These Certified Green Restaurant® Winners are Leading the Green Dining Movement
North America- On the eve of Earth Day 2023, the prestigious 2023 Green Restaurant Awards commend the restaurants and organizations in the restaurant industry which have accomplished a high level of environmental achievement in their respective categories. The Green Restaurant Awards include categories such as:
Greenest Restaurant
Greenest University
Greenest Airport
Sustainable Food
HERE ARE THE WINNERS:
GREENEST RESTAURANT
Certified Green Restaurant® that received the most GreenPoints™
MUSE Cafeteria is a 4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® in Calabasas, California which has implemented 71 environmental steps and earned 579.82 GreenPoints™, the most GreenPoints™ of any Certified Green Restaurant®. MUSE Cafeteria serves 100% vegan food and has on-site solar panels that offset 70% of their annual energy usage. Along with those extraordinary steps, they compost pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste, purchase organic food products, use reusable and recycled products, and much more.
GREENEST AIRPORT TERMINAL
Airport Terminal with the most Certified Green Restaurants®
John F. Kennedy Airport T4 has 32 concessions that are certified as Certified Green Restaurants®. It has implemented a comprehensive recycling and composting program, LED lighting, and 90% of its locations have vegan or vegetarian options.
GREENEST AIRPORT CONTRACTOR
Airport Contractor with the most Certified Green Restaurants®
OTG has 86 Certified Green Restaurants® across 3 airports and 7 terminals. Located in JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Airport, these Certified Green Restaurants® collectively have taken over 1,000 environmental steps to earn more than 9,000 GreenPoints™. By initiating daily waste reduction practices, decreasing water usage, and conserving energy, OTG is working to minimize its environmental footprint.
GREENEST AIRPORT
Airport with the most Certified Green Restaurants®
John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens, NY has 67 Certified Green Restaurants® located across Terminals 2, 4, 5, and 8. The Certified Green Restaurants® in the airport have collectively taken more than 2,000 environmental steps to earn more than 5,500 GreenPoints™. John F. Kennedy Airport is shrinking their environmental footprint by cutting down electricity usage, decreasing waste, and reducing water usage.
GREENEST UNIVERSITY
University or College with the most Certified Green Restaurants® and GreenPoints™
Northeastern University has 17 Certified Green Restaurants® located in Boston, MA. Collectively, these Certified Green Restaurants® have taken more than 900 environmental steps to earn over 2,800 GreenPoints™. Each location has implemented a pre-consumer food waste composting program to decrease the amount of waste that ends up in the landfill, as well as aerators and pre-rinse sprayers to reduce their water usage.
GREENEST K-12 CONTRACTOR
K-12 Contractor with the most Certified Green Restaurants®
Flik Hospitality has 26 Certified Green Restaurants® located across the U.S. in K-12 schools. These Certified Green Restaurants® have collectively taken over 1,200 environmental steps to earn more than 4,650 GreenPoints™.
GREENEST CHAIN
Restaurant Chain with the most Certified Green Restaurants®
Arooga’s chain of 16 restaurants across the northeast and Florida are all Certified Green Restaurants®. With an average of about 30 environmental steps and 100 GreenPoints™ per restaurant, this chain is making significant sustainability strides. Each new location is required to open as a Certified Green Restaurant®.
GREENEST FOOD CONTRACTOR
Food Contactor with the most Certified Green Restaurants®
With 63 Certified Green Restaurants® across the U.S., Aramark is the greenest food contractor in North America. Collectively, Aramark’s Certified Green Restaurants® have taken over 3,500 environmental steps to earn more than 11,500 GreenPoints™.
REUSABLES & GREEN DISPOSABLES AWARD
Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Disposables Category
Chauncey’s Choice at Coastal Carolina University earned 128.58 GreenPoints™ in the Reusables & Disposables category. This Certified Green Restaurant® serves all to-go orders in reusables, uses 100% reusables for staff meals, and only offers students reusable plates, cutlery, glasses, bowls, and more with no disposable options available.
ENERGY CONSERVATION & RENEWABLE ENERGY AWARD
Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Energy Category
Carvers’ Café at Mt. Rushmore earned 339.65 GreenPoints™ in the Energy category. This Certified Green Restaurant® has an on-site solar array that offsets more than 55% of its energy use.
SUSTAINABLE FOOD AWARD
Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Food Category
MUSE Cafeteria earned 134.69 GreenPoints™ in the Food category. They earned these GreenPoints™ by being 100% vegan, purchasing Certified Organic food, and having on-site food production.
CHEMICAL & POLLUTION REDUCTION AWARD
Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Chemicals Category
Putnam Dining at UConn earned 60.26 GreenPoints™ in the Chemicals & Pollution category. This Certified Green Restaurant® is located in a brownfield redevelopment building. Putnam Dining at UConn also uses a green certified pest management system, green hand soaps, and green cleaners.
WASTE REDUCTION AWARD
Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Waste Category
Whitney Dining at UConn earned 78.85 GreenPoints™ in the Waste category. This Certified Green Restaurant® recycles plastic, glass, aluminum, paper, cardboard, grease, and fluorescent lamps. The dining hall also has back-of-house and front-of-house composting, makes quarterly food bank donations, filters and reuses vegetable oil, uses solid warewashing detergents, and has bulk packaging for 80% of condiments and 100% of milks and creamers.
WATER CONSERVATION AWARD
Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Water Category
McMahon Dining at UConn earned 44.29 GreenPoints™ in the Water category. This Certified Green Restaurant® has greywater reuse for mechanical operations and uses high efficiency pre-rinse spray valves, low flow faucet aerators, high efficiency toilets and urinals, Energy Star qualified appliances, low water landscaping, and more.
GREEN EMPLOYEE LEADER
An employee in the restaurant industry who is a champion of sustainability at their Certified Green Restaurant® and in the restaurant community.
Monalisa Prasad, Chartwells National Director of Sustainability, grew from director of catering at a college account to the National Director of Sustainability for one of the largest food service companies in the world in four short years. She is passionate about sustainability and promotes Certified Green Restaurants® on Chartwells’ accounts throughout North America. Monalisa has taken great leadership in expanding the number of Chartwells locations that meet the Certified Green Restaurant® standard.
"I applaud all of the 2023 Green Restaurant Award winners on their commitment to reducing their environmental impact,” said Michael Oshman, CEO and Founder of the Green Restaurant Association. “These Certified Green Restaurants®, organizations, and employees have set an example for others across North America to follow. By taking great environmental leadership in the restaurant industry, the 2023 Green Restaurant Award winners are proving it’s possible for any restaurant, organization, or employee to dramatically improve their environmental footprint today.”
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