What’s on your Plate?
In the Mid-Atlantic, August is all about eating. Baltimore’s Restaurant Week starts tomorrow and DC’s is the week after. Both events tend to be quite popular as some of the best restaurants in the area offer good dining deals. And a deal for dinner (or lunch) can go a long way – did you know that the average American spends around 10% of their annual income on eating out (about 3% more than Americans spend on health insurance!)
With spending such a large proportion of our incomes on eating out, it would behoove us to learn more about not only what went into the food we consume but if the dining establishments we patronize are pursuing any sustainable practices. The entire food cycle is a huge energy hog (pardon the pun). From producing and distributing fertilizers to harvesting crops and raising animals, refrigeration, transport, and finally turning on the ovens at restaurants, the carbon-footprint of your burger (or tuna sandwich … imported from Chile) can be shockingly high. Here’s a great graphic that shows emissions related to different foods.
That’s why Clean Currents is proud of its 85 restaurant and cafe customers – all of which have made concerted efforts at greening their operations and/or ingredient sourcing. Full list below:
