Carbon Free Dining is hopping the pond from Europe, and we’re excited to announce our first partnership in the U.S., with Bosie in New York City! Endorsed by the United Nations Environmental Program, Carbon Free Dining is a simple way that restaurants and their customers can offset their carbon footprint and help reverse deforestation, while at the same time provide a sustainable food source and education for people in the developing world.
It’s no secret that the US has a huge issue with sustainability, and unfortunately, the hospitality industry and restaurants are a big contributor to the climate crisis. In fact, the restaurant industry generates 11.4 million tons of food waste a year, it expends large amounts of energy, and uses a lot of non-recyclable materials, all of which has a devastating impact on the environment. Restaurant sustainability is now a fundamental factor that every restaurateur and executive chef in the US needs to seriously consider.
“All of us in the hospitality industry need to do everything we can to make our businesses more environmentally friendly,” said Bosie Co-Owner and award-winning Executive Pastry Chef Damien Herrgott. “The Carbon Free Dining project is a very easy, and free, step to take towards sustainability, and Bosie is proud to be the first establishment in the U.S. to sign up for this important initiative.”
Not a day goes by that the climate crisis isn’t in the news, and for good reason: temperatures across the globe are rising alarmingly fast. One important study found that limiting the rise in temperatures to a maximum of 1.5 degrees increase, is vital to avoiding a number of climate change impacts such as rapidly rising sea levels and a great decline in the number of coral reefs. Which, if not abated, will lead to mass migration, food and water shortages, and mass extinctions on a greater scale than ever before.
Carbon Free Dining certified restaurants planted over 250,000 fruit-trees in 2018 alone, and that figure is on target to more than double in 2019.
With climate change constantly grabbing headlines and bombarding us on social media, diners are now more educated than ever about the impact restaurants are having on the environment. So much so, that a recent study found 84% of consumers cited sustainability as a deciding factor on where they choose to dine. Today, if a restaurant isn’t seen to be doing its bit to be more sustainable, customers are likely to choose to eat elsewhere.
How we work is super simple. At a Carbon Free Dining Certified restaurant, for each bill presented, a life-changing fruit tree is planted in the developing world. These planting projects in places like Tanzania provide income, education and food to some of the planet’s poorest communities, while at the same time reducing greenhouse gasses by increasing the number of trees on Earth. Amazing, right?
Each tree planted counterbalances the food waste and CO2 impact of all the meals on each bill. These communities can feed themselves with fresh fruit, and the trees help raise the water table and improve soil quality, which then helps other crops to be grown. Then, these crops and surplus fruit can be sold at the local market, providing much-needed income to give children the opportunity to go to school and be clothed and looked after, thus ending an unsustainable reliance on foreign aid.
In this way, by eating at Carbon Free Dining certified restaurants, diners can help end poverty and climate change at the same time, just by planting a fruit tree.
Carbon Free Dining certified restaurants planted over 250,000 fruit-trees in 2018 alone, and that figure is on target to more than double in 2019. Among so many other restaurants, you can enjoy Carbon Free Dining at Marco Pierre White (41,669 trees planted), Rossopomodoro (97,227 trees), James Martin Manchester (39,017 trees), The Regency Club (22,595 trees), Zouk Tea Bar & Grill (51,964 trees), and Marcus Wareing Tredwells (2,730 trees)
The Carbon Free Dining initiative is completely free for
- A tree-counter widget which you can embed on your website that counts up how many trees have been planted through your restaurant
- A personalised landing page on the Carbon Free Dining website
- Your restaurant nominated for environmental awards
- Social media content
- A high-quality restaurant promotional video (like this one, with legendary Chef Marco Pierre White!)
There’s a lot restaurants can and need to do to help offset negative environmental impact, and we hope that restaurants in the U.S. will also take this one simple step and join Carbon Free Dining. It’s super easy to get certified and become a part of this award-winning restaurant initiative. As a special thank you to any restaurant that signs up with this link here on CulEpi, we’ll plant 100 life-changing, carbon-reducing fruit-trees up front when you become a Carbon Free Dining Certified partner!
Restaurants and other foodservice establishments can get more info on the Carbon Free Dining initiative! Customers can find Carbon Free Dining establishments here!
