Principia College, a small liberal arts college, benefits in direct and meaningful ways from our ongoing partnership with the Green Dining Alliance. The GDA audit provides clear guidance for our strategic planning – it highlights success, identifies gaps, and provides specific recommendations for filling those gaps. It was also the inspiration behind our 2019 Green Dining Standard, which sets specific targets (e.g., energy use, supply chain management, sustainable menu options) for “greener” dining here on campus. We look forward to the audit each year!
– Dr. Karen Eckert, Professor and Director of Principia College Center for Sustainability
Let us cut through the clutter.
Maybe you want to be greener, but aren’t sure where to start or how much it will cost you. Questions like these crop up for restaurant owners who are noticing the national trend toward sustainable dining:
- Can my business practices really reflect my personal values, or my customer’s values, and still be successful?
- Will being “greener” cost me extra money, or could I actually save?
- Where can I find affordable alternatives to Styrofoam?
- Where can I find local menu options for my customers?
- How much time and money would it actually take to start recycling and composting?
We can answer those questions.
The GDA offers affordable, accessible sustainability consulting for the local food service industry, through our certification program. We walk through your operation with you in our audit, side by side, to help you assess and understand your current environmental impact. Then, we offer you tailored strategies and solutions for future goals.
Once you’ve had your audit and are a GDA Member, you can call on the GDA for advice any time. We’re here as an expert resource for you whenever you’re making decisions with an environmental impact – it’s our job to research products, practices, and alternatives so that you can focus on running your business.
St. Louis has over 2,000 restaurants – make yours stand out with GDA certification.
Your customers’ demands are changing, and there are thousands of St. Louisans* who want to feel good about their environmental impact when dining out. It enhances and empowers your customers’ experiences.
A local approach to sustainable certification.
Green Dining Alliance certification was researched and designed by staff at earthday365, with support from diverse industry professionals. We are motivated to increase sustainable dining opportunities in and around St. Louis. We promote restaurants that are paying attention to their business practices with an eye on the environment and the local economy.
As 3rd party administrators of the program, we are able to provide a non-biased assessment of a restaurant’s current practices and work with them to recommend appropriate, achievable strategies for annual improvement.
Start the Certification process today.
* Our earthday365 network is over 7,500 strong – all invested in a greener St. Louis (SOURCE: earthday365 website analytics, 2020)
