Nov 6, 2007 4:09 pm US/Eastern
Some Boston Restaurants Going Green
by Mish Michaels
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
When you think about going out to eat, thoughts of good food and good times probably come to mind, but how about helping the environment too?
Massachusetts ingenuity is helping restaurants across the country go green without sacrificing taste.
Chef José Duarte usually gets kudos for his food. His latest accolade is turning "Taranta" into the North End's first green restaurant. "Ninety-five percent of the restaurant right now is on dimmable energy efficient light bulbs."
Chef Duarte worked with the Boston-based Green Restaurant Association. He adopted 11 environmental practices and will add four more each year. Michael Oshman says restaurants can make a big difference. "The restaurant industry, when you include all related sales, is one tenth of the American economy."
It is also the largest consumer of electricity in the retail sector.
Sure, some restaurant owners are motivated by a desire to help the environment, but they're all business people, and it turns out going green makes sense. "I am not an activist, I am not a real tree hugger," explains Chef Duarte.
At Boloco, they're converting to cups actually made out of corn and utensils from potato starch.
Company president Michael Harder says this is a hot trend, but believes restaurants shouldn't go overboard "because people don't want to be preached at."
If you're going out to eat, you want something that tastes good, and restaurant owners hope diners don't lose anything by going to a green restaurant. In fact, they hope you will never be able to tell.
Ruth Valesano raved about her meal at Taranta. "Everything was so fresh and so good."
That's a review any chef till take.
There are about 350 green restaurants across the country and Boston has one of the highest concentrations of just about any city.
Click here for a guide to dining green.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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