San Diego businesses are wasting no time going green. For example, Burger Lounge in Kensington and Prato Cleaners in the Gaslamp have gone to great lengths to make their operations, services and products eco-friendly.

Burger Lounge serves organic, all-natural tall-grass beef, which comes from animals raised on free ranges and fed nothing but grass – no antibiotics, no steroids. The result is a beef low in saturated and total fat that might also help reduce carcinogenesis, arteriosclerosis and the onset of diabetes. The beef also has more Omega-3s, a nutrient essential to the body that must be consumed through food.

The restaurant is also minimizing its carbon footprint on the environment.

“The restaurant industry is the number one consumer of electricity in the retail sector and accounts for 33 percent of all U.S. retail electricity use,” Gilligan said. “We feel a strong social responsibility to limit our organization’s environmental impact.”

Burger Lounge received certification from the Green Restaurant Association after taking steps toward building a more green company, including implementing a recycling program for all cardboard, glass and aluminum products, and vegetable oil; removing all Styrofoam products and utilizing biodegradable take-out containers; and using 100 percent chlorine-free paper products.

For more information, visit www.burgerlounge.com.

Like Burger Lounge, Prato Cleaners jumped through hoops to be a more eco-conscious member of the San Diego business community. Freddy Leff, CFO of Prato Cleaners says, “We feel it is our duty and honor to protect an ever fragile environment and showcase our initiative that luxury can still mean environmentally conscience. Going green has long been in our plans since opening the first Prato Cleaners Downtown.”

Prato Cleaners’ parent company is San Diego Valet, the largest commercial dry cleaning service for San Diego’s top hotels and resorts.

“In order for Prato Cleaners to go green, we had to make San Diego Valet go green, which took months of research, a more than $40,000 investment, and intensive days to set up machinery,” Leff says. “Our machines are from Italy, which added to the time we took. Since we’ve been in the dry cleaning business for nearly a decade, we did our research and decisions all in house. There’s a lot of pressure on the company to select the best – we’re regarded as a leader in the area, so our choices are being watched in the industry.”

Going green has also improved Prato’s already high-volume and high-quality business. “People are more aware of green companies and services than ever before and seek them out,” Leff said. “We are pleased to be the choice of Downtown residents looking for stunning service, sleek design, and an emphasis on the environment in their dry cleaning needs; being green showcases to a community that we care and want to support community members who also care.”

For more information, visit www.pratocleaners.com.

–Michelle Fletcher