Sustainability is on the rise as people are more consciously aware of the environment and what is happening to it. We want to take precautionary measures, like indulging in sustainable practices, to really make a difference. Here are 5 different sustainable restaurants to eat at this year, so, put your environment where your mouth is and be a part of the change!

Sustainability is the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance. This can be done in a variety of ways, whether that be eating and purchasing from local farms and shops, or ditching your pack of plastic straws for a reusable metal one. Hippies and naturalists aren’t the only people who are practicing some of these new traditions as the general population is catching on and realizing the difference sustainability is making!

Restaurants are hopping on the sustainable train and are incorporating eco-friendly and world-changing factors into their business’, drawing crowds that want to be a part of the movement. Below is a list of restaurants all around the U.S. that have all sorts of sustainability within, that you should visit during this years travels!

Root Down - Denver, CO

Beginning with the restaurant being made from 75% reclaimed, reused, and recycled materials starting as a refurbished gas station, its spruced up with elegant decor and gorgeous patio views of downtown, consuming clean energy and being powered off of 100% wind energy. With their 4,000 square foot garden in the middle of the city, they produce 20% of their own vegetables, also while composting and recycling over 80% of their waste. Over 50% of their ingredients are sourced locally, animal proteins are certified humane and GMO free, and their cleaning products are 100% biodegradable and paper products used in kitchen and bathroom are made from 100%-post consumer unbleached recycled paper. Their food is something of a staple in Denver and this cuisine and experience will leave you more than satisfied!

Bamboo Sushi - Portland, Denver, Bay Area, Seattle

In 2008 Bamboo Sushi was named the first sustainable sushi restaurant in the world. Seeking to lower their impact on the planet, they focus on their sourcing, their carbon footprint, their community and their partners. With fish being the most widely consumed animal protein on the planet, 76% of our oceans fisheries are overfished or completely depleted. Bamboo Sushi uses renewable resources, fishing from plentiful populations with the catch method. With a carbon footprint calculator directly on their website, you can see how this sustainable restaurant stays carbon neutral. People don’t just rave over the sustainability of this restaurant, they boast over the tasty treasures of the sea with Bamboos incredible sushi. So swim on into a Bamboo Sushi near you and reduce your carbon footprint and find yourself having a truly inspirational dining experience.

Ancolie - New York, NY

Everything you find at Ancolie, the epicurean cantine, is good for you and for the planet! Woman owned and unique serving style, Ancolie prepares meals daily in reusable glass jars. With a 4 star rating from the Green Restaurant Association, rated Carbon Neutral by the CO2 Logic, Ocean Champion by the Oceanic Standard and 3 stars by the SPE, Ancolie has the sustainable stamp of approval! Their meals are served in reusable glass jars that pose as a $2 credit if brought back in. They use absolutely NO plastic products while all of their waste is sent to a community garden in the East Village for compost. They source the majority of their products straight from New York ensuring their products are certified humane and pesticide free. Not only do they source locally but they source from many local women owned businesses to add to the movement! Sustainability is practiced all throughout this restaurant and your taste buds will be singing as your carbon footprint is shrinking!

Woods Hill Table - West Concord, MA

Woods Hill is the first restaurant from the USA to receive three coveted stars from the Sustainable Restaurant Association while also winning the Best Farm to Table Restaurant in New England, the Diner’s choice award two years in a row and so many more. Woods Hill restaurant works in tandem with the Woods Hill farm right in NH, as well as other small purveyors, Woods Hill Table celebrates the ancestral diet through sustainable sourced local ingredients and utilizing “the whole animal” approach. Chef Charlie Foster uses natural polyunsaturated fats for all cooking to reduce the risks of harmful trans fats.

Although they own and run their own organic farm, they are in close contact with other small farms for local sourcing and community support. Woods Hill uses all American made products, with their knives being made right there in Massachusetts with recycled materials! With 100% of their food being certified USDA organic, having fair trade coffee and tea, GMO free food, and all of their waste being composted or recycled, Woods Hill is one of the most sustainable restaurants you can indulge in. Come taste the freshness of this classic American cuisine and you’ll be sad you didn’t go sooner!

Busboys and Poets - Washington, D.C.

This tasty American restaurant offers so much more than your average sustainable food place. Considering themselves a “community gathering space” rather than a restaurant, Busboys and Poets gives artists, writers, dreamers, and thinkers a place to thrive. A place to feed the mind, body, and soul, not just the belly! This space uses 100% reusable wind energy, uses green cleaning supplies and compostable straws, has their menus printed on recycled paper and recycles all oil for biofuel! Not only are their non-food items sustainable, their food items are 100% fair trade when needed, 100% hormone-free chicken and organic eggs. They serve sustainable seafood and is a Humane Society “Seal Protector” to boycott the hunt on seals from Canada, and also only serve water upon request for conservation. So grab a bite and let art, culture, and whatever you bring to the table, collide.. promoting social change and leading by example in sustainability.