I can’t say that this post from change.org didn’t make me raise a cynical eyebrow. Of course, I find it outstanding that a large, über-famous corporation would lead by example by engaging into an eco-friendly strategy – ANY eco-friendly strategy. So props have to go to McDonald’s for investing in sustainable practices: gray water is recycled, interior lighting is adjusted based on exterior light, etc. It’s all well and good, but this seems a bit like smoke and mirrors, very vocally displayed to distract us from the fact that nothing else changes much.

So this new location in Santa Ana, Costa Rica brings to a whopping three out of <insert your own very large number here> the number of eco-restaurants the chain has (in their defense, one of them is in a more prominent location in Chicago). Hopefully it’s just a start, and the number will rapidly grow. But also, it seems that recycling in one location is certainly not something McDonald’s should brag about: isn’t there enough trash generated at each location that it should justify a chain-wide recycling program? In fact, it seems that waste management should be a priority. I must admit that I haven’t eaten at McDonald’s in a long time (mostly because I can’t stand the smell of fries on my clothes for the rest of the day), but I don’t get the impression that all their packaging is biodegradable and/or recyclable (if I’m wrong, I welcome a rebuttal). Littering is also an issue: when you have to swerve around a big brown object on the expressway, it is more likely to be a bag of discarded McDonald’s wrappers than a dead raccoon (I remember once seeing the driver a huge SUV – or F.U.V, as Peter Sagal once very appropriately called them – roll down his window at a stop light on Fullerton Ave in Chicago, throw out a large McDonald’s bag in the middle of the road, and drive off). And the sidewalk in front of the Bastille location in Paris is a garbage obstacle course every night, and has become sticky with mushed left-overs and splattered ketchup packets… I understand that a corporation cannot police every single one of its customer, but it can do a lot to instill a sense of responsibility in them.

But even more importantly, what has been done at the supply chain level? Do the eco-locations make their nuggets out of free-range chicken and organic beef? Or do they use the same mass-farmed products as all the other locations, with all their ethical and environmental consequences? And how far do the ingredients travel before reaching the restaurants? McDonald’s has enough clout to really make a difference. I hope these three eco-restaurants are just the beginning of a long streak of responsible practices.

Update: it turns out that at least in France, McDonald’s takes littering seriously, and has engaged in recycling programs, including for their frying oils, which are recycled into biofuels. And the web site showcasing all their sustainability concerns is certainly a step in the right direction. However, nothing seems to be done about animal treatment. If you would like to help change this, please sign the petition.