Dining Green

Let's face it, Americans love a good nosh—especially if we don't have to whip it up ourselves. We consume 70 million restaurant meals a day at almost one million restaurants across the country, with each establishment churning out 50,000 pounds of waste, and using around 300,000 gallons of water every year. In fact, it seems we'd do anything to avoid slaving over a steaming hot stove—we spend more than $500 billion on prepared foods every year.

But a growing number of restaurants want to green up their acts, with the help of the non-profit Green Restaurant Association, which is transforming food businesses into what it calls "certified green restaurants." And we're not just talking about screwing on a few fluorescent light bulbs and switching to recycled paper towels.

To date, 1000 restaurants in 23 states have become certifiably green.

Check out WBUR's interactive tour for a blow-by-blow guide on how a sustainable restaurant can be run, both inside the kitchen and out. :: WBUR.org

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