A bit of forethought and consideration allows all green foodies to “green up” any restaurant meal.

• Walk, take the bus or carpool when dining out.

• Carry pocket-size guides to sustainable seafood, such as the ones from Blue Ocean Institute (www.blueocean.org/seafood/seafood_guide), to help you make smart seafood choices.

• Bring your own mug for coffee. Remind staff to make your drink in the cup you bring, not in a to-go cup and absolutely NO STYROFOAM!!

• Pick menu items low on the food chain. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, chicken has a lower environmental impact than beef, sustainable seafood has a lower impact than chicken, and vegetarian items have the lowest of them all.

• Bring your own reusable container and offer it to your server when you ask to take leftovers home.

• Avoid the drive-thru. Cars that sit idling waste gas and fast food uses wasteful products such as napkins, ketchup, plastic knives and forks, and even the bag itself.

• Drink water instead of soda.

• Choose a restaurant that uses locally grown produce.

• Ask restaurants and coffee shops if they serve Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee. The alliance seal is a guarantee that the coffee is grown on farms where forests are protected; rivers, soils, and wildlife are conserved; and workers are treated with respect.  

• Order produce that is in season. The Environmental Defense Fund offers an interactive online guide to help keep track of what’s in season (www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?id=Seasonalfoodguides ).

• Go organic for those foods with the highest pesticide risk and so the most likely to pollute the environment if grown conventionally. The top 10, according to the Environmental Defense Fund, are celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries (domestic), nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach, kale/collard greens, and cherries.

• Download the Green Dining Guide for Print
• Download the OC Farmers Market Guide