A recent report suggests green restaurant plan funding by owners and operators for their foodservice businesses will increase this year. Many expect to devote more money toward capital and operational improvements that are green and increase sustainable restaurant practices. Here are some excerpts from that article and the National Restaurant Association’s 2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast report: “Operators are seeking to become more eco-friendly in an effort to save money on energy costs and gain more customers.” “Today’s consumers are educated about what businesses are doing to become more eco-friendly,” said Chris Moyer, project manager for the NRA’s Conserve Sustainability Education ProgramSM. “More information on green equipment, return on investment and various incentives is available to restaurateurs all of the time,” Moyer said.” Find more links at this article to go greener for green restaurant plan here. The NRA program with information that includes how to create an energy efficient restaurant can also be found at this link. In it, there are useful guides such as industry best practices, expert educational commentary, techniques to save money and creating an action plan. For example, we found among the energy efficient restaurant tips posted at the NRA Conserve that “Letting a faucet run for five minutes uses about as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb run for 14 hours” – or – “If one in four people avoided the free glass of water at a restaurant, the entire industry would conserve more than 26 million gallons of water a year. Have tips, suggestions and ideas for a green restaurant plan to share with our readers? Please post those comments below or contact us directly about your article being in a future blog.
