RESTAURANT SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE
Working with Restaurants to Improve Sustainability Efforts & Reduce Marine Pollution
Our Goal
The Seaside Sustainability Restaurant Initiative is a resource to help educate and provide sustainable swaps by forming pro-bono/free partnerships with restaurants. We aim to create a collective of restaurants that are examples of successful marine-friendly establishments to promote sustainability throughout the nation.
Demand for Sustainability
The restaurant industry generates large amounts of plastic waste such as single-use straws, food-ware, and fishing gear. Marine debris is one of the most widespread issues⁴ that face the world's oceans, and overfishing can lead to food crises and financial hardships.³ Many consumers acknowledge that it is crucial to protect the ocean's resources for future generations and would pay more for restaurants that use sustainable practices. Eighty-six percent² of American consumers expect companies to act on social and environmental issues. Our interns Anna O’Brien, Kate Pinette, and Sneha Patel created the Seaside Approved Restaurant project to streamline choosing sustainable swaps and guide restaurants toward a greener future.
The Seaside Sustainability Project recognizes restaurants dedicated to choosing marine-safe alternatives and offers them a simple guide to help them make those sustainable swaps. When you decide to work with us, you will receive information from our team members to explain the criteria and provide you with more information such as price and product breakdowns. Our team will make sure to follow up with you for any questions.
Once we confirm that the criteria are met your restaurant can use our logo for promotional purposes and receive recognition through our website, social media, and newsletter.
Restaurant Sustainability Initiatives
OUR CRITERIA
Sourcing
Sourcing local ingredients helps reduce the number of emissions used during transportation, promotes a circular economy by preventing overfishing, and gives the advantage of fresh flavors of local ingredients rather than freezing or extending the life of other ingredients. Switching to local ingredients will let your menu evolve with the season’s flavors to entice your customers to keep coming back as well as a great way to support local farmers.
Sustainable Food-Ware
By switching to biodegradable containers and reusable food-ware in your restaurant you can prevent any plastic, styrofoam, and other types of takeout containers from entering landfills. This helps prevent chemicals from entering waterways and negatively impacting marine species. Using eco-friendly containers is the best way to display your brand’s social awareness as many consumers highly value brands that look out for their best interest and the environment.
Green Cleaning
Use eco-safe cleaning materials in your restaurant for your health and the environment. Few chemicals in many industrial cleaning products are regulated by the EPA and some common name-brand products have been found to have carcinogenic impurities. These chemicals end up in our waterways and persist in the environment. Additionally, the type of plastics used are often non-recyclable so these empty bottles end up in landfills. Protect the health of your employees and consumers and also reduce costs for the proper disposal of hazardous products by switching to eco-safe products.
Sustainable Food-Wear
Sourcing local ingredients helps reduce the number of emissions used during transportation, promotes a circular economy by preventing overfishing, and gives the advantage of fresh flavors of local ingredients rather than freezing or extending the life of other ingredients. Switching to local ingredients will let your menu evolve with the season’s flavors to entice your customers to keep coming back as well as a great way to support local farmers.
Plant-Based Meals
Implement plant-based options on your menu. The industrial meat system requires large amounts of land and resources and is a leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation, and water contamination. Providing plant-based options helps reduce the environmental impacts associated with the livestock industry. Offer plant-based options and expand your reach towards changing consumer values because 39% of Americans, while not strictly vegan, aim to be more plant-based in their choices1.
Waste Reduction
Ways to reduce waste of all types are present within your establishment. A large quantity of the food that isn’t used in the restaurant is thrown out. Many methods such as creating compost systems, creating smaller portion sizes, and having a POS system can reduce the amount of food that goes to waste. By making efforts to reduce food waste in your kitchen, you can help your bottom line. Donating any unused food can bring you potential tax deductions and is a great way to give back to your community.
Waste Reduction
Criteria Point System
A point system is in place for each of the 5 criteria categories. Each category is broken down into multiple criteria targets that are awarded a certain amount of points depending on the target. These points are added up to equal the total points for that respective category. We understand that each restaurant has different capacities to meet each category, so for each criteria point, a passing score can be met with a combination of criteria targets.
Criteria Point System
We have implemented the Gold-Silver-Bronze Structure:
Seaside Sustainability Gold:
The restaurant earns a passing score for all five (5) criteria categories.
Seaside Sustainability Silver:
The restaurant earns a passing score for four (4) criteria categories.
Seaside Sustainability Bronze:
The restaurant earns a passing score for three (3) criteria categories.
Interested in becoming a Seaside Approved restaurant? Fill out the contact form below!
Next Steps:
Step 1: Fill out the contact form below to unlock more information
Step 2: You will receive an introductory email from our team.
Step 3: Once you have implemented any changes necessary (to meet our criteria), fill out the Self-Assessment and send it back to our team
Step 4: You will get a confirmation phone call and after final verification, you will get an email with our logo and promotional materials.
For More Info Contact Us at:
Sources:
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Chee C. Veganism Statistics USA 2022 - How Many Vegans are there in America? Truly Experiences. https://trulyexperiences.com/blog/veganism-statistics-usa/. Published October 3, 2022.
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Faber S. For consumers, Being Clean is as Important as Coming Clean. Environmental Working Group. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/consumers-being-clean-important-coming-clean. Published March 26, 2019.
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Ikechi-Uko N. The impact of overfishing on the economy, ecosystem and social life. South Florida Media Network. https://sfmn.fiu.edu/the-impact-of-overfishing-on-the-economy-ecosystem-and-social-life/. Published September 11, 2020.
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What is Marine Debris? Sixth International Marine Debris Conference. http://internationalmarinedebrisconference.org/index.php/the-issue/.