Pirate's Cove

Seriously, “Why can’t I just eat my waffle?”

Detroit restaurants launch initiative to fight climate change

Local leaders and businesses in Detroit are stepping up to encourage the entire city to combat climate change.

Organizers and participants of Eat for Impact aim to reduce the city’s environmental impact by increasing access to plant-based foods. For the month of September, seven Detroit restaurants are serving meals that promote a healthier, more sustainable food system, according to a news release.

So, Eat For Impact seems to be a bunch of climate nags from all over the country (and even from Nigeria) who nag restaurants to do this kind of stuff. What I’m not seeing anywhere on their website is if any of the nags actually own the restaurants. Do they have to make these changes at their own business? Or just nag others to do it?

The specials include:

Yum Village

Roots Village Meal: Curry with Your choice of Rice, Ginger Curry Chickpeas, And Greens.

Just Plants Village Meal: Ginger Curry Chickpeas, Sweet & Spicy Plantains, and Sweet Potato Sunflower Butter Stew

IVY Kitchen + Cocktails

Crispy Cabbage: Wok-seared cabbage tossed with chili oil, walnuts, and a touch of umami for the perfect balance of flavor and crunch.

Jerk Roasted Cauliflower Steak: Charred cauliflower steak marinated in house-made jerk seasoning, served with sweet potato salad and finished with a vibrant mango-chile glaze.

Golden Hour (Mocktail): Passionfruit, turmeric, ginger, basil

It’s cute and all, but, these two eateries, like the others, already offer a bunch of vegan and vegetarian meals, so, it’s not a stretch. But, they probably made the climate nags happy.

In the past, Planted Society has worked with more than 350 restaurants and has launched 16 different Eat for Impact initiatives. On average, each initiative has helped save an impressive 70,000 pounds of greenhouse gases and 1 million gallons of water, highlighting the substantial environmental impacts of plant-based choices. Further, partner restaurants report an impressive increase in sales during the campaign month; in the last Eat for Impact initiative, over $76,000 in sales was generated from plant-based specials, directly benefiting the local economy. Past initiatives have reached an average of 600,000 individuals, according to the press release.

Of course, then there’s the whole thing about using fossil fueled vehicles to bring in the products and people driving there in fossil fueled vehicles. Or having it delivered via fossil fueled vehicles.