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Save The Planet — Eat Out More!
I was cooking Sunday dinner yesterday when the thought occurred to me that it would be better to eat out.
Not for convenience, or the joy of eating out. But for the environment.
I was cooking boeuf bourguignon, potatoes and greens. A pretty standard meal in France. Nothing too fancy, but wholesome, and not particularly difficult to make.
But as the stew was simmering on the hob, I thought of how many other people are cooking this right now.
Let’s imagine a million other households cooking the same meal. Think of the energy used, the packaging, and the transportation.
How about if we all went to a restaurant for the same meal.
Twenty families in the same town all walk to a single venue — let’s say a village hall or an outdoor seating area— to eat exactly the same meal.
How much energy, packaging, and waste would be saved in that single sitting?
Answer: A lot.
But I know what you’re saying.
‘Er, yeah Phil, we would love to eat out every night, but it’s kind of a money thing.’
Of course. I can eat out here in rural France for about €10 plus a small pitcher of wine. But if I take my family, that’s €40, and that’s just one meal. And that’s…
