Contact: Steven Leibman or Grace Per Lee
802-864-1848 ext. 125 or 131
sleibman@echovermont.org or
gperlee@echovermont.org
DON’T JUST EAT — THINK!
New Green-Themed Café at ECHO Offers “Tasty Bites” of Wisdom
— Grand Opening April 14th
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Can restaurants help diners
make choices that are kinder to our planet, while providing
tasty food, WiFi, and awesome views? ECHO Lake Aquarium and
Science Center thinks so, and on April 14th, they’re opening
their new green-themed Think! Café to prove it. The realization
of the café was made possible by generous grants from the
WaterWheel Foundation, the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, and Vermont
Tent Company. Part eatery, part exhibit, and all kinds of fun,
Think! is a unique experience that’s not to be missed.
“We want to provide our guests with healthy, delicious, local
foods in an attractive and thought-provoking way” — says ECHO’s
Executive Director Phelan Fretz — “The idea is to engage people
in decision-making and actually think about the food they eat,
the packaging they choose... If you don’t know about your
choices, how can you make an informed decision?”
Think! Café operates on the same environmentally-friendly
principles that have been central to ECHO’s mission from the
start. The menu features fresh local and seasonal ingredients
and tasty homemade dishes — like their soon-to-be-famous
“Champster” panini; made with Portobello mushrooms, Cabot
cheddar, and cilantro pesto mayonnaise — plus signature items
from local partners like Sugarsnap and Klinger’s Bakery. Behind
the scenes, the kitchen staff will follow best green practices,
keeping waste to a minimum and composting organic material. Out
on the café floor, the dishes and utensils are reusable, the
un-bleached napkins are recycled, and all of the cleaning
products are certified green.
In fact, even the space itself is green, including countertops
made of pressed recycled paper from Planet Hardwood, plywood
detailing fabricated from wheat straw, and whey-based wood
finish from Vermont Natural Coatings. Three striking mobiles,
created by renowned Vermont artist Gordon Auchincloss,
illustrate the idea of local food cycles and add a touch of
contemporary whimsy to the space, inviting diners to linger and
enjoy an aesthetic as well as culinary experience. All this
within ECHO’s award-winning architecture, the first LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified
building in Vermont.
As with all of ECHO’s exhibits, Think! Café makes learning
enjoyable. In fact, the eatery itself is an exhibit, giving
diners hands-on experience with the 3 R’s: Reducing, Reusing,
and Recycling. Guests are encouraged to “play with their food,”
from activities on café trays, to an interactive scale where
folks can weigh any trash left from lunch and think about ways
of reducing waste. Even the recycle-and-compost center is
integrated into the exhibit experience. Cleaning up after lunch
has never been so much fun!
Think! Café at ECHO serves lunch year-round from 10 a.m. to 3
p.m. Its Lakeside setting offers stunning views of the
Adirondack Mountains and can be reserved for wedding rehearsal
dinners, cocktail receptions, and well as family and school
groups.
At this time nearly one-fifth of our nation’s fuel use goes
towards processing and transporting mass-produced food, and
one-tenth of our landfill is made up of food waste; add
excessive packaging to that equation and you’ve got one
expensive — and unsustainable — environmental equation on your
hands. With Think!, ECHO hopes not only to offer fresh,
delicious fare, but also to help people make the eco-connections
between the food we choose and the state of our environment —
and more importantly, to highlight some simple ways for each of
us to make a difference. Because each of us can make a
difference. So the next time you’re feeling hungry, don’t just
grab something to eat — Think!
ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center is located at the Leahy
Center for Lake Champlain, on Vermont’s Burlington Waterfront.
ECHO features 70 species of live fish, amphibians,
invertebrates, and reptiles, over 100 interactive experiences,
seasonal changing exhibits, and the multimedia Awesome Forces
Theater. The 2.2 acre site is also highlighted by the Lake
Champlain Navy Memorial, ECHO’s Eclectic Gift Shop, and
green-themed Think! Café. Open year-round, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed
Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve & Day. Admission is $7-$9.50;
children under 3 and K-12 classroom teachers with credential ID
are free. For more information visit echovermont.org, call
1-877-ECHOFUN, or write to ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science
Center, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, One College Street,
Burlington, VT 05401.
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1.802.864.1848
