Larry came back from a trip to the bathroom all excited and said, "Guess what? They have one of those hand dryers I read about on the GRA website - the XLERATOR. It uses 80% less energy than the ones businesses usually use. I'm going to go tell Dave."

It really doesn't take that much to get Larry all worked up.

He was gone long enough for me to finish off the frites and when he came back he told me that Dave (that would be Dave Blanchard, co-owner of Leon's and its older sister, the Brick Store Pub) was a very green-conscious guy.

The XLERATOR wasn't just a random choice - it was selected deliberately for its energy efficiency. Leon's normally used compostable to-go containers, although they had recently run out of them and were having to use those nasty little clam-shells until the shipment of the preferred boxes arrived.

In spite of a strong desire to be green, the owners of the Brick Store had run into a problem when they had tried to use stainless steel ramekins for the condiments they served with entree. These items kept disappearing, forcing the owners to replace them time and again with ever more stainless steel ramekins.

At some point, when this got to be too expensive, they felt they had to replace them with little plastic disposable ones. These only disappear from sight when they are thrown into the trash. They go from there to the landfill where they never disappear.

Thanks Brick Store for at least giving the reusable ones a try, and as for the rest of you - shame on you if you have a set of the stainless steel ones in your kitchen cabinet.