant from Top to Bottom
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03.20.07
From the food to the furniture to the source of electricity, just about everything in Carpé Diem restaurant in Bristol (UK) has been selected with the environment and the welfare of its inhabitants in mind. Working closely with their suppliers, the restaurant strives to source more than 50% of their menu from within 50 miles, going with organic produce (whenever possible) and free-range and ethically raised meat and dairy; their ethical stance also keeps veal and Foie Gras off the menu. For something hot to drink, they serve fair trade tea and coffee from rainforest-friendly sources, but the food is just the beginning, though. Their furniture is made from wood sourced from sustainable forests, and they plant four trees for every one used. They use water-saving toilets, fastidiously recycle as much glass, cardboard, paper, and waste oil as possible and plan to run the shop on solar energy. Restaurateur Roger Chandre believes, "If you are going to have an ethical business then you need to think about every detail – everything you buy, everything you use and everything you throw away. I want to show other companies that an ethical business can still be sustainable and profitable and that it doesn’t need to cost the earth to save the earth." Sounds like this restaurant has really seized the day, without endangering our ability to do the same tomorrow. ::Carpé Diem via ::New Consumer
