August 5th, 2009 · No Comments

By Ashley Phillips
Green Right Now

Some of our nation’s most prominent locations are greening up their dining practices. Restaurant Associates, the operators of eateries inside some of America’s museums and landmarks, has committed to a five year partnership with the Green Restaurant Association.

All current and future cafes within the US House of Representatives, American Museum of Natural History, and the Lincoln Center will become more environmentally friendly.

Each location has committed to the Two-Star Certification level as their goal. This includes:

• Operating a full-scale recycling program
• Eliminating the use of polystyrene foam
• Meeting point requirements in six environmental categories
• Developing an annual environmental education program for staff
• Earning 140 total points under the GRA program by the end of the fifth year

On average, it takes three months for restaurants to become certified. “Once each restaurant has completed the certification program, they will have the ability to display the Certified Green Restaurant logo/seal in the window, on their menus, and any other signage they want to create to show customers that they’re certified,” stated Colleen Oteri, communications director at the Boston-based Green Restaurant Association.

While the Two-Star Certification level is the lowest of the three levels of certification, it is still a major step towards change. The restaurants will cut waste, energy, and water costs and be making a statement. “With every restaurant we certify, we hope that more industry professionals and consumers will learn about the benefits of becoming certified, and how simple it can be to improve the environmental impact of the restaurant industry.  These prestigious locations will certainly help to spread awareness of the Green Restaurant movement,” Oteri said.

(No word yet on where the Senate dining room stands.)

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media