Lots of restaurant in the Twin Cities are eco-friendly, so why not check them out?
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Good Eats - Go There
Good Eats
From superheroes delivering pizza in tiny electric cars to menus made up entirely of raw ingredients, Twin Cities’ restaurateurs are embracing a greener approach. Here are a few of the tastiest and most environmentally sound dining options.
Galactic Pizza
Who knew superheroes eat pizza? At Galactic Pizza, diners will discover organic menu options as well as a truly green way of operating.
Galactic Pizza is powered by renewable wind energy. Even the pizza delivery is environmentally conscious; when the weather allows, spandex-clad delivery people drive electric-powered vehicles. Most of the packaging at Galactic Pizza is recyclable or biodegradable; the menus are printed on hemp paper.
Galactic Pizza purchases ingredients locally, and the mozzarella is hormone-free. The majority of toppings on the menu are organic; there are vegan meats, and any animal products are from well-treated animals that aren’t fed antibiotics or hormones.
Popular items on the menu include the Paul Bunyan pizza—regular, vegetarian or vegan—made with ingredients grown or raised in
Seward Cafe
Having been in business since 1970, Seward Cafe is collectively owned by its employees. The decisions here are made by the community, for the community. This local eatery is primarily a breakfast joint, open through the lunch hour.
The mostly vegetarian menu also has vegan and gluten-free options, and the eggs come from free-range chickens. Seward Cafe participates in a crop-share and purchases ingredients locally. The coffee is always brewing at Seward Cafe and the portions are generous. The crowd favorite is the Earth Breakfast, which mixes eggs and hash browns, with additional toppings like ranchero sauce or broccoli.
Ecopolitan
Ecopolitan boasts a menu that is entirely vegan, organic and raw.
The restaurant tries to make the overall health of the body and Earth priority without sacrificing varied and unique meals. The menu features foods consisting of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.
The food is familiar but with a whole new taste. Pizza crusts are made with buckwheat and herbs instead of flour; noodles are made from zucchini, and the vegetarian burger is a mushroom walnut patty. Drinks stick with the raw, vegan and organic philosophy, too, including juices, smoothies, teas and wine. Popular menu items include the Red Avocado Pizza and the Green Burrito.
More notable local restaurants
Cafe Brenda favors vegetarian and organic meal choices, an organic wine list and seafood selections. Restaurant Alma features organic produce supplied by local farmers. Pizza Lucé now has four locations in the
These establishments do their part to lessen the strain that many restaurants put on the environment. Now going out to eat might even make you feel like an environmental superhero. a
Amy Anderson
Click here to see a map with all these locations and more!
An Inconvenient Timeline
Suzanne Sobotka brings us for a hike down memory lane, and gives us a brief history of Green.
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More Ways to Green Your Grass
… And even more ways to Go Green on a Budget
- Wash clothes in cold water On your next laundry day, turn the knob on your machine from warm to cold. You can save up to 90% of the energy you use to wash clothes when you switch to a cold wash.
- Buy fluorescent bulbs Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, which are three or four times more efficient than incandescent bulbs. Although fluorescent light bulbs may cost more upfront - perhaps up to $2.50 a bulb instead of 50 cents - they last much longer.
- Eat fresh Buy produce from local co-ops and farmer’s markets rather than at the grocery store. Not only will your foods taste better, you won't have made a gas-guzzling journey just to get your groceries.
- Pump your tires When you have to drive, make sure your tires are always inflated to the fullest. Pumping them up can improve your gas mileage by more than 3% and save you 7 cents per gallon on gasoline.
- Replace your showerhead with one that puts out less water. The standard showerhead spews 4.5 gallons-per-minute (GPM). Replace it with a 2.5-GPM head and you’ll save 20,000 gallons of water per year.
- Learn to drive Rapid acceleration and braking can lower your gas mileage by 5% when driving around town and 33% on the highway.
- Hold more indoor winter parties The holiday season is the perfect time of year to get together with friends and family. Invite them over, turn your thermostat down and let your guests provide the heat.
- Say goodbye to aerosols Because they have limited recycling value, aerosol containers usually wind up in landfills. Instead of aerosols, look for spray bottles, liquids, powders and roll-ons.
- B.Y.O.B. As in, bring your own bag. Some stores even give you cash toward your next purchase for every bag you bring in to use again. It saves both you and the store money.
- Collect the rain Place a container under a gutter downspout and let it fill over time. Rain water is actually healthier for plants and gardens than tap water.
Janessa Dohse
Green the Grass on Your Side
save the environment and your wallet
Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Ferrell both drive a Prius, the not-so-cost-efficient hybrid vehicle that helps save the planet. Julia Roberts’ eco-friendly Malibu mansion, equipped with solar panels, recycled bathroom tiles and wood from sustainable forests cost her $20 million. Celebrities can afford these costly green solutions. But let’s face it, the average Joe can’t. Emptying your pockets is not the only way to preserve the world. If you think you can’t afford to go green, think again.
Stop pre-rinsing your dishes According to Consumer Reports, pre-rinsing your dishes wastes up to 20 gallons of water per load. A dripping faucet can emit just as much each day. Limit the water used on dirty pots and pans. Harvest rainwater to use in your garden.
Fix leaky toilets These leaks use up to 90,000 gallons of water a month. Also, try putting a water-filled plastic bottle into the cistern to reduce its water capacity.
Pay online You have the power to eliminate more than 800,000 tons of waste a year by simply receiving and paying your bills online.
Front AND back “Office workers use an average of 10,000 sheets of paper each year,” says Jasmin Robertson of Green Rocket, a media relations company devoted to social and environmental change. “Limit what you print and always print on front and back sides of sheets. You will find that it saves you money when you do not buy as much printing paper or ink.”
Roll it up If every household in the United States replaced one roll of regular paper towels with a roll of 100 percent recycled paper towel, we’d save 544,000 trees.
“If it’s yellow, let it mellow…” says infamous rocker, Dave Matthews, in a Rolling Stone interview. “If it’s brown, flush it down.” While a courtesy flush may seem like a good idea, it wastes a lot of water.
Get a library card Go to the library and check out a book instead of paying money for your own. It also saves on printing resources, according to the Worldwatch Institute.
Engines Elminate 550 pounds of carbon dioxide emission each year by simply turning off your car while waiting in a parking lot, instead of idling for 10 minutes. Keep your car maintenance updated. A well-tuned car burns less gasoline.
Unplug! While you’re sitting at home on your computer, keep in mind a computer screen saver uses up to 10 times more energy than one in sleep mode. When you are done using your computer, or any electronic device, turn it off.
Filter your water Invest in a water filter or a stainless steel water bottle so you’re buying fewer plastic bottles. A stainless steel bottle costs roughly $15 and lasts for years. Buying a new water bottle every day costs $2 each time—$730 a year!
Lose the lint Make an effort to clean your lint filters on your dryer, and you will be decreasing the energy you use per load by up to 30 percent. a
Kelly Jo Mitchell
And check out even more ways to save money.
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