One of our favorite places to eat is Souplantation. They have a HUGE salad bar, and we love buffets as everyone can eat what they choose. I happen to LOVE salad so I am in my element in Souplantation. Now I can also be happy in the knowledge that as a company they are trying to reduce their impact on the planet. One of their recent blog posts stated that:
It’s cool to be green. Whether you recycle your plastic bottles,
reuse grocery bags or bring your own, conserve energy by unplugging
electronics not being used during the day, or compost your trash, it can
help improve the environment and save you money at the same time.
We can all make changes in our everyday life to make our planet a
healthier one. Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes are making small yet
impactful improvements to our restaurants to help the environment:
- We’re installing Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) in our
restaurants.- We are using 100% recycled towel, tissue, and napkin products.
- Our take-out containers are recyclable. We use no Styrofoam.
- We’re replacing hot water systems with new, tank-less hot water
heaters.Every year, we estimate that with these changes we can save:
- 2,129,400 pounds of waste paper
- 3,194.10 cubic yards of landfill space
- 7,452,900 gallons of water
- 4,365,270 kilowatts of energy
Along with this each Souplantation uses stainless steel cutlery, no plastic disposables. Each of the items is made fresh daily in their kitchens, no multi-packs here wrapped in cellophane. One great thing is that they have free water. Soda fountains are full of high fructose corn syrup and unhealthy for our bodies and the environment, drinking water is a much better option.
Changes I’d love to see in the future would include
- glass cups for drinks rather than plastic tumblers (at least they aren’t the disposable cups so it’s a step in the right direction) and ceramic plates rather than the plastic plates they currently use. I am
guessing though that these options are more an economic solution to the breakage problem posed with glass/ceramic. Again the plates and cups are washed, sanitized and reused so it’s not too big of a problem. They could be using - more vegetarian/vegan options for their soups and bakery items. Although they occasionally have vegan options it annoys me that their tomato soup for example is not vegetarian/vegan. If you are vegan/vegetarian please read the fine print and check that the items you consume are suitable for your diet. For those with special dietary considerations Souplantation does provide nutritional on their website and ingredients listings in a binder at each location.
- The option to use reusable napkins, though I guess I could bring my own from home.
- Turn away from the small paper cups to hold dressings and butter etc, look for more sustainable options.
- more organic options
Do you visit Souplantation? What changes would you like to see?
Resources: Souplantation.com
