Although this is a guide to green dining in Georgia, it really began in Cedar Key, Florida, where we were taking a long weekend in the summer of 2008. We were sitting in the Island Restaurant savoring their famous heart of palm salad and watching guest after guest depart the dining room carrying leftovers out in those little Styrofoam to-go boxes that so many restaurants use.




We started talking about the contrast in the scene, the abundant use of these ugly and indestructible little containers against the backdrop of such an elegant and tasteful (in a couple of ways) dining room on this quaint and unspoiled little island where we were having so much fun. It was a giant buzz-kill.

That's when I decided to do something I rarely do in a restaurant - complain. I told the server that I would like to speak to the owner or manager. She got a little nervous about that and questioned us about the quality of our food and service. We assured her that both were excellent. We just wanted to see the manager.

A lovely woman joined us. I wish I could remember her name, but honestly I'm not even sure she gave it. We complimented her on the restaurant and told her how disturbing it was to see the steady parade of Styrofoam going past our table. We asked if there was some alternative packaging that could serve the same purpose.

We were surprised to hear that she had never considered this. She bought all of her carry-out containers from Sysco, the restaurant supply giant, and had never been offered anything but the Styrofoam boxes for take-out. She said that she would bring the matter up with her Sysco rep.

And maybe she did. We haven't been back to Cedar Key since that conversation, but when we go, we'll stop by for a meal and to see if anything has changed.

Meanwhile we were on a roll (make that a dinner roll). We made the decision to look for ways that we could start putting our money where our hungry mouths were; we would make a special effort to eat in restaurants that helped us keep our negative impact on the environment to a minimum, we would ask for green products and practices and we would find ways to acknowledge the proprietors that used them.

On our frequent meals out, as well as the ones we shopped for and prepared at home, we experienced a growing awareness of the ecological costs of just staying alive. At first, it was mainly the Styrofoam containers that caught our attention and we began asking for alternatives whenever we saw them in use. But we also became more conscious of other ways we saw ourselves and others waste resources and harm the environment.

Since we eat in Decatur a lot, it naturally followed that the restaurants in that area would be our first experience with asking for compostable take-out trays. We were excited to find that a few of them, such as Wahoo! Grill and Doc Chey's Noodle House, already used cardboard to-go boxes. But if they didn't, we asked, and most restaurantuers seemed receptive to at least hearing us out.

Please add your voices to ours when you are dining out. As a small business owner myself, I can tell you that I would listen to one client who brought something to my attention, but if several people were telling me the same thing I would know that it was time to make a change. Together, I think we can be effective in encouraging businesses to make the changes we are asking for, the changes the world needs. Thank you for being a part of this effort.