For a third consecutive year, EVOS, a fast-casual restaurant company with an earth-friendly attitude, will offer free organic milkshakes to customers at each of its locations in celebration of Earth Day, April 22. Made from simple, wholesome ingredients like USDA-certified, organic milk and served in biodegradable cups made from plant-based ingredients, the shakes reinforce EVOS’ ongoing core philosophy of "Earth Day, Every Day.”
EVOS was recently named the Greenest Burger Chain in America for the third year in a row by Greenopia.com, a leading green consumer guide, and was also named a 2011 Sustainable Business Award winner by Earth Charter U.S. This award celebrates EVOS’ commitment to focus its sustainable efforts in three distinct areas: people (employee and community wellbeing), profit (economic performance), and planet (environmental health).
"We are incredibly honored that the sustainability efforts we have been practicing for more than 16 years have now been recognized by Earth Charter U.S. and look forward to assisting them in furthering their sustainable efforts world-wide," says Michael Jeffers, cofounder of EVOS. "We are always looking for new opportunities to educate our guests and communities on earth-friendly environmental issues, all while they enjoy healthier burgers, airfries, and shakes."
Celebrating Earth Day is just one more way for EVOS to raise awareness of the issues that are most important to the company. And, with free milkshakes to entice customers, the restaurant expects to once again "shake up" the area and serve many more. Last year, EVOS restaurants throughout the U.S. served thousands of free, low-fat organic shakes in their biodegradable cups on Earth Day and they expect that number to grow this year.
"Earth Day is a great opportunity for us to show our guests that when it comes to sustainability, we are far above any of our competitors. Although our plant based cups don’t add to our bottom line, we use them because we feel it’s the right thing to do," says Alkis Crassas, cofounder of EVOS. "We know that sharing the changes we are making here, both big and small, will encourage everyone who knows what we do to consider the difference they could make too."
From construction to food preparation, EVOS incorporates it’s sustainable, earth-friendly philosophies into every part of its business model. Restaurants are built using environmentally friendly materials such as recycled wood panels (made from pressed sorghum plan stalks), zero VOC paints, and nontoxic marmoleum, (ecologically produced, natural linoleum). EVOS also offsets a portion of its environmental footprint by purchasing renewable wind energy and using compact fluorescent light-bulbs with automatic sensors. EVOS also prints menus and other materials on recycled paper using vegetable inks, sells gift cards made from recycled credit cards, and uses biodegradable plastic carryout bags.
Each EVOS location offsets one third of its restaurant energy usage by replacing it with renewable clean energy. To put it in perspective, EVOS effectively plants more than 30 acres of forest and takes eight cars off the road each year.
