There are few things more fashionable than sustainability.
Like the auto industry, the restaurant industry is beginning to take the well-being of the earth and its inhabitants seriously. In fact, associations such as the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) have taken it upon themselves to certify U.S. eating establishments as environmentally sustainable based on their own list of requirements that, among other things, demands the use of a water filter instead of bottled water.
Located downtown in NYU territory, the first certified green and organic restaurant in New York City, GustOrganics, is home to Alberto Gonzalez’s Argentine vision of a sustainable eatery. And it is only a few steps away from the 1 train’s 14th St.-Union Square station.
The restaurant’s minimalist décor is relatively typical downtown chic. But its motto (printed in soy ink on 100% recycled paper) to “change the world one meal at a time” suggests a grand plan to reduce restaurants’ impact on the environment. GustOrganics was built using recycled woods and eco-friendly materials, meaning that the only other colors in the restaurant come from organic flowers and the vibrant fruits and vegetables in the Argentine-inspired cuisine. The tables are imperfect and textured and the menu is displayed on a projector screen.
While energy efficient grills and environmentally friendly packaging deplete GustOrganics’ funding, its prices manage to stay affordable. My delicious Capresse pizza (an entire pizza, not just a slice) and sparkling grapefruit juice cost less than $6.00.
However, the restaurant’s desire to be at once both a dim-lit downtown hangout and a green gourmet eatery makes it less green than it would like us to believe. Although a place mat implied that the restaurant uses only wind energy and solar lighting to power its machines, a restaurant employee explained that GustOrganics funds this energy but cannot actually afford to use it in the restaurant, precluding it from achieving true sustainable status.
Two stops further on the 1 (or a 10-minute walk from the restaurant) to Seventh Avenue leads to what some call the country’s greenest food business: Birdbath, Neighborhood Green Bakery. Birdbath is so green that it refused the GRA’s certification, claiming that the organization’s requirements are not stringent enough.
The bakery is no bigger than a Carman dorm room, but its sparse decorations are rich in history. The table on which the cookies rest is a wooden shipping crate, the floors are made of reclaimed wood from Pennsylvania, and the surrounding walls are made of Wheatboard, or particle board made of wheat. There is only one display, revealing beautiful stacks of chocolate chip and double chocolate chip cookies.
Coupled with Ronnybrook Farm Dairy milk, these environmentally conscious cookies pack the colorful flavor that the bakery’s interior lacks.
Environmental sustainability requires another kind of green to sustain its efforts. So if you have two hours to kill between classes, be sure to head downtown to eat well, help the environment, and return in time to make it to your 6:10 p.m. lecture. Your body and Mother Nature will thank you.
Elyssa Goldberg is a Columbia College first year.
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