From an article: Green more than a buzzword for San Diego’s restaurant industry

Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-01-19/environment/green-more-than-a-buzzword-for-san-diegos-restaurant-industry#ixzz0reCX4bBH

Today’s purse strings may be tighter, but folks still dine out regularly. The key is where they’re dining. According to the National Restaurant Association, 62 percent of consumers are more likely to spend their dollars in a restaurant they know is green. Lucky for eco-conscious diners, “green” is no longer a buzzword for many of San Diego’s restaurateurs; it’s simply the way they do business.

“That going green is too expensive is an old notion. It’s a relic from 10 or 20 years ago, from a time when things weren’t as available; when expertise wasn’t there; when systems weren’t there,” he says. “When people say it’s too expensive in any conversation, I challenge them, and our team challenges them respectively. In terms of this issue, standing still is actually the most expensive thing.”

Today I had a customer and friend contact me to have some custom Land Ark stain color matched for a project he was working on. After mixing all natural pigments (no toxic metals or chemicals) in with the base wood treamant oil (made from sunflower oil, tung oil and citrus solvents) I delivered the stain to the project.

The customer removed the lid and couldn’t believe how great the smell was (citrus) instead of the nasty petrochemical soup most stains are made from nowadays. I told him about my projects and how nice it is to not have a headache after working with the stain. He tried it out on some test boards and beamed with the match and the fact that he was going to have a good time finishing his wood.

Today I sat in the afternoon sun, enjoying a beverage in my adirondack chair which still smelled like the citrus solvent. Once per year I have to re-apply some of the natural wood oil and the chair can sit out in the wet Oregon environment with no problems. I have a bunch of home projects lined up and can’t wait to use more of the natural stain. I will never touch another petrochemical stain as the results are better with natural oil/stain and you don’t have to worry about polluting your home with harmful solvents.

Chris