McDonald’s Trying to Go Green

Last year a prototype “green” McDonald’s restaurant opened in Chicago.

This new improved McDonald’s features…

• The new restaurant site is designed for energy savings. Early thoughts are that this new design should use about 25% less energy than a regular McDonald’s restaurant.
• Rainwater capture incorporated.
• Table tops made from recycled milk containers and a partition is built out of recycled Coca-Cola bottles.
• Use of natural lights via skylights allow less electric lights to be used.

Some features, as pointed out by the UK Times Online are totally insane, for example, the store notes that cardboard is sent for recycling (um wow – ALL the stores should be doing that) and there’s a sign in the parking lot noting that some spaces are certain reserved for drivers of hybrid vehicles only.

So here’s the thing there are pros and cons of McDonald’s going ‘green’ – sure it’s good that they some green buildings and more on the way, but really, it’s going to be impossible for eco-critics to buy this as anything more than greenwashing over larger issues. The McDonald’s corporate site notes, “We’ve been thinking and acting “green” for more than thirty years” which is a hard pill to swallow when you consider the following:

• It requires countless amounts of land and seven tons of grain to produce one single ton of beef.
• Livestock production accounts for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Non-organic meats cause even more issues as they’re laden with pesticides and chemicals that harm people and the planet.
• That’s just the tip of the iceberg – meat is not a-ok and McDonald’s serves it up in droves.

Also consider that McDonald’s operates over 31,000 restaurants worldwide that’s a pretty large footprint to green up. Some green building won’t cut it. Overall, personally, I think I’ve seen worse companies though. I’m an advocate of small steps but I just hope that McDonald’s ups their game plan a bit.

[Image via McDonald's®]