Ahh… Fridays. The infamous Friday night “Carry-Out Food and Movie Nite” in the Mom Goes Green household. The night when I don’t have to think about “what’s for dinner” and instead can rely on the simple question of where to get the food.
While this has become a tradition for us, it also brings the concern of all the waste that can be created when I don’t do the cookin’! Who hasn’t experienced this with their order?: large, rustling bag; unneeded plastic utensils; mountains of paper napkins; a sea of condiment packets; towers of containers; single-use cups… the list could go on and on (and that list has a harsh consequence for landfill waste).
So, consider this when placing your next order:
- Coffee – Americans use approximately 15 BILLION paper coffee cups per year. If your order includes coffee, bring your own cup… they’ll fill it for you.
- Condiments – really, if you’re taking it home, you probably have the same condiments waiting for you in your refrigerator. Instead of thinking “Well, I PAID for them”, think “No thanks. I have them already” and they aren’t in a dozen tiny packets, cups and containers.
- Napkins – skip ‘em. Tell them you don’t need any since you probably already use cloth napkins at home…. righ
t? 🙂 Right.
- Utensils – goes without saying… we all DEFINITELY have those at home, so tell them you don’t need them either.
- Containers – many restaurants provide you with some decent containers but, while it’s nearly impossible to refuse them, you can reuse them. Clean them, reuse them and consider them the next time you reach for a Ziploc or other disposable storage container.
- Cups – I certainly voiced my dislike of all the kids disposable cups during a dine-in meal, but many of those are also reusable, for beverages, storing craft supplies and lots of other projects.
- Bags – walk in with your own. Tell them you don’t need their oversized plastic version… after all, you ALWAYS keep your reusable bags in your car…. riiiight? 🙂
If you follow all of these suggestions, imagine this… you would have zero-waste…. AND you would have a nice relaxing evening, with a clear conscience and absolutely zero cooking too!
The presenter began by asking everyone to pass around a plate that held a McDonald’s hamburger and Burger King fries. My stomach churned at the thought, because we really avoid fast food (especially these two chains!).
Even the greatest of moms have to occasionally rely on a 
We celebrated at one of my favorite local joints because I prefer to forgo the overabundant waste and excess of those overpriced Mother’s day buffets! I was also sure NOT to walk away with any 
well. From their supplies and paper products to packaging for their foods, they’re making a tremendous effort to cut down on the waste. Other changes include using menus on recycled paper with soy inks, glass washers that use less water and soap, CFLs, better thermostat controls and low-flow water nozzles. They have even enacted a policy that prohibits delivery trucks from idling in their parking lots.
And if you are lucky enough to live in Cleveland, you need to visit 
me of the growing chains) and rated them on their eco-friendliness, using their “4-leaf green rating system”. Take a look, for those occasions when you need a quick bite, and you’ll feel better about making good choices.