seasonal food

How To Dine Out More Sustainably

throwing straw
seasonal dish

Most people enjoy the experience of being able to dine out, but it can be difficult to dine out in an eco-conscious and sustainable fashion. Many of your favorite restaurants may not offer the most sustainable way of dining out, unfortunately, so it is important that we all look for eco-friendly restaurants in our area. Once you find restaurants you enjoy that are environmentally friendly, you should do your best to support them and help them in their mission. If you are looking to make this world a more sustainable place future generations, you may also want to share some of these ideas with your local restaurants to see if they will get onboard with achieving that goal. Here are some of the great ways to help dine out more sustainably when you are deciding where to spend your dollars.

1) Eat Seasonal Dishes

One of the best ways to eat sustainably is to simply eat the foods served at restaurants when they are in season. If you are looking to eat fresh fruits in your meals, you will likely get the best fruit in Summer, when it is likely fresh and grown locally. If you are trying the same dish in the Winter the fruit is probably frozen or shipped from a faraway country. All that travel and the pollution it creates is not what is best for your taste buds or the environment. Therefore, whenever possible you should try to eat the foods that are in season so you know they are fresh, more local, and more sustainable.

2) Eat Local

As referenced above, another great way to dine out more sustainably is to eat locally. Try to find restaurants that support local farmers. If you can find restaurants that purchase their food from local farmers the food will likely be fresher and taste much better. This also prevents the need for food to ship hundreds of miles and pollute the environment during transport.

3) Bring Your Own To-Go Bags

Most people are unable to finish an entire meal when they go out to a restaurant because portion sizes may be too large. If this is the case, you may want to bring your own reusable bags and containers with you to the restaurant. You can bag up your own food and eliminate the need for plastic and styrofoam containers at the restaurant. This helps reduce pollution and trash in the landfills.

4) Eliminate Straws

Straws are one of the most dangerous items to use because they end up all over landfills and in the ocean. They create an immediate danger for wildlife and can cause serious damage and even death. Straws are not a necessity in this world and should be eliminated whenever possible. Try using metal straws if you must use one. Try talking to your local restaurants and asking them to avoid using straws. This will help them cut down on their operating costs and better the environment at the same time.

If you enjoy the experience of dining out, you should highly consider these tips for dining out more sustainably. They can make a huge difference in the world and help others.