To show your Mother (Earth) that you care and are concerned about her long-term health, here are 10 things you can do to help make a difference:
1. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
2. Drive less. Walk, bike, share a ride, or take the bus.
3. If you must drive, keep your vehicle’s tires properly inflated and avoid idling.
4. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
5. Buy energy efficient appliances.
6. Move your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter (to 68 degrees) and a few degrees higher (to 78 degrees) in the summer.
7. Install low-flow showerheads, faucets and toilets.
8. Eat at least one meatless meal per week.
9. Unplug electronic devices, like your cell phone charger, when you’re not using them.
10. Plant a tree or two or three.
To assist you in accomplishing number eight on this list, Green Vegetarian Cuisine, now located in the Alamo Quarry Market, 255 E. Basse Road, Suite 940.
I have to give the restaurant a big green thumbs up. Not too many restaurants in San Antonio can say they grow the food they serve. And for the sustainably minded among us, you’ve got to appreciate the Flores Street restaurant’s reuse of an 1896 structure, their rainwater catchment system, and their large bike rack. On top of all of this, their food is quite tasty. I had a monk’s bowl (quinoa, tabouli, beans, kale, and chipotle aioli) the first time I went, and I had their lasagna special on my second visit to their original location on Flores. On my third visit (at their Pearl location), I had a Portabella Burger that was yummy good. My husband and I have been to their Quarry location several times, and we never go away hungry.
Brothers Mike and Chris Behrend and their mother, Luann, are the brains behind Green. Mike became a vegetarian in 2005, and Chris jumped on board in 2010. It seems that more and more people are appreciating the goodness of meatless meals.
Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun,” has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!
The food at Green is so good, you will never miss the meat. What’s amazing is that the Behrend boys used to be somewhat larger, having grown up eating and cooking mountains of chicken-fried steak at the original Lulu’s Jailhouse Cafe under the interstate by the jail. Did you find out how they make kale taste wonderful?
Gayle, I didn’t find out how they make their kale taste so wonderful, but I should. (My husband makes a darn good kale, so I can share that with you!) I don’t know the Behrend boys, but I’d like to meet them. They seem very inspirational. As always, thanks for reading/commenting. Cheers, Denise
Harriet took me to Green during my SA visit last spring. It was indeed a terrific experience in taste and atmosphere. Thanks for highlighting it in your blog.