If you’re planning a special meal out (hint, hint: Valentine’s Day is coming up!), why not check to see if there’s a green restaurateur in your town? The Green Restaurant Association offers an easy online directory of establishments that have qualified for their coveted DineGreen certification. And at Practically Green, you earn 25 points across all 4 categories for eating at a dine-green certified restaurant!

“The average American consumer spends 48% of his/her food budget dining out,” Jennifer Fleck of Green Restaurant Association headquarters explains. “Customers send back dishes that aren’t cooked to their specifications all the time — or they complain about their table, or the noise level. We want to help them communicate with restaurant owners on sustainability issues.”

Don’t see your beloved hangout on the list? The GRA has suggestions on how you can encourage your favorite restaurant to participate, including printing out this Suggestion Card to complete and leave with your tip:

As a restaurateur, you can apply for the certification and, if accepted, be paired up with a consultant who guides you through the points-based system. Like the US Green Building Council’s LEED system, the Certified Green ratings are rigorous and prestigious: “every step must be verified through invoicing,” according to Jennifer. “It’s not enough to say ‘Wow, that restaurant has great vegan entrees.’ We evaluate the operation across all categories of operation: what chemicals do they use for cleaning? How is the water handled? What are the waste considerations? What about fabrics, candles, cutlery? How about composting? Has the restaurant gone above and beyond in lighting, plumbing fixtures, renewable energies? We’re very thorough.”

Click here for details.

So what does a Green Restaurant-certified chef look like? Meet Gabe and Katherine Thompson of dell’anima in Manhattan.

dell’anima just earned a three-star rating, which you can click to see a detailed accounting of the points in each category:

And this happened during the same week that their first baby is due! Congratulations Gabe and Katherine – and thanks for participating in Practically Green’s Inspiring Action Planners feature… Hope you’ll go for the Natural Baby Badge!