The Green House Tavern, the first green-certified restaurant in Cleveland, has opened its doors to H2O Campers this summer.  Located on East 4th Street, it’s a cutting edge restaurant on many fronts.  The Green House Tavern is guided by 2 main principles: “that the idea of proximity of the farm and soil to a restaurant correlates to the quality of its food and that environmentally conscious or green business practices are fundamental.”  They serve classic dishes with local and sustainable ingredients.

Two campers have eagerly volunteered to share their experiences to The Greenhouse Tavern.

Behind the Scenes of being Green

Kerry Colatruglio, age 14

My time at The Greenhouse Tavern was a wonderful experience. I’m so glad that I was able to get a tour of the beautiful restaurant and get to know about it a little better. If it wasn’t forH2O camp, I would’ve never known about it.

When my group first arrived at The Greenhouse Tavern, I didn’t really know what to expect. All I saw was a regular restaurant with waiters, waitresses, and chefs. But it only took a little while to really learn about the past, present and future for this successful tavern.

When I learned about how difficult it must have been to actually make a “green” restaurant, my respect for the designers and owners, immediately increased. I had no idea how much time and effort it took to make a successful restaurant from scratch, let alone a “green” restaurant that’s still enjoyable for all of the customers.

Seeing and hearing all the details about how the lamps were made from recycled bicycles, or how the bar counter is made from eco-friendly cement with recycled glass, or that some of the chairs were actually church pews being reused, really made me feel that it’s not difficult to help the environment and there’s tons of ways to do it. I learned that it’s really important to ask questions and always seek for answers.

This experience has opened my eyes to not only help our environment, but it also has got me thinking about some career options. When I thought about how fun it would be to say “I designed this building from recycled materials,” it occurred to me that it would be really fun to be an interior designer.

I’m really thankful I got to be a part of this great experience, and I hope it causes a chain reaction so that slowly, the world becomes more “green.” The Greenhouse Tavern is a good example for many other restaurants to follow. Even though the tables might not be brand new or the floors aren’t made of expensive cement, it’s an amazing thing what a small group of people can accomplish. I’m proud to say that I live in Cleveland, where the first “green” restaurant was made.

Continue reading Connecting The Green Dots with Teens check out the  The Lakewood Observer