Lunch at il Buco to Protect the Amazon Rainforest – NYC

A yummy way to help protect the Amazon Rainforest – eat lunch at il Buco in NYC starting tomorrow, through Saturday!

To honor Earth Day this Wednesday April 22,
il Buco will reduce its customers total LUNCH bill by 15% for one week. In turn, il Buco will donate, out of its pocket, the 15% saved by its guests.

All proceeds will go to protecting the Amazon Rainforest through the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network.

il Buco’s Second Annual Earth Day Fund-Raiser to Protect the Amazon Rainforest – Supports the Journey of Food from Farm to Table

By being informed about how our food is produced (in a humane, ecologically sound way), we become aware of the journey of food from farm to table, which is based on the concept of sustainability and can be applied to almost every facet of life on Earth.

There is constant focus on the slowing of climate change (and sustainable food systems). . . what about stopping it? Thirty percent of the world`s carbon emissions that contribute to global climate change come from the burning and clearing of forests and agriculture. . .that’s the same amount of emissions produced by the world’s transportation and industrial sectors. Forests can be part of the solution to mitigate climate change; the sad news is that they are being destroyed at high rates.

The Amazon Rainforest is considered the “lung of the earth”; however, estimations indicate that tropical forests continue to disappear – about 14 million hectares per year. Trees suck carbon out of the air. Promoting sustainable forestry, planting trees and reducing deforestation, can increase the carbon that forests conserve, contributing in this way to temper climate change.

For humans to live sustainably, the Earth’s resources must be used at a rate at which they can be replenished. . . sustainability can be defined as the ability of an ecosystem to maintain ecological processes, functions, biodiversity and productivity into the future.

il Buco is a strong supporter of the sustainable agriculture movement and is highly committed to environmental initiatives and creating awareness.

To honor Earth Day (April 22),
il Buco will reduce its customers total LUNCH bill by 15% for one week. In turn, il Buco will donate, out of its pocket, the 15% saved by its guests.

All proceeds will go to protecting the Amazon Rainforest through the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network.

How it Works
If someone spends $100 at lunch, they will only pay $85 and il Buco will donate $15. Simple as that!

il Buco’s Earth Day lunch fund-raiser takes place from Tuesday, April 21 through Saturday, April 25, 2009

About IUCN
Founded in 1948 as the world’s first global environmental organization, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. It supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world and brings governments, non-government organizations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and implement policy, laws and best practice. IUCN has official observer status at the United Nations General Assembly.

IUCN’s mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.

Get involved with IUCN

Interesting Facts
Forests represent a massive carbon reservoir conserving 4,500 Gigatonnes (gt), this is more than the carbon remaining in all oil stocks (2,400 gt) and more than the carbon already in the atmosphere (3,000 gt).

Below: Percentage of global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions due to human activities (which have increased 70% in the last 30 years).

Transport 13.1%
Industry 19.4%
Agriculture 13.5 %
Forestry 17.4%
Energy supply 25.9%
Waste and wastewater 2.8%
Residential and commercial buildings 7.9%

il Buco restaurant; owned by Independent Filmmaker Donna Lennard, is a New York institution known for its Mediterranean cuisine – an under the radar gathering spot for designers, actors, writers, and food lovers who are inspired by great food amongst friends in comfortable surroundings. Il Buco originally started as an antique shop and provides a warm, romantic setting in which to enjoy the flavorful combinations of Executive Chef Ignacio Mattos paired with the extensive boutique wine collection of Sommelier Roberto Paris. il Buco’s cuisine continues in its dedication to Italy as well as well as the rest of the Mediterranean.

il Buco’s Green Efforts
* il Buco has primarily used sustainable agriculture since its opening 15 years ago.
* Most of the “back-of-the-house” is illuminated by energy efficient light bulbs.
* All paper, plastic and glass is recycled and food is composted when possible.
* Most paper used in the restaurant; menus, business cards, letterhead, etc. is printed on recycled paper.
* il Buco installed a water filtration system a decade ago and does not offer bottled still water.
* il Buco brings its community together and has an annual fundraiser for environmental initiatives.
* il Buco is investigating options on how to become the first Carbon Neutral Restaurant.

il Buco
47 Bond Street (between Bowery and Lafayette)
New York, NY 10012 ~ 212.533.1932
www.ilbuco.com