EcoTuesday Minneapolis got off to a great start in January. We gained insight into success and sustainability in the restaurant business from Joe Hatch-Surisook of Sen Yei Sen Lek, and we learned about each others' projects and current eco events in the Twin Cities.

I was amazed at the variety of business sectors our group of attendees represented: marketing, retail, magazine sales, career consulting, vehicle sales, food service, environmental consulting, architecture, and photography to name a few. 

This month, EcoTuesday Minneapolis is visiting Sen Yai Sen Lek, a Thai restaurant owned by Joe Hatch-Surisook. Joe runs his restaurant based on guiding principles that include family ownership, cultural authenticity, environmental and social stewardship, and community orientation (www.senyai-senlek.com/about/htm). I am looking forward to learning about Joe’s passion for the local food movement and commitment to running a responsible business in a very challenging and competitive industry.

As an environmental consultant, I advise clients on sustainable practices and help them measure their environmental impacts on a daily basis. I am programmed to ask and answer, “What more can you do to reduce your impact on the environment with the resources you have?” So, last Thursday, as is often the case when out to dinner, I found myself coming up with ideas to help the restaurant we were in become more sustainable. But then it occurred to me, as a diner and consumer, I need to make sure that I ask myself this same question: “What more can I do to reduce my environmental impact while enjoying a night out at a restaurant?” The answer is to become a more mindful diner.

Here are some ways to become a more mindful diner, some of which came from the Green Restaurant Association:
• Do some research beforehand and support those restaurants that incorporate sustainable practices into their business model, including offering vegetarian options, using locally sourced and/or organic ingredients, composting, and reducing packaging.
• Before you leave the house, remember to pack a reusable to-go container for your leftovers. Take a travel mug if you’re going for coffee and expect to get a paper or Styrofoam cup. This way, you not reduce waste, but also help the restaurant owner keep costs, and therefore prices, down.
• Bike, walk, or take public transport rather than drive, or at least carpool if dining in a group.
• Select the items from the menu that are made from locally sourced and/or organic ingredients. This sends a signal to the restaurant owner that restaurant-goers appreciate the more sustainable options.
• Choose the vegetarian option. We all know it’s generally healthier for you and for the environment.
• Avoid being “green-washed.” If an item on the menu is listed as “natural,” for example, ask the waiter to clarify what this means.
• Since many fish populations are overfished and poorly managed, carry a guide to sustainable seafood with you to help you make the best choice. Guides are available from the Blue Ocean Institute and the Monterrey Bay Aquarium.
• If you know ahead of time that you’re not going to drink the water as the waiter pours it or eat the extra bread, let the waiter know so the water or food is not wasted.
• If you’re at a restaurant that supplies paper napkins, don’t grab a giant stack and then throw the unused ones away. Start with one and only take another if you need it.
• Take your leftovers home in your reusable container. If you forget your personal to-go container ask the server for some tinfoil which you and rinse/recycle later.
• In our feedback intensive culture, take a moment after your experience to share details about positive (and negative) aspects of your meal. You can usually contact the restaurant via their website and let our community know your thoughts on review sites like SPROUT Twin Cities or YELP (both great forums for supporting local restaurants that get it right).

Bon appétit!

If you have some ideas about how to be a more mindful diner, bring them to Sen Yai Sen Lek on January 26.

RSVP to this month’s Minneapolis event at: www.ecotuesday.com/city/minneapolis/event/2010-jan
 

This Fall marks Minneapolis EcoTuesday's two year anniversary. We have been priviledged to host a wide array of passionate and very interesting speakers.