We all love good eats, but at what cost to the environment are you enjoying that greasy hamburger and fries? On the other hand, given the glut of ambiguous green advertising around New York City, how can you be sure you are satisfying your food craving in the most eco-friendly fashion?
But green gourmands, despair not! Partnership for the Environment, a member-based organization of environmentally committed businesses, awards restaurants emblems that represent various aspects of sustainability, and each verification is explained in detail on their website. For example, if an eatery is “verified” in the food and water categories, the food is USDA organic, and the produce is certified to have been locally harvested from small farms. Among other things, water certification guarantees that drinking water is only reserved upon request, and that a broom, rather than a hose, is used to clean the sidewalk in front of the building.
Partnership for the Environment is offering one hungry (and eco-conscious) oM reader a $50 gift certificate to the member restaurant of their choice—be it in Philadelphia, Greenwich, or New York City. May we recommend GustOrganics, an organic restaurant with an Argentinean flavor that carries its commitment to sustainability from its solar lighting to its reclaimed wood tables.
For a complete list of certified sustainable restaurants, visit Partnership online: partnershipfortheenvironment.com.
1) Follow us on Twitter and tweet this message (if you already follow us, just tweet!):
“Win a $50 certificate to a sustainable restaurant of your choice. Just follow @offManhattan and RT! http://bit.ly/FreeMeal”
OR
2) Sign up for our email list. (If you’re already a subscriber, you are automatically entered for a chance to win the giveaway.)
You can do both to be entered twice, and tweet once a day to be entered multiple times and increase your chance of winning. Deadline is Friday, March 5th at 11:59pm EST – a winner will be chosen at random and announced the next day. Good luck!
Photo: Courtesy of Eat To Blog
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram