Saturday, March 22, 2008

White Dog Cafe - Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week


The White Dog Cafe (Philadelphia PA) offers an "unusual blend of award-winning cuisine and social activism." The White Dog Cafe supports sustainable agriculture by purchasing seasonal, local, organic ingredients from local farmers whenever possible.

In addition to supporting sustainable agriculture, the White Dog Cafe partners with "sister" restaurants in the area which are minority-owned. "The purpose of this project is to encourage our customers to visit neighborhoods they otherwise might not go to in order to increase understanding, build citywide community, and support minority businesses and cultural institutions." Their sister restaurant project also has an international dimension. "Our purpose is to promote better understanding in the world community by opening up new avenues of communication, beginning with our mutual interest in food. We envision a world where everyone has a place at the global table, believing that world peace is achieved through dialogue and understanding, and the achievement of economic justice, rather than through military and economic domination." The international program offers educational tours to the countries of international sister restaurants, a chef exchange program, hosts international visitors, and promotes Fair Trade.

White Dog Cafe has a mentoring program with a local high school's restaurant, hotel, and tourism program, organizes community tours through different Philadelphia neighborhoods, hosts annual multicultural events, participates in Take a Senior to Lunch Day, and hosts speakers each month on various social and policy issues.

White Dog Cafe donates 20% of pre-tax profits to nonprofits and they have also created their own nonprofit, White Dog Community Enterprises.

Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week: If they can do it, so can you!

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