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Green is so hot right now that even the Golden Arches have jumped on board. “As much as people are cynical about the fast-food industry, there is a push now for sustainability,” Rob Wallace, vice president of communications for Keep America Beautiful, told Plenty Magazine online. Sure, it’s good PR, but it’s also good for the environment, so well done consumers!

Some green fast food initiatives:

Chipotle serves naturally raised chicken and you eat it with 90% recycled material napkins or take it home in 35% recycled bags. (Read more about how wonderful Chipotle is in an April blog post HERE.)

Smart Cups, made with a “plastic biopolymer derived from corn” and from “fibers grown and harvested according to the guidelines from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative” that will break down when thrown away (unlike petroleum-based cup liners that will stay around forever after you’re finished with it) are being used in fast food restaurants.

McDonald's touts a sustainability purchasing plan on its web site that includes buying from sustainable fisheries, working to preserve the Amazon rainforest, and requiring that land based agricultural companies go by an environmental scorecard.

In Boston, the Grille Zone was the first fast food restaurant to be certified by the Green Restaurant Association. They recycle, reduce, and reuse most all their materials to save on trash. See if there’s a green-certified fast food place near you at DineGreen.com.

Whether you’re building burgers or stuffing burritos, no doubt sustainable fast food is a trend I’d like supersized, and yes, I’ll have fries with that.

Photo from Pebbles from Paradise blog.