Oshman: Green movement gaining ground in foodservice

Nation's Restaurant News,  June 11, 2007  by Carolyn Walkup

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CHICAGO -- While the restaurant industry has not been in the forefront of the growing organic-food movement or environmentally sustainable practices, it is swiftly moving in that direction, said Michael Oshman, executive director of the not-for-profit Green Restaurant Association.

"This is an unprecedented year for people waking up to environmental issues," Oshman told attendees at his seminar, "Advantages of Going Green: Marketing to the Socially Responsible Consumer," during the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show.

"This is not a partisan issue," he added.

He cited statistics showing that 90 percent of Democrats, 80 percent of independents and 60 percent of Republicans favor taking action on so-called "green" issues.

In many restaurant work environments, there is a dissonance with what employees do in their homes, such as recycling and using nontoxic cleaning chemicals, he said.

"Employees are more loyal if you have green practices," he said.

Oshman explained that restaurant operators could go green with the help of his Boston-based association by signing a contract for one to five years. The association assesses what ecologically sound steps a restaurant or company can take, such as purchasing green products and setting up recycling programs. Restaurants that agree to make at least four new changes a year for the term of the contract can earn green certification. "We want changes to be long-term and sustainable," he said.

The association works behind the scenes with vendors and distributors of green products.

"We negotiate with sellers to sell things much cheaper," he said.

He also said that for something to be truly recyclable there must be a local source that either recycles the item or picks it up to be recycled elsewhere.

It's not realistic to make all changes at once, he noted.

"Nobody is perfect, not even the organic/vegan restaurants," he said.

Asked what percentage of the annual fee that restaurants pay to the association goes to marketing, Oshman responded, "Almost none. We've taken out one ad in 17 years."

He added that frequent media interviews result in a good deal of free publicity.

Some of the most important changes operators can make are invisible, but for marketing purposes it may be easier to start with more visible changes, he said. Food and packaging are readily visible to consumers, who notice if foods are labeled organic or if packaging is recyclable. He also noted that employees who recycle bottles feel like they are doing something good for the environment.

However, less-visible changes, like saving energy, may be even more important and ultimately save the most money, he said.

"Restaurants consume more electricity than any other industry," Oshman said.

Reducing serving portions is another way of reducing waste. Oshman noted that one unnamed chain told him 25 percent of prepared food gets thrown away.

Culinary schools are not presently teaching sustainable practices, but Oshman said that he had received an inquiry from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., so he suspects that schools soon will incorporate this subject into their curricula.

While most restaurants that have become certified are independents, the association recently awarded certification to the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, a 500-unit chain based in Los Angeles. That chain anticipates saving some $750,000 over five years by conserving energy, reducing waste and other measures, he said.

The National Restaurant Association also unveiled during the show a Green Task Force that is researching the best combination of ways restaurant operators can go green, the NRA's Seda Atam said during the session's Qand-A period.

cwalkup@nrn.com

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