Not long after it paid Paris Hilton to wash a Bentley (in a bikini) Carl’s Jr. is greenwashing its restaurants (Hardee’s, too). This story in BrandWeek explains that one Carpinteria, California Carl’s Jr. is being beta tested (if you will) with a number of green initiatives to create a model for the company’s 3,000 other stores.
The greenification comes at the hands of the corporate body, namely a “Green Team” that is testing EnergyStar equipment, paperless communication, a rainwater refuse system, LED parking lot lights, solar panels, recycled packaging and the like — all in the name of the environment.
Another restaurant that’s way ahead of the green curve is Minneapolis based Galactic pizza. They’ve been green since they opened a few years back — here’s how they’re saving the world, one pizza at a time: a fleet of electric-powered vehicles (used weather permitting, milk from hormone-free cows, donate a portion of their income to a local food bank, electricity from windmills, local organic ingredients, 5% of their after tax profits go to charity and seasonal pizzas using ingredients from community sponsored agricultural projects.
It’s positive to see Carl’s Jr. stepping into the green circle, but they’re still a long way off. Galactic is proving that giving back to the world means more than using green techniques. Imagine if every company donated 5% of their after-tax profits to charity. Now that’d be something.
More: “FIJI Water Gets ‘Green’ Spin”