Simon Pearce Restaurant
The Mill
Quechee, Vermont

1760 Quechee Main Street
Quechee, Vermont
802.295.1470

Our Environmental Commitment

Over the last few years we have come to realize that restaurants leave a large environmental footprint. As an industry, our energy usage of propane, oil and electricity is quite high. We generate waste that fills our landfills. Our guests, purveyors and employees release a significant amount of carbon into the air while delivering our product, coming to visit and driving to and from work.

When Simon bought this building in 1981 he installed a turbine to harness the natural power of the Ottauquechee River (right). We have generated our own electricity for the last thirty plus years, long before being green gained mass attention.
We have always recycled our glass, metal and cardboard.

We are currently taking the following initiatives in our Restaurant to minimize our environmental footprint:

Compost all of our food scraps for use at a local farm, Rocky Ridge Farm Hartland, VT

Our to-go containers are produced with recycled materials and are compostable

Our fine unique drinks are accompanied with bamboo picks as an alternative to plastic picks

All of our cooking oil is recycled by local “grease car” enthusiasts

Our commitment to the environment extends throughout The Mill at Quechee. As our incandescent light bulbs shine their last light, we are committed to replacing each and every one with Compact Fluorescent bulbs, CFLs, to reduce our energy consumption. We have replaced our paper towel dispensers in all of our restrooms with air dryers, as we create our own electricity. Our goal is to reduce our waste to as close to zero as possible.

To support local agriculture and secure the freshest ingredients, we buy local whenever possible. We try to use vegetables and proteins from sustainable agriculture as often as possible. While organically farmed foods taste better and are arguably better for us, our mission is to balance this principle with supporting local growers. Buying locally also reduces carbon emissions. Trucks don’t come from far away; they come from just around the corner.