Eco-Andersonville: Hamburger Mary's
Hamburger Mary's
5400 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60640
Owners: Brandon Wright & Ashley Wright
What motivated you to get involved in Eco-Andersonville and seek green certification as a pilot for the program?
My twin brother and I have always been active environmentalists. We helped start one of the first recycling programs in our home county in Georgia back in high school in the late 80's. When we opened Hamburger Mary's Chicago, we wanted to have as little impact on the environment as possible, which is hard for restaurants. We have always recycled our glass, cardboard, plastics and metals, as well as purchased eco-friendly carry-out containers, which are made from sugar cane pulp and veggie starches that biodegrade. When ADC first mentioned the idea of green certification, it was a no-brainer for us. We not only wanted to participate, we wanted to push ourselves even further.
During the application process for certification, Andersonville business owners are asked to set forth one main sustainability goal. What was yours and what steps have you taken to achieve it?
We pledged to reduce our water consumption. One of the ways we are doing this is by installing green handles on our commercial toilets. The handles are literally the color green! When you pull the handle up, the flush water is reduced by over 30%. We placed signs above all eight of our toilets which instruct our customers and staff to push up for "#1's" and down for "#2's."
Did you encounter any challenges that you think other local business owners might experience in their efforts to go green? If so, how did you overcome them?
While we have replaced all of our exterior and main dining room lighting with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, we are not yet able to replace all of our lighting with CFLs. Our upstairs bar, Mary's Attic, is often used for cabaret performances, which require very dim lighting. Dimmable CFL bulbs are not quite there yet. At the lowest setting, the dimmable CFLs are still too bright. However, we are certain technology will eventually correct this.
Now that it's official and the sticker is on your window, how do you anticipate your certification impacting your business and marketing?
We've already had customers comment on what a great job we're doing. They also ask a lot of questions, and we're always eager to discuss our efforts. I think Eco-Andersonville will strengthen already-loyal customer relationships.
Having gone through a process like this, what words of wisdom do you have for business owners who are interested in going green?
Take it one step at a time, especially if you haven't started greening your business already. It can be overwhelming and expensive, but you will save money in the long run and pay back is often quicker than you think. We have already seen drastic reductions in our energy costs, and most of our improvements paid for themselves in less than a year.
As a business that is leading by example on the issue of sustainability, what's your vision for Andersonville?
It would be nice for people to think "green" when they think of Andersonville. It will encourage more people to come visit our fantastic community.
