Green. The word has many meanings. To a restaurateur, it may refer to the new young chef, the freshness of lush vegetables or the restaurant’s bottom line: cash flow.

Certainly the word shares the same meaning for a restaurateur that it has come to mean to the rest of the world: Sustaining our natural resources by reserving, reusing, recycling and repurposing — any and every time it’s possible.

At Food Innovation Factory, we feel that it’s our job is to help our clients with this important element. We want clients to not only be prosperous, but to be responsible business owners who are successful on all fronts, including sustainability.  Nowadays, many consumers demand it, as environmental awareness is often at the forefront of the news and is a topic discussed around dinner tables in all levels of society.

Because of our commitment to providing the best and most current information, we’ve aligned our standards with those of the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), the national non-profit organization that has created a certification process for restaurants to operate in an environmentally sound manner. Certifying restaurants for the past two decades, the GRA focuses on seven environmental categories: water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable furnishings and building materials, sustainable food, energy, disposables and chemical and pollution reduction.

Besides feeling good about implementing standards that help the environment, restaurants with GRA certification get some other benefits — like listings in various national restaurant guides and oftentimes positive media exposure. Each certified restaurant has access to resources from the GRA. One of those is the GRA communications manager, who can help integrate the certification message into menus, websites, table tents, take-out boxes and any other marketing opportunity. Restaurants also have claimed that the certification has boosted employee morale and helped reduce costs.

We’ve worked alongside clients through GRA’s certification process to ensure they are successful. We know the ins and outs and are able to assist at every vital point. There’s a good chance that any question you have about the process is something we’ve already fielded. We welcome the opportunity to assist with this important certification. It’s just part of what we do.