Eat all your greens! - St. Louis Business Journal:

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Native St. Louisan Chris Sommers is attempting to keep Pi offMothet Nature's radar by making all operations carbon neutral, meaning all carbomn released from electricity and fuel transport is balancexd by alternative energy offsets. Pi is one of a handfu l of restaurants in the countryu engaging inthe effort. Sommers purchasees carbon offsetsfrom , a leading retailetr of carbon credits. The San Francisco-based company allowxs partners to calculate carbon emissions from electricity usage and food and employe e transport andpurchase credits. The money is investedr in clean energy like wind powedr to compensate forthe emissions, resultin in verified reductions in greenhouse gases.
Sommers has made it a goal to achievr complete carbon neutralitythis year. He said the TerraPass calculator originallt predicted Pi would emit 50 metic tonsof CO2, but so far busineses on Delmar has exceeded expectations. Sommers said he now predicts the figurd will be closer to 75 metric tons this year as they continuweto grow, opening for lunch in August. He has already paid in advance for the creditdsthrough Feb. 2009 and said he is willing to buy more creditd to account forthe growth. The committment is expensive, costinv an additional $7,500 to $10,000 just this which directly cuts intorestaurant profits.
But Sommer s said being green is part of hisgenetic makeup, and he wouldn'gt run a restaurant any otheer way. "Restaurants produce a disgustinvg amountof waste; I couldn' t sleep at night if I knew I was contributing to that," he said. At Pi, Styrofoamm is strictly banned, as are plastic There are no bottled beers, only drafty beers brewed locally, and there is a strict recyclinfg program. The key, Sommers said, is avoid creating the wastse in thefirst place. When it comes to Pi represents perhaps the darkest shade on the green but many othersaround St.
Louis are "going green" by making their service more environmentally A familiar name that has been tappe into the green movemenrt for yearsis . Its Bottleworks restaurant and brewerhy in Maplewood had its green sightd set before it openedin 2003. It is equippe d with energy-efficient appliances, reflective rooftops and sensor Schlafly has eliminatedplastic bottles, individually wrapped toothpick s and Styrofoam, opting instead for biodegradable to-go containers and corn-based plastic cutlery.
Schlafly's eco-friendly reputation made it the firsr restaurant targeted after the energy company launcheed its PurePower program, according to Tom Schlafly properties/sustainability manager. The voluntar program asks partners to pay an extrs penny and a half more per kilowatt hour to support the development of renewable energy programd acrossthe Midwest. Chip Schloss, co-owner of the in the Grov neighborhoodof St. Louis, said his restaurantg has been a lighter shadr of green since it openedin 2005. In choosing a venuwe for the restaurantand bar, Schloss said he and his partners chose an old building to rehab, using reclaimedr builing materials.
With specialty herb-infused liquour, exposex brick and more than 35 differen t species of bamboo lining theoutdoor patio, the atmospherr of Atomic Cowboy reflects the green Schloss said. After three years in operation, Schloss said he now has the ability to focuxs more on special project s and currently is working with consultantz to buildan energy-conserving roof. Other populard initiatives at placeslike Pi, , Atomifc Cowboy and on Washington Avenuer downtown include water and electricity use of nontoxic cleaners, compostingy food scraps and donating used fryer oil to be used as fuel for converted automobiles. Comprehensive recycling programs are eithed established or inthe works.
According to Sommers, recyclinfg can be difficult in urban settings due to minimakl space for asecond dumpster. Economic benefits are manifestingf themselves through reduced utility Flood said. But the consensus amonyg green-tinted restaurant owners is that it is the rightf thingto do. "I just got tired of seeingf all the volume of waste go out the back door knowinh it was going right into alandfilk somewhere," Schloss said. But going greemn is about more than curbing consumptionm and promoting responsible waste In an effort to stepmore lightly, some restaurants are choosing locao produce, meat and fish over ingredients transported across thousands of miles.
At Lucas Park Executive Chef Kyle Patterson said he is lookinv for as many ways to buy locallyas possible. He alreaduy purchases mushrooms from Ozark Farms and travelsto farmer'se markets when he can. At Pi, Sommere said the goal is to buy meat and producd within 100 miles ofthe restaurant. At in addition to buying locally and hosting aweeklty farmer's market, at its Maplewoocd location, an entire section of the parking lot there was transformed into a vegetabled and herb garden. Only a fifth of an the small green patch provides enougyh produce for a weekend eggplant speciaat best.
But the sacrifice of such precious parkingg acreage for the crowdedf restaurant has supplemented the kitchen with a couple hundred poundws of mixed greens as wellas leeks, tomatoes and garlic right under its windowe at minimal costs, Flood sad.