The Green Dining Alliance (GDA) is a restaurant sustainability certification program of earthday365, a 501c3 non-profit organization. The GDA works with restaurants to reduce their environmental impact by completing an on-site audit that evaluates all areas of operations, and setting personalized goals with each Member.

The GDA operates throughout the St. Louis region with an emphasis on the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Our Mission

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.

How it Works

Certification Process

1. Restaurants must commit to Core Concepts, which include: banning Styrofoam ; recycling; phasing in energy efficient bulbs and equipment; reducing overall environmental impact per time.
2. Restaurants receive an onsite consultation and certification audit.
3. Restaurants become certified if they receive 80 points or greater on the certification.
4. Restaurants are presented with their audit report.
5. Restaurants are re-certified on an annual basis.

Online Resources

Our online restaurant listing is promoted to the public as a resource for selecting sustainable dining options. All GDA-certified restaurants, caterers, cafeterias and food trucks appear on the listing.

We also have resource databases for restaurants.

Our Environmental Goals

• Divert at least 1000 tons of landfill waste per year
• Reduce participants’ energy consumption
• Increase sustainable food and product purchases
• Increase environmental awareness among restaurant owners, staff, and diners
• Increase the number of restaurants that recycle and compost

Our History

The Green Dining Alliance is a natural extension of earthday365’s award winning, event-greening program Recycling On the Go (ROG). ROG started as a response to a local need for consultation and execution of waste reduction and diversion strategies at area events. In seven years, the program has kept 188 tons of recyclable and organic materials out of area landfills, enhanced the operations of 259 events, and exposed approximately 4.2 million people to recycling when away from home.

In working with food vendors at events, many of whom own local restaurants or catering businesses, we realized that there is a need for and interest in instituting permanent changes. Through vending at events with ROG services, many food vendors recognized that industry norms are changing and the St. Louis community really does desire more sustainable dining choices.

Like the ROG program, the Green Dining Alliance provides an opportunity for restaurants and diners to take environmental action and make a tangible impact on sustainability in the region. After two years of piloting the program with our seven flagship members, the GDA was fully launched in late 2012, thanks to the increased support of the St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District.

earthday365 Staff

Meet the earthday365 staff – local sustainability experts making green dining a reality in St. Louis!

Program Support

Green Dining Alliance program sponsors include the St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District and Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Sauce Magazine , Garrett Paper and St. Louis County Department of Public Heath. Grant funds generated from tipping fees at local landfills.