Who: Jose Duarte, chef/owner
What: Taranta restaurant, Boston, Massachusetts
Size: 70 seats
Concept: Southern Italian meets Peruvian cuisine
Volume: less than $1 million annual sales
Opened: July 2000
Green milestones: Became certified green restaurant in 2007 by the Green Restaurant Association; City of Boston Green Business Award, 2008
Case Study:
A Success Story in Saving Green by Going Green
An independent operator shares his story.
Like most independent operators, Jose Duarte, chef/owner of Boston's Taranta, is always seeking ways to control costs. His road to green, eco-friendly practices was paved not by ethical imperative, but rather, by simple mathematics. "I started looking into ways I could save money through cutting down on the restaurant's operating overhead," says Duarte. "The results were amazing, so it snowballed from there. If you save energy, you save money—it's that simple."
Since starting his quest two years ago, he has implemented more than 30 green upgrades to his restaurant, including the installation of tankless water heaters, water-conserving spray heads and energy-efficient lighting. Through his efforts to save money on energy costs, he has found his calling in life. "I now look at every business decision with an eye toward being eco-friendly," he says. On top of the cost savings, Duarte says there are other windfalls. "Eco-friendly practices have become relevant to our customers," he says. "They care, and although we don't market ourselves as a green restaurant, they find us. And the press! You get a lot of press when you make strides for the environment."
5 Easy Changes that Saved Him Money
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1. Installed two DW-200 Dual Technology Dual Relay Wall Switch Sensors in both bathrooms. |
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2. Installed two XL-C XLERETOR hand dryers. "They use 80% less energy than any other electric hand dryer," says Duarte. He predicts that the dryers will pay for themselves in less than a year, and will offer a 95% cost savings over paper towels. |
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3. Switched to paper on top of tables instead of linens to minimize industrial washing. "This will help us save money, and we will be mixing the used paper with all compostable items as soon as we are ready to start separating all organic materials," he says. Currently, he's looking for post-consumer paper roll. |
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4. Installed tankless water heaters. Back in January, Taranta's 100-gallon water-heater tank broke. "The cost of replacing with a similar tank was way over 10K," says Duarte. "We then started research on what can we install that is energy efficient and environmentally friendly." He landed on three Takagi TK-3 tankless heaters. "We are receiving a $300 [US] rebate per unit," he says. "The cost of installing the equipment was less than replacing [the old one with a traditional tank], and we will be saving at least 40% more gas than [if we were] running a tank." |
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5. Installed low-flow/pre-rinse spray valves. "It's one of the easiest and most cost effective energy-saving devices available for restaurants," says Duarte. In addition to minimizing water consumption, water-heating energy and sewer charges are also reduced. "Our diswashers love the product because it is easier for them to rinse dishes before running them through the dish machine," he says. According to Duarte, replacing a typical spray valve that flows up to three gallons of water per minute (GPM) with a low-flow unit (1.24 GPM) can yield the following results: |
1 hour of use/day = 60 gallons (water savings)
2 hours of use/day = 120 gallons
3 hours of use/day = 180 gallons
Conserve and Save
By implementing a comprehensive top-to-bottom approach, installing eco-efficient waste, energy and water fixtures, as well as changing some "bad habits" in the kitchen, 65 Green Table Network members in the Vancouver, B.C. area saved an average of $1,600/yr. while achieving significant reductions in their environmental footprint.
| Green Table Network (GTN) Members (#) |
65 |
Electricity Reduced (kW) |
159,310 |
| Solid Waste Reductions (tonnes) |
285 |
Natural Gas Reduced (GJ) |
17,770 |
| Water Reduced (litres) |
76.5 million |
Operating Costs Saved ($) |
110,773 |
Source: The Green Table Network. For more information, go to www.greentable.net. |