Eating out is a fun treat for many people, but if you're trying to be more environmentally conscious, you may struggle to find a restaurant that upholds the same beliefs and values as you do.

Many restaurants can unintentionally contribute to environment issues with their tendency to utilize single-use plastics and not sustainably sourcing their ingredients. If you're eco-friendly, it's important to find a restaurant that is delicious as well as passionate about helping the environment.

Sustainable Sourcing

Whether you're in a new town and wondering, "Where's the best breakfast near me?" or just looking to try out a new restaurant in your hometown, the first thing you should look at is how a restaurant sources their food. Check to see if the restaurant is farm-to-table, which means they get their food directly from local farmers.

Although in most cases not all food can be locally sourced, getting as many products from local farms as possible is both good for the environment and helps out local farmers.

You may also want to check whether the food is organic or not, if any meat is grass-fed and if it was raised with antibiotics.

Some environmentally conscious restaurants even grow their own produce, which eliminates packaging needs.

In general, you should look for food that is as unprocessed as possible and has a short supply chain. The less the food has to travel, the more it reduces carbon emissions.

Plastic Use

Reducing your use of single-use plastics is a popular and easy way to reduce your carbon footprint, but it can be hard to do this at restaurants. While many restaurants now offer alternative options for plastic straws, plastic use goes far beyond what you use in your drink.

One sign of an eco-friendly restaurant is their dedication to reducing single-use plastics. Some ways to reduce single-use plastics in restaurants include reduction of plastic bags, using reusable cups and silverware and alternatives to plastic take-out containers.

For food with take-out options, finding alternatives to plastics is especially important because of the large amount of plastic used in to-go orders, such as silverware, which is often wrapped in plastic itself, and containers.

If you want to be more conscious of your own carbon footprint at restaurants, there are things you can do, too. Try bringing your own containers for any leftovers, use your own reusable straw or your own silverware.

The table isn't the only place restaurants can be aware of their plastic use. Restrooms can have unnecessary single-use plastics, too. Eco-friendly restaurants may have toilet paper and paper towels made of recycled paper.

Food Waste

Food waste is one of the biggest issues in the restaurant business. In fact, studies show anywhere between 4-10% of food that is purchased by restaurants is wasted.

Many environmental and socially-conscious restaurants have plans in place to reduce the amount of food that they waste throughout the day. See if the restaurant you're going to has a plan in place to reuse or donate any food that would otherwise be wasted.

Some ways restaurants reduce food waste is through donation to homeless shelters or meal center. There are also apps such as the Danish app Too Good To Go which offers food to consumers that would otherwise be thrown out at a discounted cost.

Scoping out an eco-friendly restaurant near you doesn't have to be a hassle. Most restaurants who are passionate about the environment showcase their initiatives to help the environment on their website. Find a restaurant that holds up the same ideals and ethics that you do to feel good about helping the environment when you're eating out.