Friday, January 30, 2009

DC Encouraging Restaurants to Go Green

A District of Columbia agency is embarking on an effort to consult and assist with neighborhood restaurants--including those in and around Logan--who want to "go green" as part of a Greening DC Restaurants initiative.

Restaurants who are interested in participating in the program, which includes an operations assessment followed by in-depth workshops, may contact the program's manager at the Department of Small and Local Business Development.

We think that this is an excellent, proactive initiative on the part of the DC government (one of many progressive initiatives that our city is leading) and hope to see a number of restaurants taking advantage of it. As area places such as Commissary have shown, taking steps to be environmentally responsible doesn't have to involve significant cash expenditures or changes in operations.

The full text of the press release on the initiative is included below.

DSLBD Launches Greening DC Restaurants Project

The Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) has begun
assessing restaurants to help DC's neighborhood restaurants as part Greening
DC Restaurants, a project that offers free technical assistance to
restaurants operating in District neighborhoods. Restaurants located in the
central business districts also may participate if space permits.

A pilot project made possible by a partnership between DSLBD and GreenHOME,
Greening DC Restaurants begins with an initial assessment of business
operations in January and February, and continues with in-depth workshops
and consultations from March through May.

Through these assessments, workshops, and consultations with a green expert,
participating restaurant owners will learn how to reduce their operating
expenses, increase customer sales, and positively impact the environment by
making a minimal to moderate investment in changing their energy/water
usage, product and equipment procurement, and front-of-house operations.

An accompanying how-to guide will help DC restaurants implement both short-
and long-term changes that can significantly impact their bottom line,
reduce a business' ecological footprint, and improve the dining and working
environment for customers and workers.

To schedule an initial assessment and sign-up for the workshops, contact:

Camille I. Nixon, Project Manager
Department of Small and Local Business Development
(202)741-0894 or camille.nixon@ dc.gov.
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Putting aside the mediocre food/decor at commissary, I do think they deserve credit for "going green". But, you look at a place like Commissary, where they trumpet their biodegradable takeout containers but still have plastic bar straws and non-reusable coasters, I dunno. After having spoken with some of the waitstaff about the alleged mission, it all came off as more of a marketing gimmick than an organizational devotion to sustainability. Eat at Chix, where they try hard to the right thing, top-to-bottom.