Restaurants install water-efficient commercial kitchen equipment

According to US EPA, "The Grey Plume, located in a LEED® certified building, has embarked on many green initiatives as part of its focus on sustainable food sourcing and operations. In the kitchen, water-efficient aerators are installed on all handwashing and prep sinks, and a high-efficiency pre-rinse spray valve is also used. Both the ice machine and dishwasher are ENERGY STAR qualified. Instead of utilizing a garbage disposal, which can flow between 2.0 and 15.0 gallons per minute (gpm) when in use, the restaurant composts food waste, saving water and reducing the waste that is discarded. Water efficiency, along with ongoing operations that facilitate recycling, waste minimization, green cleaning, and energy efficiency, enabled the Grey Plume to become GRA’s Greenest Restaurant in America in December 2010 and March 2012.

As a restaurant that tries to mirror the family farmer’s traditional protection of air, soil, water, and biodiversity, Founding Farmers developed a philosophy focused on efficient and environmentally-friendly operations for its two locations in Washington, D.C., and Potomac, Maryland. Both restaurants are approximately 9,000 square feet, serve between 20,000 and 30,000 customers per month, and have been recognized as Certified Green Restaurants® by GRA for their eco-friendly operations. The Washington, D.C., restaurant is located in a LEED Gold certified building.

In both restaurants, water-efficient products and equipment were installed during initial construction. The Washington, D.C., kitchen includes a high-efficiency pre-rinse spray valve, an ENERGY STAR qualified dishwasher, and an ENERGY STAR qualified steam cooker, which uses an average of 3 gallons of water per hour (standard models typically use 40 gallons of water per hour).

The Potomac, Maryland, location includes the same features; it also incorporated 0.5 gpm faucet aerators on prep sinks and does not use a garbage disposal for removing food waste from dishes. Both locations also use dipper wells for utensil cleaning, which are not flowing continuously but are operated with an on/off mechanism. These features, along with a focus on continuous improvement, enabled both locations to earn GRA’s certification."

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