Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Virginia Green
Restaurants

Virginia Green

The Lunch Porter by Savor Cafe
Richmond,, VA


Virginia Green is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s campaign to promote environmentally-friendly practices in all aspects of Virginia’s tourism industry. Virginia Green has established "core activities" specific to each sector of tourism, and these practices are considered the required minimum for participation in the program. However, Virginia Green encourages its participants to reduce their environmental impacts in all aspects of their operations, and this profile provides a full list of all their “green” activities. These are the activities that guests / customers can expect to find when they visit this facility.

The Lunch Porter by Savor Cafe

The Lunch Porter is a coffee shop/cafe located in a refurbished warehouse (Corrugated Box Building).

Waste and trash are unavoidable in food business, so we use real china/utensils/glass for dining in, compostable packaging for to go items, and 100% post-consumer papers for office papers. We have a compost tumbler for our kitchen waste and a customer who uses our minimal use of oil for bio-fuel.

We give people 10 cents discount when they bring their own cups/mugs/plates. We give $1 coffee refill during the day so long customers reuse the compostable cup/bring their own mug. We let customers take coffee grounds (and the compost when it's ready) for their garden. We scrape the plates before washing in high efficiency dishwasher. We soak the utensils in water and wash them all at once at the end of the day -- just one wash and they are clean off of any food bits.

Virginia Green Activities

This facility pledges that they:
Minimize the use of disposable food service items
- Use disposable containers that are made from recycled content paper 
- Use disposable containers that are compostable and direct this material to available composting operations in your area 
- Use disposable containers that are recyclable 

Recycle Grease
- Filter the grease to prolong its life 
- Use our grease to make bio-diesel 

Recycle and Reduce Waste
- Glass (required for Virginia Green) 
- Aluminum Cans 
- Plastic 
- Toner Cartridges 
- Newspaper 
- Office Paper 
- Cardboard 
- Packing Supplies 
- Fluorescent Lamps (may required by law) 
- Batteries 
- Electronics equipment - computers, etc. 
- Donate excess food from events 
- Compost food waste and other compostables 
- Have an effective food inventory control to minimize waste 
- Purchase locally grown produce and other foods 
- Purchase organic and / or 'sustainably-grown' foods 
- Use reusable dishware and glassware & minimize use of disposables 
- Use non-bleached napkins and coffee filters 
- Provide condiments, cream and sugar, etc. in bulk 
- Use water pitchers and filtered water to minimize the use of single-use bottles 
- Use menus and table placards as opportunity to communicate green activities 
- Print menus on recycled content paper with soy-based inks 
- Use Virginia Green logo to indicate organic, local, or sustainable menu choices 
- Use screen based ordering systems 
- Use bulk soap dispensers in public restrooms 
- Purchase recycled content paper towels and toilet paper 
- Use a last-in/first-out inventory & effective labeling systems 
- Encourage suppliers to minimize packaging and other waste materials 
- Purchase from vendors and service providers with a commitment to the environment 
- Make 2 sided copies / printed materials 
- Use electronic correspondence and forms 
- Purchase durable equipment and furniture 
- Use reused building materials or those from sustainable sources 
- Use latex paints that are low-VOC 
- Properly recycle and / or disposal of thinners and solvents (required by law) 
- Perform preventative maintenance on all appliances, HVAC systems, plumbing, and vehicles 
- Use less toxic materials 
- Use 'integrated pest management' (IPM) 
- Minimize use of pesticides and herbicides in landscaping 

Use Water Efficiently
- Track overall water usage and wastewater 
- Perform preventative maintenance to stop drips and leaks 
- Have high efficiency dishwashers 
- Have low flow bathroom sink faucets and showerheads (sink faucets use no more than 1.5 gallons per minute (gpm), showerheads no more than 2.5 gpm) 
- Discourage water-based cleanup (sweep first) 
- Minimize lawn areas 
- Have porous pavement 

Conserve Energy
- Track overall energy bills 
- Calculate the pollution factor of our energy usage by using a pollution calculator 
- Have evaluated existing ovens and other kitchen equipment for energy efficiency 
- Use high efficiency compat flourescent ballasts and lamps (T-5's & T-8's) 
- Perform preventative maintenance on HVAC system 
- Purchase "Green Tags" or "Renewable Energy Certificates" to support new renewable energy resources 
- Use fuel efficient vehicles or hybrid vehicles 

The Lunch Porter by Savor Cafe    The Lunch Porter by Savor Cafe

For more information on The Lunch Porter by Savor Cafe, see www.savorcompany.com or contact Ellie Basch at savorcompany@gmail.com or 804-527-2867.

For more information on the Virginia Green program, see www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/PollutionPrevention/VirginiaGreen.aspx.

Virginia GreenVirginia Green is a partnership supported by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Hospitality & Tourism Association, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

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