Most Americans thinks of cost savings when they hear about eateries Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and LongHorn Steakhouse. Now, Darden Restaurants wants to make sure consumers also think of energy savings when they hear about these eating places.

Darden Restaurants announced that it has begun a system-wide sustainable restaurant design to get its largest brands LEED certified. The initiative will start with eight top restaurants the company hopes will be certified by 2011.

The company will supply its restaurants with LED light bulbs that only need to be changed two times a year, change bathroom and kitchen faucets to low-flow nozzles, and incorporate more windows into building designs to rely more on natural light in an effort to go green.

"Our goal with this initiative is to utilize each of the eight restaurants as a learning lab," said Suk Singh, senior vice president of development for Darden.

The Darden restaurants are not alone as eateries set to go green in the coming years. New lighting technology from Litetronics has been designed specifically to help restaurateurs switch to energy-saving light bulbs while maintaining an atmospheric mood for customers who want the luxury of dining out.