earth day april 22

Otarian Carbon-Friendly Vegetarian Dining

Otarian Vegetarian Eco-Friendly Fast Food

The words vegetarian, eco-friendly, and fast food have not gone together until now, under the name Otarian. Founded by Radhika Oswal, a woman who described herself as a "hungry vegetarian" and pitched the idea to her husband 3 years ago after being frustrated at not being able to find anything but "pizza and french fries" while traveling.

And so Otarian was born, a fast food chain that not only serves "global vegetarian cuisine" but does so in an eco-conscious and sustainable way. "This isn't a chain of vegetarian restaurants, but a chain of sustainable restaurants," Oswal says. Everything from the as-local-as-possible food to the way the buildings are constructed to the packaging and production practices of the stores is geared towards being ecologically responsible. They even label each sandwich and combo meal with its carbon number and the carbon number of a similar meat dish, so you can see how much you've offset by choosing vegetarian.

Currently there's an Otarian located on Bleeker Street in NYC, with another planned to open in the city this Friday (the 23rd) near Columbus Circle at 8th Ave and 56th St and two more planned to launch soon in London. Stop by and grab a Portobello Mushroom Burger (shown here) for lunch and do your part for the planet.

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Tags: burger, dining, Earth Day, earth day 2010, earth day april 22, fast food, green, vegetarian

Earth Day Special: Stunning Green Homes of the World

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Green, Books

April 22 marks the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day celebration. To mark the event, we look at some modern, sustainably designed homes featured in the new book "New Green Homes" by Spanish architects Sergi Costa Duran, Ethel Baraona Pohl and Liliana Bollini and published by Collins Design. Each of the homes are specifically adapted to their climates using some of the latest energy-saving technology. They may conserve energy but there's no skimping on lifestyle. And the setting alone of many of these homes will drop a few jaws.

Gallery: Stunning Green Homes of the World