After about five months of effort and planning, The Pita Pit is State College's first certified green restaurant.

"[We want to] lower the impact of our daily operations," general manager Ben Lippincott said.

The Pita Pit, 218 E. Calder Way, was certified by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a Boston-based company founded in 1990. Under the certification, The Pita Pit is committed to taking four steps each year toward being more environmentally friendly, Lippincott said.

"We actually saw how much garbage and waste the restaurant produced and we knew what we wanted to do," owner Adam Palmer said. "The Green Restaurant Association was perfect because it kind of is a commitment to doing four steps each year -- kind of like an ongoing process to make it sustainable."

The Pita Pit in Philadelphia was certified in July, Palmer said.

"Philadelphia is making a big push to be the first green city," Palmer said. "[It was] looked at [as] good upon the community, and people really respect what we're doing."

Making a restaurant environmentally friendly costs "more up front, but saves in the long run," Lippincott said.

For example, fluorescent lights can be more expensive, but the store's electric bills will decrease, he said.

"Any business in town can make a big difference by having some caution," Lippincott said.

He added in addition to in-store changes, The Pita Pit reduced its supply intake from three days a week to two days a week.

Palmer said The Pita Pit currently obtains its produce from a warehouse in Harrisburg, but hopes to use more local vendors.

"One of our steps for this year is to find a local vendor for all our vegetables and everything like that," Palmer said. "I think seasonally it'd be easy, [in] spring and summer months, but could get tough in fall and winter."

Palmer and Lippincott are hoping other restaurants follow the trend.

"If one restaurant does it, it makes an impact; if a dozen do it, it makes a difference," Lippincott said. "We have every intention of sticking with it."

Other locations in State College, however, do make an environmental effort.

Carlo Sica (junior-physical and environmental geography), co-vice president of Eco-Action, said Webster's Bookstore Café, 128 S. Allen St., goes "above and beyond any local restaurant in terms of what they sell."

"They use local ingredients and compostable implements: straws, cups, plates and all compostable containers. They will compost them for you as opposed to being tossed for you."

Elaine Meder-Wilgus, owner of Webster's, said though she hasn't gone through the Green certification process, she has been using environmentally friendly practices for years.

"For me ... you do it because you want to do it," she said. "Our customers just all know that that's the road we take."

Meder-Wilgus said the real key is getting "corporate giants" to "actually feel the surge" that people support environmentally safe practices.