Green Dining Alliance

In the six years since our event-greening program, Recycling On the Go, was first piloted, we’ve built strong relationships with owners, managers and employees of the food vendors who bring flavor and spice to local festivals and events. We’ve also learned a lot about the restaurant industry and the challenges associated with implementing more environmentally responsible practices like recycling. So, after a couple years of planning and networking, we are proud to officially launch the pilot of our sustainable restaurant program: the Green Dining Alliance (GDA).

The program’s mission is to enhance each diner’s experience and support local businesses by engaging restaurants and  stakeholders in a process to increase environmental sustainability through tailored strategies, workshops and collaboration.

The pilot will take place in the City of Maplewood restaurant district and will focus on environmental stewardship through waste reduction and diversion as a springboard for implementing additional sustainable practices.

The Green Dining Alliance will work with area restaurants to reduce their environmental impact by considering all aspects of their operations, including reducing, recycling and composting restaurant waste and sourcing sustainable foods, to-go ware, and cleaning supplies. The GDA certification program is anticipated to begin in September 2011 and expected to expand within the St. Louis region in 2012.

Read more about the GDA, as featured in the St. Louis Beacon…

For more information about the program, contact Michael Hahn at green.restaurants@stlouisearthday.org .

St. Louis Earth Day makes every day Earth Day, cultivating environmental stewardship and engaging individuals, governments, businesses, schools and the non-profit sector in celebration, education and action to support a healthy and sustainable future.