Kermit the Frog once said, "It's not easy being green." Ask Jim Funk of Desperado's how he feels about this statement, and I am sure he will agree. Having been out of town for a number of week's I went to Despo's my first day home and was immediately drawn to a flyer titled something like "Despo's cares about our environment." My eyes focused on the writing in bold noting that Despo's is suspending all takeout orders. My instant emotion was panic: Say this isn't so! Why would Despo's do this to their loyal customers? After taking a few deep breaths to steady myself, I realized that the likely reason for the flyer was surely to explain that bold statement.
As I read the flyer, my original panic and concern were soon replaced with deep gratitude, understanding and genuine excitement. Takeout food goes into takeout containers, all of which show a negative impact on our environment. Current alternatives to Styrofoam have great intention, but in practice are not environmentally friendly. While many of us voice our environmental worry on a daily basis and do a bit here and there to lessen our carbon footprint, few of us are willing to take the bold stand demonstrated by Funk, especially in a time of such economic uncertainty. While this is an inconvenience for many of us, Despo's has made this decision, at great financial risk, for all the right reasons.
According to Jim, suspending takeout is just part of Despo's direction and the one that is most obvious. Purchasing all green cleaning supplies, upgrading equipment and serving clean and sustainable food among other imrpovements are included in the plan as well.
As Jim has deepened his commitment to our health and environment, I will deepend my commitment to frequent his establishment two to three times a week.
Geri Herbert
Ketchum
