Greasy buns, low-grade meat, excessive packaging and massive wastes of energy are all reasons why most fast food restaurants aren't considered eco-friendly.  As a general rule, fast food is a bad decision for your waistline and for the environment.  However, for many North Americans fast food is a way of life.  Even if we can avoid it most of the time, sometimes it is simply more convenient to grab some McNuggets on the way back from soccer practice.

Here are three green tips to consider next time you decide to hit a fast food restaurant from the Green Piece blog:

1. Park and walk: While you're sitting in your car with the engine running and the A/C blasting, you are getting 0 Miles/Gallon. You are just burning fuel and polluting the air. Park your car, walk inside the restaurant, and reduce your carbon footprint.

2. Reject Excess Packaging: Fast food restaurants are famous for piling on the unnecessary packaging. There's the bag, the excess napkins, the extra ketchup packets, the lid, the straws, etc. All that stuff ends up in the landfill eventually. Order your food "for here" even if it is "to go." You'll get just what you need and nothing you don't. If you're getting a lot of food, just toss it in your cloth grocery bag. Avoid anything made of Styrofoam or plastic too.

3. Bring Your Own Utensils: If you're getting a salad, avoid taking the plastic utensils you're offered. You're just taking the salad with you back to work or home. Utilize re-usable utensils.

We would like to add one bonus tip of our own to this list:

4. Order the Chicken: If you are at a restaurant and have a choice between a cheeseburger made with ground beef or a grilled chicken sandwich, choose the chicken.  Not only will there be less saturated fat and calories in the chicken, but it takes much less energy, water and food to produce chicken than beef.

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