12 reasons why I love A&W -- I'm serious!

I bet you never thought I'd spend a whole post blabbing on about why I love fast food! Well I had you fooled.


I am obsessed with A&W. Everything I learn about them makes me love them more. I'm not a fast food eater, but a few months ago Calvin and I stopped in with the kids halfway through an intense day of shopping and errands. I was smitten from the first moment. They have so many incredible policies that are helping save the planet! Here is just a short list of things that are making me fall in love with them:

• 1.       Their eggs are sourced through an “Energy and Environmental Awareness Program” that encourages waste-reduction, solar panel use, Bullfrog power, tree planting and preserving land for wildlife!
• 2.       Their tomatoes are sourced by a similar program that reduces energy consumption by 35% (using special screens that preserve heat), uses rain collection for water needs, utilizes natural pollination and pest management (ladybugs and bees!) and grows in greenhouses to promote land conservation.
• 3.       Their sweet potato fries are sourced from a farmer who is the first frozen food company to earn LEED Platinum certification, which means it’s a super green building.
• 4.       The onions they use contribute to a clean energy plan that converts the onion waste (after cutting) into renewable electricity.
• 5.       They use almost all reusable serveware – if you eat inside any A&W restaurant they’ll serve you on ceramic plates, on a metal tray, with a glass mug and stainless steel cutlery. This choices saves 266,000 lbs of waste from ending up in a landfill, annually. It tastes and looks better too. And don’t get me started on the adorable baskets that the fries and onion rings come in.
• 6.       If you do take your order to go, the packaging is 70% recycled content and any of the materials made of paper (even waxed) is compostable (that’s why you don’t see any foil bags anymore).
• 7.       The coffee they serve, which also comes in a reusable mug, is 100% organic but still a reasonable price. And it tastes great.
• 8.       Recently they did an energy audit on one restaurant in Alberta and figured out a number of way that they’re accidentally using more energy than is needed, so this year they’re rolling out all new energy saving tricks to all 790 A&W’s in Canada. Already, their fryers are high-efficiency and use less oil and half the energy of other fryers.
• 9.       The paper materials they use (like for coupons and other promos) comes from an eco-friendly supplier in BC that re-purposes sawmill wood chips into paper products. They are entirely carbon neutral. This process also saves water.
• 10.   They also save water by running a better refrigeration system than other fast food restaurants and by installing eco-friendly dishwashers that use way less chemicals as well. It saves 4 million litres of water annually.
• 11.   They’re currently implementing national systems to have customers sort their waste (i.e. seperating organics) so that only 10% of “waste” will actually go to the landfill.
• 12.   They also keep their restaurants incredibly clean without using harsh chemicals. Their staff are totally on the ball with keeping the restaurant tidy, and can I just say: their staff are quite awesome at their jobs. I’ve never seen anyone there without a smile! I don’t know who choses the music but I’ve heard some really good playlists going when I’ve stopped in for lunch.