On Monday and Tuesday of this week, I was in western Georgia for a forestry meeting. These get-togethers allow me to learn what’s new in forestry, and to reconnect with fellow professionals that I don’t see very often. Additionally, I earn continuing education credits, which are necessary for maintaining my state license.
The meeting took place at Callaway Gardens, a fitting location for a gaggle of outdoorsy types. We adjourned at noon Tuesday. On my way home, I stopped at a small-town barbecue restaurant. I like my BBQ, but it seems to be an unwritten rule that such restaurants in the South are forbidden from having dishwashers on the premises. Nearly all of ‘em serve their meals on throwaway plastic.
They start with a thin, flimsy styrofoam plate. The lunch special comes with three sides, all of which come in their own styrofoam container (if the plate were more sturdy, they could spoon those extra dishes on the plate, but no, that ain’t happening.
The “silver service” is a three-piece set of plasticware. Even if you only need one utensil, you get 3 to discard at the end of the meal. The plasticware is, of course, wrapped in plastic.
Last but not least, there’s the ginormous styrofoam cup. It’s the only size available.
One meal, nine individual pieces of nonrecyclable plastic. Multiply this by the number of BBQ restaurants in the South, times the number of customers they serve annually, and you’ve got a massive garbage pile.
Now it’s time for Ask foresterbob:
Hey foresterbob, do any of the customers care?
No.
Less than a mile from my house is another BBQ restaurant whose food is highly regarded. I rarely go there, because of the mountain of plastic that comes as my “free gift” when I purchase a meal.
How about you? Do your local restaurants make an effort to be eco-friendly? Do you live in a place where there are state or local ordinances limiting the amount of trash they produce? Do you avoid restaurants that create mountains of waste?
As always, this is an open thread.
To close on a more positive note, this is the hotel at Callaway Gardens where the meeting was held. No sea of concrete, no traffic noise, no jets going overhead. More hotels should look like this:
RSVPS
1. navajo, organizer (kosmail her to connect)
2. joanbrooker, visiting from NYC!
3. tbirchard
4. Lorikeet
5.
MAYBEES :
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Netroots Nation 2018
Puerto Rico Kos !