Green Hands USA: America Volunteers

Going out to eat can be a lot of fun, but if you're not careful, it can also have a large environmental footprint. A website from the Green Restaurant Association can help you make greener choices.

The Dine Green website ranks restaurants around the country based on their environmental impact. Certified Green restaurants use sustainable food, minimize their use of disposables, use energy and water efficiently, and even have furniture made from sustainable materials.

You can search the Dine Green site to find the greenest restaurants in your area. Aside from a few major metropolitan areas (Chicago, NYC and the like), searching is limited to state, which is a bit broad, but you can also limit search results by the number of Green Stars (two to four) given to each restaurant by the association.

The site also offers information on how restaurants can go greener and get certified green, as well as tips for restaurant customers to green their dining experiences.

By the way, the Green Dining Association just named the greenest restaurants in America: Chicago's two Uncommon Ground locations. If you're in the windy city, they might be worth a visit.