Are you interested in discovering some of the greenest restaurants in the world? Though listed in order, these restaurants, which are all doing their part to contribute to a more sustainable future, should not be considered as being in competition with one another. Each has their own unique charm, and each should be commended for the environmental efforts it has made.
1. Ubuntu Restaurant & Yoga Studio in Napa Valley, California
Ubuntu Restaurant not only offers fresh, healthy, and sustainable vegetarian dishes, but with an attached Yoga studio, it contributes to the mindset necessary to keep such efforts going. Its wine comes from the sustainable vineyards of the Napa Valley, and the interior boasts a beautiful design, offering an environmentally friendly and highly enjoyable dining experience.
2. Bloodwood Restaurant in Sydney, Australia
In constructing the Bloodwood Restaurant in Sydney, the owners focused on using recycled and reclaimed materials. Reclaimed lumber and salvaged doors were used to give this restaurant a warm and stylish interior proving that “new” does not always equal better. Bloodwood Restaurant’s menu reflects this commitment to sustainability offering fresh and seasonal choices.
3. The Duke of Cambridge in London, England
The Duke of Cambridge is a certified organic, upscale pub found in London. This pub refuses to bring in any of their food by air, but rather gets all of their fruits and vegetables from local and mostly organic farms. Furthermore, their electricity comes from one of the UK’s renewable energy suppliers.
4. Doe Bay Cafe in Olga, Washington
When you eat at the Doe Bay Cafe, you are eating ingredients sourced from the land and the water that is right around you. All of the seafood comes from the water right behind the restaurant, and the vegetables from local farms nearby. All waste gets recycled and composted making for minimal environmental impact.
5. Plant Cafe Organic in San Francisco, California
Plant Cafe Organic’s two locations in San Francisco were both renovated from warehouses on the San Francisco Bay. They are consistently considered as the greenest and best vegetarian restaurants around, two titles that are rightfully earned through Plant Cafe Organic’s use of organic and local food.
6. Saqra in Lima, Peru
Saqra (a name which means “little devil”) offers a delicious mix of traditional cuisine with spices and sauces from around the world. This restaurant focuses on serving foods that are in season, meaning that ingredients are always fresh, and makes everything from its wine glasses to its chairs from recycled material.
7. Acorn House in London, England
Acorn House is another London’s restaurant that strives for sustainability in the way they do business. Acorn house uses seasonal, local foods, and only buys organic and fair trade. This restaurant recycles, composts, and uses a biodiesel car to pick up any supplies. Acorn House also provides a program which teaches such practices to local youths.
8. Soneva Kiri in Koh Kood, Thailand
The interesting Soneva Kiri restaurant in Thailand is not only eco-friendly, but provides a very interesting dining experience as well. In this unique eatery you are hoisted up into the trees and served by waiters on ziplines. The restaurant is located on a sustainable island resort, and gets its food from organic gardens.
9. The Grey Plume in Omaha, Nebraska
The Grey Plume is a delicious, four-star restaurant that also had the honors of becoming the first “Sustainabuild Certified Green Restaurant” in the United States. The restaurant focuses on sustainability in the food it offers by serving locally grown produce and meat from local farms. It also uses energy efficient and environmentally friendly appliances.
10. Narisawa in Tokyo, Japan
When Restaurant Magazine gave its very first Sustainable Restaurant Award, the honors went to the Narisawa Restaurant in Tokyo. This restaurant strives to nurture a respectful attitude towards the planet and the environment and uses only ethically sourced or local ingredients. Narisawa also focuses on promoting healthy eating in the entire community.
Have you ever been to one of these restaurants? What’s your favorite green restaurant?
It took twenty-four million years for Nature to create the red sandstone and minerals that make up the Zhangye Danxia hills. The spectacular strata emerged over time as one layer after another was formed. The colorful patterns will take your breath away. It is a region that brings inspiration and awe.
Wisteria vines are native to the United States but also to Japan. In Kitakyushu there is a botanical garden – the Kawachi Fuji Garden – and in it there is a tunnel absolutely covered by different species of Wisteria. Walking beneath such a dazzling array of flowers is one of those experiences you don’t want to end – it is completely enchanting. The plants are known to rise over sixty feet!
The Merry Cemetery is in Sapanta, Romania. The people creating the tombstones believe that death is not an end but the beginning of a new life. The designs and paintings and sayings written on each headstone are entirely original and are meant to celebrate the immortal nature of the soul. Some of the paintings are drawn from the actual lives and occupations of those who have passed on. It is a tourist destination that leaves the spirit more joyful than sad.
The remarkable Giant’s Causeway is on the coast of Northern Ireland. It is the result of a volcanic eruption an eon ago – well, sixty million years, at least. The over forty thousand columns of stone are made of basalt, which essentially is cooled lava. The distinctive feature is that the majority of the columns have a hexagonal shape and smooth tops. This allows you to walk on them! They progress down from a cliff and the formation continues into and beneath the sea.
This white clay region in Naukluft Park in Namibia is more like a Salvador Dali painting than a real-life setting, but real it is, all the same. Its name means “a dead marsh” and it was created when flood waters withdrew, leaving a drought-filled plateau. The camel thorn trees that had thrived when there was water eventually succumbed to the heat. The few that have remained (for hundreds of years) are burned dry from the sun and appear like sentinels on the landscape.
Arizona has many extraordinary places of natural scenery, but The Wave is an experience like no other. It is a Navajo Sandstone formation shaped along the Coyote Buttes in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. Believe it or not, you can hike on it and obviously it is a great draw for photographers, as well. There are no tracks to follow to get there – you just walk wherever you want. The effect of the wave patterns when you are in the middle of them can sometimes feel like being at sea!
This city of Petra was carved out of the rose stone that has made it one of the wonders of the world. Some have suggested it is the origin of Mount Hor in the Land of Ebon, referenced in the Book of Numbers. It is situated in the desert with the Dead Sea to the west and the Red Sea to the south. The sandstone foundations are becoming more fragile, but the city still reveals religious and political structures and artifacts. It also has a fascinating system of reservoirs and strategic pools that were once used to supply much needed irrigation and water. Encountering Petra is like entering another dimension of perception, one that stays with you long after you leave the site. If at all possible, it is not to be missed.
