Friday, 23 May 2003
BERKELEY, Calif.
So we have 32 restaurants in Alameda County (Berkeley and Oakland) and 13 in San Jose in our Greening Ethnic Restaurants program. They are well on their way to being certified green. In addition to working with our environmental partners, we are working with corporate partners to get them special discounts and wholesale rates. For instance, to get them biodegradable plastic bags and biodegradable, compostable spoons and forks (instead of the plastic ones), we take the buying power of our 45 restaurants and negotiate rates with vendors to make environmentally friendly choices a financially viable option for our restaurants.
We are also offering a Green Ethnic Restaurants membership to all residents of Berkeley and Oakland. Starting at $10 per person per year for a student/low-income membership, our members receive a 10 percent discount at participating green restaurants. Our goal for this year is 1,000 memberships, which would bring us at least $10,000. We expect people will prefer going to our green ethnic restaurants and will want their favorite restaurants to join our program.
I want every restaurant to be a green restaurant, and every individual to be a green individual (and that does not mean "I recycle"). Stop and think for a moment -- at the bottom of everything, the Earth sustains us. The computer you are sitting at right now was made of materials from the Earth. The water you drink and swim in, the air you breathe (and pollute), the clothes you wear -- everything is given to us by the Earth. Even the currency we exchange to "buy" goods and services is printed on materials from the Earth.
Most cultures deal with that "giving" with gratitude -- they ascribe it to God, and go to churches and temples to thank the creator. On the metaphysical level, that is all very well. On the physical level, however, how many cultures or religions give back to the Earth? (Jainism is one, but you won't find many others.) What have I, you, we done recently to help the Earth be healthy? Even if you don't believe the Earth is a living being, surely you can appreciate the damage done through pollution and the physical depletion of resources.
What can we do? One thing is to tread lightly. Think of all you can do in your personal and professional life to avert harm to the planet. If you're a businessperson, think about the sustainability of your business -- not just now but 100 years from now. Make your business decisions based on that timeline. Even if you are already a devout environmentalist, please think about your actions. If each and every one of us does not clean up our act, humankind will be known as the race that was never toilet-trained.
As the doctors say (but don't usually do): First, do no harm. That is enough. And what a large task that is! If you cannot completely mitigate harm, do things that are less harmful. Find safer alternatives. Ask me, ask environmental groups -- there are lots of steps you can take. Become part of an environmental organization. If you can't donate your time to the Earth, donate your money. We don't have a half-dozen Earths -- just this one to keep and to love.
With that, I leave you. I hope you enjoyed a look into my life and work; I've enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you.
Be well, and do good.
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