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Some consider this city the center of the green universe. Here's a little San Francisco 101: Don't expect bottled water at city funded or sponsored events, plastic bags at your local market, or delivery in Styrofoam take-out containers -- residents here have long forged the eco-friendly pathway. To be fully informed on all the latest and greatest green moves in San Francisco, check out TreeHugger's San Francisco archives. Or, Green Zebra and EcoMetro offer local, up-to-the-minute information on green events.
Want to join the natives? Here's how.
- Take Public Transportation
Compared to most U.S. cities, San Francisco's public transportation system is top-notch. It's easy as pie to get to and from the city and its environs via rapid rail, commuter rail, or bus. It's also safe, clean, and user-friendly -- a nice boon for out-of-towners and business travelers. To get from point A to point B within the city proper, San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency encourages residents and visitors to walk, bike, ride share, or ride "Muni" (that's public transport in local speak). Soak up the city via buses (running on biodiesel), the subway system "BART," and the city's celebrated old-timey cable cars. For "brutally honest" insider tips, check out SFTravel.com. - Rent a Bike at Bay City Bike and Blazing Saddles
Despite those famous steep hills, loads of people get around by bike in San Francisco. You can too -- a rental shop is on just about every corner. Even if bike commuting isn't for you, two-wheeled transport is a terrific way to explore the city, and outlets such as Bay City Bike and Blazing Saddles offer rentals and tours. - Stay Green at Orchard Garden Hotel or at a Kimpton Hotel
Lay your head down on a 'green' pillow at the Orchard Garden Hotel, a LEED-certified gem accommodating to business travelers and found just a short stroll from Union Square shops and theaters, the Financial District, and Chinatown gate. The Kimpton Hotels chain is geared toward both business travel and green ethics, with seven different sites located throughout San Francisco. - Dine at a High-end Green Restaurant
Is San Francisco the birthplace of the organic-eating revolution? When chef Alice Waters opened the now-famous restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkley in 1971, she let loose the floodgates to a wave of local, healthy eating that is still gaining steam today. Founded on the belief "that the best-tasting food is organically grown and harvested in ways that are ecologically sound, by people who are taking care of the land for future generations," Waters allows the season to inform the menu, through which she aims to achieve "environmental harmony and optimal flavor." Prices for the prix-fix dinners run from $65-$85.
In the heart of the city, Fish and Farm (entrées $20-25) follows Waters' lead, and the chefs' sophisticated local fare has an interior to match. To soak up a swanky buttoned-interior and discover cuisine dubbed "earthy," reserve a table at Millennium ($22 for the average entrée or $65 for the chef's five-course tasting menu). - Go Casual at a Restaurant Serving Organic or Vegan Fare
A local farm provides Greens Restaurant with much of its organic fair. Vegan restaurants Mixt Greens and Lettus Café are great spots for a quick sit-down lunch-on-the go. Vegan restaurants Herbivore, which has three locations, and Manzanita Restaurant, which is also macrobiotic (and in Oakland), are for veggie-lovers only. - Explore the Outdoors in Golden Gate National Parks
With downtime to explore San Francisco’s natural beauty, head to Chrissy Field Center, within Golden Gate National Parks. Overlooking a restored tidal marsh, the historic, sustainably renovated center is a peaceful place to enjoy stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Park. The park at large offers extensive opportunities to check out natural flora and fauna or walk, hike, or bike through 70 miles north and south of the Golden Gate Bridge. - See the Green Roof at the California Academy of Sciences
On September 27, one of San Francisco's 10 pilot green building projects -- the much-publicized $429 million California Academy of Sciences-- reopens in Golden Gate Park. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, the 410,000-square-foot natural history museum features a massive 2-acre green roof blooming with approximately 1.7 million native plants. The roof is projected to reduce storm-water runoff by up to two million gallons of water per year. - Take a Crafts Workshop using Recycled Materials
Feeling creative? Take a workshop at SCRAP (the Scroungers' Center for Reusable Art Parts) and learn handy recycling skills like lamp rewiring, or faux finishing, stained glass techniques, and basket weaving. The reuse center, store, and workshop space collects discarded items such as textiles, paper, jewelry findings, wood, buttons, and plastics. Then, artists and educational and community groups breathe in new life. - Buy or Sell a Green Business or Home
If you're here for the long haul, help is on hand to extend eco conscious passion to both office and home. Invest in a green business through innovative business brokerage the Evergreen Group, which will help you buy (or sell) a business that operates in an environmentally responsible way. To retain Evergreen, a company must demonstrate a commitment to products and business processes that leave no negative environmental impact. Hankering for a solar powered three-story beauty in the Mission? Green Key Real Estate will help you buy or sell a green home. For more general information about green business in the area, check out Bay Area Green Business Program. - Indulge in an Award-Winning Pastry from Organic French Bakery Tartine
Don't leave San Francisco without a stop at Tartine, a French bakery in the Mission with a cult-like following. The organic hot pressed sandwiches, pies, cakes, tarts, and pastries born out of husband-and-wife team Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson will bring thundering applause from your taste buds. The Pain au Chocolate is overflowing with Valrhona Chocolate, the croque monsieur is just the right combination of country bread, melted gruyere, and smoked ham: You'll quickly understand why the pair have earned back-to-back James Beard Award Nominations --one of the highest honors in the business of eating.
Like this? Check out more of Planet Green's Green City Guides.
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