What other changes could chefs make towards becoming more environmentally responsible?

Question

Chefs are always looking for a balance between satisfying the appetite of the consumer and remaining in business while practicing socially, economically and environmentally sound habits.
What other changes could chefs make towards becoming more environmentally responsible; while not relinquishing the satisfaction of the patron or extinguishing the business with expensive unrealistic ideals?

Answer 1

Buy more organic -- as organic foods rise in popularity they are more available and less expensive.

Answer 2

I think the number one thing chefs, or the restaurant industry (fast food notwithstanding) can do is to upgrade their cleaning and sterilization protocols such that they can reduce the amount of toxic cleaning agents used.

The fast food industry is another matter. They need to seriously put together a marketing effort to encourage their consumers to be more responsible with proper disposal of food containers/wrappings. If you look around your environment it's easy to see the number one source of consumer litter is from fast food.

Answer 3

buy only organic fruits and vegetables and try and buy from smaller local farms whenever possible. (local farmers markets, etc.)