Designing Super Sustainable Restaurant Kitchens

As extreme weather and climate change continue to make headlines, restaurant owners are recognizing the impact their commercial kitchens have on the environment, with their enormous quantities of waste and carbon emissions. According to the United Nations, the food sector (from production to consumption, including processing, transport and packaging) accounts for 30 percent of the world's total energy consumption and around 22 percent of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The use of natural gas in residential and commercials kitchens alone is responsible for up to 13 percent of total US GHG emissions from buildings.

Restaurant owners can lessen the carbon footprint of their kitchens through practical cut-backs such as eliminating single-use plastics, repurposing ingredients to limit food waste and partnering with local sustainable food suppliers. Livestock agriculture represents 13-18 percent of global GHG emissions, and shifting menus away from animal proteins can…