Loop eateries increase sustainability, area named Green Dining District

| News Editor

For diners looking for environmentally conscious options, the Delmar Loop is now home to twelve Green Dining Alliance-certified restaurants that go the extra mile to promote sustainable practices.

These local businesses have focused on recycling, refraining from Styrofoam use, using water responsibly, sourcing local food and converting to more sustainable forms of lighting and other equipment.

Blueberry Hill is one of the 12 Loop restaurants that has changed their business practices to be an environmentally sustainable restaurant. The uptick in “green” restaurants on the Loop allowed the area to be designated a Green Dining District.

Blueberry Hill is one of the 12 Loop restaurants that has changed their business practices to be an environmentally sustainable restaurant. The uptick in “green” restaurants on the Loop allowed the area to be designated a Green Dining District.

Since over 25 percent of Loop restaurants have received Green Dining Alliance (GDA) certification, the area has been designated as a Green Dining District. It is the second St. Louis area to receive such a distinction, following the suburb of Maplewood.

While over 100 St. Louis-area restaurants are now GDA members, GDA program manager Jenn DeRose said she specifically had her eye on University City and the Loop to become a Green Dining District from day one.

“When I first got hired I was like ‘That’s my goal. U City is the next Green Dining District,’ because it’s the right place, and there’s so many great restaurants there, and I think the mood is right there—people are like ‘I want to have a green street; I want to have a sustainable street,’ so that’s why they were targeted,” DeRose said.

Jessica Bueler, the Loop’s marketing manager, felt that the Loop’s environment made the area well-suited to becoming a Green Dining District.

“We recognized that the Loop was a unique area in terms of free-thinking, diversity and welcoming people from all walks of life, so we thought we would start talking to the Loop restaurant owners about the possibility of forming a Green Dining District,” Bueler wrote to Student Life.

DeRose noted that over 1,700 tons of waste were diverted from landfills last year due to recycling measures taken by GDA members, a number that is projected to rise this year with more restaurants receiving GDA certification.

“Because they joined the GDA and because they recycle and compost, 1,714 tons of waste didn’t go to the landfill and instead went to become something else,” DeRose said. “That was with only 69 restaurants. We have 101 restaurants now, so that number is going to, obviously, increase.”

On the Loop, Blueberry Hill, Fitz’s, Three Kings Public House, Mission Taco Joint, The Melting Pot, Peacock Loop Diner, Eclipse Restaurant, Meshuggah Cafe, Pin-Up Bowl, Salt + Smoke, Snarf’s Sandwiches and Piccione Pastry have all been GDA certified. DeRose noted that restaurants do bring greater costs upon themselves by practicing more environmentally stable methods.

“The profit margin for restaurants isn’t very high,” DeRose said. “They’re slow to make changes, especially if there’s an upfront cost, so there were about two months there where we only had one [GDA-certified] restaurant on the Loop.”

Jen Kaslow, the owner of Meshuggah Cafe, the first certified restaurant on the Loop, said that the decision to join the GDA came out of a desire to help the environment, even if environmental stability comes at an additional price.

“As far as finances go, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to go green, whether that means upgrading our lighting or electricity or getting a better to-go container,” Kaslow said.

Three Kings owner Derek Deaver said that certain green alternatives do require more funds than other less sustainable alternatives, but added that customers consider environmental sustainability when ordering food.

“It costs a little bit more, but it’s not much more, considering the benefits. Nowadays, people want to know where their food’s coming from. They’re trying to be clean. They’re trying to help the environment out,” Deaver said. “If you’re a businessperson not doing this, you’re kind of behind the curve.”

While going green does increase the upfront costs incurred by local restaurants, Meshuggah owner Kaslow noted that DeRose encourages environmentally aware consumers to visit more sustainable businesses, a marketing strategy that could offset the higher initial costs for some restaurant owners.

“I know that [DeRose] tried to market it, to get customers who are more conscious to visit us,” Kaslow said. “I don’t really think of [going green] as a marketing tool; I think of it as a responsibility, but I also think it’s great that they are using it as a marketing tool for the businesses that it does motivate.”

While there are no current plans to turn other areas in St. Louis into Green Dining Districts, DeRose hopes to strengthen the existing program by conducting more frequent restaurant visits and playing an active role in increasing the environmental sustainability of local eateries.

“Of course I have my eyes on a couple different places, but I don’t have my eyes on a specific place yet,” DeRose said. “The Grove has expressed interest, and they already have a couple of GDA certified restaurants, so that would be an obvious one.”

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