3 sustainability tips that pay off

While there are plenty of things you can do right now to lower your pizzeria’s impact on the environment, having a long-term plan is a smart move, says Lucy Cullen, a consultant with Terus, a Toronto-based sustainability consulting company for restaurants.

Here are three long-term strategies Cullen says are worth considering:

1. Investing in energy-efficient appliances
Investing in Energy Star certified appliances will reduce your energy consumption, and increase your savings. For example, Energy Star certified freezers can save $2,595-$4,300 over the product lifetime. Take this sustainability initiative a step further and convert to using Bullfrog Power, a company that supplies green energy from wind and water sources across Canada.

2. Converting to using hand dryers
Converting to using hand dryers instead of paper towels will reduce your restaurant waste, and can result in up to 98 per cent savings, by eliminating the maintenance and operating costs associated with paper towels. In one case study, a restaurant that used 90 cases of paper towels annually had an associated cost of $2,025. Compared to the operating costs of $96 for operating a hand dryer, there is an annual savings of $1,929 after the initial investment of the hand dryer.

3. Eliminating bottled water
Eliminating bottled water from your restaurant is a significant sustainability initiative that we recommend to all our clients. In Toronto, 35 per cent of plastic water bottles are not recycled and go to landfill or as litter in our natural environment. Plastic bottles may leach carcinogens such as DEHA into the water your staff and guests are drinking, and the manufacturing process is a factor in global warming and depletion of energy sources. Furthermore, bottled water is 500 times more expensive than tap water. Switch to using Q Water, an onsite water filtration system that provides still or sparkling water for your guests in reusable glass containers. This will reduce your waste, carbon footprint and increase your savings. For one restaurant case study, switching to Q Water increased their profits by $6,516.44 over three months.

Read more about going green from Cullen, University of Guelph sustainability expert Bruce McAdams and certified sustainable restaurant UNA pizza + wine in Calgary.