American Public GardenAssociation Encourages their
Member Gardens to Become Certified Green Restaurants®
Kennett Square, PA - January 22, 2010. The American Public Garden Association (APGA) recently announced its new initiative to encourage their members' gardens cafés, restaurants and catering services to become Certified Green Restaurants® in accordance to the national non-profit Green Restaurant Association's (GRA) certification guidelines.
Two APGA members have already earned the GRA's seal: the Missouri Botanical Garden, and Phipps Café at the Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. In celebration of its green initiatives, President Obama selected Phipps Café as the location to unite world leaders for the 2009 G-20 Summit Welcome Dinner.
"We're honored to collaborate with the GRA to help our member gardens to educate the public about sustainable practices and environmental stewardship by earning the Certified Green Restaurant® seal," says Dan Stark, executive director of APGA. "With the Association's mission of advancing public gardens as a force for positive change in their communities, this was a natural step for us."
According to Dan, the American Public Garden Association chose to endorse the GRA for the following reasons:
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Transparent certification program, which is open to the public and available online
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20-year track record of successfully consulting and certifying restaurants all over the U.S.
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The GRA is a national non-profit organization, rather than a for-profit business
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Comprehensive standards that require restaurants to literally be "green" across the board, rather than simply excelling in one category, like sustainable food
"We commend APGA for its commitment to providing greener dining options to their members," says Michael Oshman, Founder and Executive Director of the GRA. "Visitors flock to these gardens to experience their natural beauty. Now, they have the added bonus of dining at a Certified Green Restaurant® and can rest assured that they're leaving a smaller footprint behind."
To view the GRA's certification standards, visit dinegreen.com. For questions regarding the GRA/APGA partnership, or to schedule media interviews, contact colleen.oteri@dinegreen.com or call 617.737.4425.
About the American Public Garden Association
Founded in 1940, Delaware-based American Public Gardens Association is an organization devoted to strengthening the public gardens throughout North America. Celebrating 70 years of work increasing cooperation and awareness among the gardens, APGA has built a membership of more than 500 public gardens located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and seven other countries. Their members include public gardens as well as arboreta and zoos. APGA has also built up an international network of individual members in the U.S., Canada, and 24 other countries. The APGA is committed to increasing public awareness for public gardens and supplying resources to the industry. Through their leadership and advocacy, public gardens have become vital to public appreciation and understanding of the irreplaceable value of plants. http://www.publicgardens.org.
About the Green Restaurant Association
The Green Restaurant Association (GRA) is the only official certifier of Green Restaurants® in the country. The national non-profit organization was founded in 1990 to shift the restaurant industry toward ecological sustainability. For 20 years, the GRA has pioneered the Green Restaurant® movement and currently works with over 650 restaurants throughout the U.S. and Canada. With a transparent and turnkey Certification system, the GRA has made it easy for thousands of restaurants to profit and become more environmentally sustainable. As the industry standard for Greening restaurants, the GRA has the world's largest database of environmental solutions for the foodservice industry. In 2009, the New York State Restaurant Association announced its official endorsement of the GRA, joining EPA Energy Star for Small Business, Environmental Defense Fund, and several other national environmental groups. The GRA has been featured on CNN, NBC Nightly News, NPR, and in The New York Times, and The Washington Post. For more information visit www.dinegreen.com.
Media Contacts: Madeline Quigley, APGA
Colleen Oteri, Green Restaurant Association