Proper recycling practices are followed.No expanded polystyrene use (aka Styrofoam).Restaurants participating in the program must follow the first four criteria: The program is set up so restaurants commit to following certain criteria to ensure that they are helping to reduce their impact on the ocean and other water bodies, and also involved in conservation practices. Now there are hundreds of OFR restaurants in California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, D.C. It then spread to other coastal communities throughout the country.

It was originally launched by Surfrider’s San Diego Chapter on Earth Day in 2016. OFR is seen as a win-win-win solution for restaurants, customers, and those of us working hard to protect the environment. With programs like OFR, we are now starting to see more and more restaurants and companies, such as Starbucks and Disney, moving away from single use plastics. The OFR Program was set up to encourage and recognize those restaurants that are voluntarily reducing plastic waste. But this is not the only option for changing the industry. The restaurant industry generates huge amounts of plastic waste that often end up in our rivers, coastlines, and oceans as marine debris.įortunately, we are starting to see some progress with local governments passing legislative bans on single-use plastic products. From the plastic straws that appear in our drinks without our request, to the endless to go containers, it adds up. If we stop to think about the single-use plastic that comes with eating out it can be quite overwhelming. Their programs include organizing beach clean ups, preventing new offshore drilling, helping coastal communities adapt to a changing climate, and now transforming how restaurants do business.

According to their website, they “ensure beaches are accessible, keep our water clean, protect our ocean, preserve our coasts and keep plastic from polluting our waterways.” They use an extended network of chapters and youth clubs to work with non-profit partners on a number of initiatives. About Surfriderįor 30 years, the Surfrider Foundation has been dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves, and beaches through a powerful activist network.

The Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants (OFR) program was set up to increase awareness, drive behavioral change, and reduce our single-use plastic footprint. With now over 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean, one group decided to tackle this issue right at the source. As the old saying goes “You are what you eat.” But marine wildlife like seabirds, dolphins, fish, and turtles should not be faced with swallowing the single-use plastic remnants of our meals.

Ocean waves restaurant