I just got in from my dinner out with friends to find this article in my internet search for Atlanta restaurant news. If you don't feel like reading it, I'll give you the gist. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC), restaurant owners in Atlanta are trying to figure out how to deal with their flat sales figures. They think focusing on hospitality might help them hang on through this recession.

And you know, hospitality helps. I appreciate having good service, the kind I got from Olive at Carpe Diem in Decatur tonight. But the economy is not the only thing that's in bad shape in Georgia; the ecology's not doing so well either. That's why I've decided that no matter how nice restaurant employees are, if I see people carting out their leftovers in Styrofoam I'm not going to frequent that business.

It's time to be the change you want to see in the world. If you don't like the way that greed brought about this recession, be the first one on your block to do the right thing instead of just the profitable thing. By the way, green can be the most profitable choice as well as the right choice. Even if it weren't, doing what's right should still take precedence.

Put energy efficient hand dryers in your bathrooms. Recycle your glass and paper. And for gosh sake, invest in some compostable take out boxes. Encourage customers to bring in their own reusable containers. Give them a price break if they do.

Withdraw from participation in our throw-away society. Invest in the future and earn the respect of the clientèle you hope to attract, then save me a table. I eat out three or four nights a week and I'm never alone. If you want to be the one who gets my money, all you have to do is right.