Restaurant gets green business certification
SM PIER In the world of seafood, there’s Maine lobster, spiny lobster, and now, green lobster.
While The Lobster restaurant doesn’t quite serve a crustacean of such color, the eatery reached several milestones this week, distinguishing itself as one of the greenest seafood establishments around.
Restaurant staff and city officials on Thursday celebrated the completion of several sustainable initiatives, including a recent green business certification and solar panel installation.
“As any seafood restaurant, we obviously are coming against something that is only a growing problem, which is the sustainability of the product that we serve,” restaurant Manager Jack DeNicola said before the afternoon event. “As we know, (seafood) is becoming more and more scarce and difficult to get.”
The celebratory event brought together leaders from the city and environmental sectors, all who helped the restaurant become the first business to complete the Solar Santa Monica (SSM) program, a City Hall initiative that assists residents and businesses through the photovoltaic panel installation process, from choosing a contractor to applying for permits.
Since SSM launched last year, the number of kilowatts installed in the city has doubled, from 350 at the inception to 700 at the end of the year, exceeding the program’s expectations of reaching that threshold in two years.
While there are several businesses that have solar panels, The Lobster has been the only to use SSM to help it navigate through the installation process. One of the benefits often touted by the program is its ability to offer clients an SSM-approved list of contractors who provide the panels at a discount. The program also helps streamline the permitting process for its clients, according to Susan Munves, the energy and green buildings program administrator for City Hall’s Environmental programs Division.
“Our role is to make the process as convenient and transparent as possible,” Munves said. “Going solar can be complicated.”
The restaurant hired SunTechnics to install 54 solar panels on its south-facing roof, costing approximately $65,000, not including rebates and tax credits, which DeNicola expects will bring the total cost to http://motion.santa-monica.org (Circulation Element) about $20,000. The manager predicts the restaurant will recover the cost through energy savings in about six years.
“The city has pledged to and is succeeding in energy efficiency and this is one of the elements we are doing,” Mayor Herb Katz said during the event.
The solar panels is just one of the restaurant’s many sustainable practices that helped it earn a Green Business Certification with Sustainable Works on Wednesday. The restaurant has also been nominated for a Sustainable Quality Award.
The long list of environmentally-sound practices at The Lobster includes an extensive recycling program that includes cardboard, glass, plastic, aluminium and even cooking oil and grease, which is pumped by a biofuel company. Sustainability also trickles into the bathroom that are cleaned with green chemicals and ventilated with high efficiency aerators. Employees are also encouraged to take alternative forms of transportation and have access to discounted bus passes through the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, thanks to a deal with the restaurant.
“What we need to do as a city, as a state, as a country is to try to reduce our dependence on (non renewable resources),” DeNicola said.
The next sustainable project in store for The Lobster’s future is the replacement of the restaurant’s hot water heaters with a solar hot water heater, though DeNicola expected that won’t happen for a while.
“Santa Monica has a new theme for visitors who come to dine above our pier — unplug and play,” Councilmember Kevin McKeown said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 7, 2008. Read the original PDF.