GRA is a national non-profit organization who and serves both restaurants who’d like to become more sustainable and consumers looking for a green place to munch. You can find restaurants by searching a list of Certified Green Restaurants or read their great Dining Green: A Guide to Creating Environmentally Sustainable Restaurants and Kitchens. One nice feature are the suggestion cards available to print out and leave at your favorite restaurants - a no-fuss way to take action for green and healthy food and buildings, and helps you nicely encourage your favorite restaurants to become more sustainable. There's also a thank you card for green restaurants doing good already.
To gain a Certified Green status, each restaurant needs to meet the following goals…
- A comprehensive recycling system must be followed (depending on area product recycling laws).
- The restaurant must be free of all Styrofoam products.
- Each green restaurant needs to commit to completing four eco-steps annually.
The eco-steps cover these in-depth issues better than the general goals though. If you go out locally or while on vacation this is a great organization to check out first.
