Engrained 4-Star Rating
Engrained Caf茅 Earns 4-Star Green Restaurant Certification
Loyola鈥檚 green caf茅 recently received a 4-star certification from the , the highest possible distinction from the organization.
Engrained is located on Loyola's Lake Shore Campus in San Francisco Hall.
Located in San Francisco Hall on Loyola鈥檚 Lake Shore Campus, Engrained is a 鈥渇ast-casual, quick-serve restaurant designed to be an educational food experience surrounding sustainability with a focus on what we are making, the ingredients used, and how they are handled.鈥� The caf茅 offers a wide variety of options with a focus on vegetarian and vegan items as well as seasonal and locally-grown fruits and vegetables. The space features sustainable furniture from local Chicago manufacturers and plenty of room for students to study or relax.
The Green Restaurant Association (GRA) is an international non-profit organization founded in 1990. It encourages restaurants to become more environmentally responsible, a goal outlined on their website as 鈥減roviding a transparent way to measure their accomplishments while providing a pathway for the next steps they can take to increase their environmental sustainability.鈥� In addition to evaluating and certifying restaurants, the GRA also offers educational resources and environmental consulting for partner organizations.
Certification levels use a system of GreenPoints鈩� to standardize sustainable practices and products implemented within restaurants. For example, restaurants in Chicago are required to recycle, compost, and be polystyrene foam free to begin the certification process. From there, restaurants can earn points across eight categories by incorporating sustainable practices and limiting their reliance on wasteful or unsustainable materials and processes. The categories include all aspects of restaurant management and promote sustainability in energy, water, waste, reusables/disposables, chemicals/pollution, food, building/furnishing, and education/transparency.
With its location in the same LEED-certified building as the School of Environmental Sustainability, Engrained was already implementing sustainable practices for lighting and climate control. However, to get a 4-Star Certification, restaurants must earn enough GreenPoints across all eight GRA categories. Jordan Davis, Aramark Sustainability Manager for Loyola, worked with a consultant from the Green Restaurant Association to complete the certification process. This involved developing and implementing sustainable practices in these areas and conducting a virtual walkthrough of Engrained that allowed the GRA consultant to verify the environmental work in the caf茅.
鈥淏eing certified as a 4-Star Green Restaurant confirms our dedication to doing what鈥檚 best for the environment,鈥� Davis explained. 鈥淚t not only shows that our everyday operational practices are in line with sustainability, but also that we are committed to continuing to work towards other solutions that will reduce our carbon footprint and help our caf茅 operate in an environmentally-friendly way.鈥�
Though the 4-Star Certification is the highest achievable honor from the GRA, Engrained鈥檚 sustainable efforts will continue developing as they maintain a close relationship with their consultant. This partnership will allow them to work with the Green Restaurant Association to come up with new sustainable projects and grant them access to the most up-to-date research on environmentally conscious restaurant practices.
This forward-looking mindset is part of what makes 黑料门one of the greenest campuses in the country. Engrained is the flagship sustainability-focused caf茅 on campus, but 黑料门has been working with Aramark and other partners for years to create a university community that puts the environment first in all areas. 黑料门measures these efforts by voluntarily submitting data to a report every three years. STARS is a project of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). AASEH describes the system as a 鈥渢ransparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance.鈥� 黑料门has maintained a gold STARS rating since 2017. Megan Conway, Loyola鈥檚 Sustainability Coordinator for the Office of Sustainability, explained that 鈥渢he STARS report provides a great way to benchmark against our peers and an opportunity for valuable self-reflection on the university鈥檚 sustainable practices.鈥�
In addition to this reporting, 黑料门strives to implement sustainable food sourcing and management methods through its partnership with Aramark. One such project is the university鈥檚 relationship with A Just Harvest, an organization fighting poverty and hunger in the Rogers Park community by providing nutritious meals and encouraging sustainable practices. Loyola鈥檚 chapter of the Food Recovery Network works closely with A Just Harvest to donate leftover food from the campus dining halls to those in need.
黑料门University Chicago is committed to being a driving force for sustainability among collegiate institutions. The recent achievement of a 4-Star Green Restaurant Certification for Engrained Caf茅 is an exciting affirmation of this goal.
Story by Mars Reilly
Located in San Francisco Hall on Loyola鈥檚 Lake Shore Campus, Engrained is a 鈥渇ast-casual, quick-serve restaurant designed to be an educational food experience surrounding sustainability with a focus on what we are making, the ingredients used, and how they are handled.鈥� The caf茅 offers a wide variety of options with a focus on vegetarian and vegan items as well as seasonal and locally-grown fruits and vegetables. The space features sustainable furniture from local Chicago manufacturers and plenty of room for students to study or relax.
The Green Restaurant Association (GRA) is an international non-profit organization founded in 1990. It encourages restaurants to become more environmentally responsible, a goal outlined on their website as 鈥減roviding a transparent way to measure their accomplishments while providing a pathway for the next steps they can take to increase their environmental sustainability.鈥� In addition to evaluating and certifying restaurants, the GRA also offers educational resources and environmental consulting for partner organizations.
Certification levels use a system of GreenPoints鈩� to standardize sustainable practices and products implemented within restaurants. For example, restaurants in Chicago are required to recycle, compost, and be polystyrene foam free to begin the certification process. From there, restaurants can earn points across eight categories by incorporating sustainable practices and limiting their reliance on wasteful or unsustainable materials and processes. The categories include all aspects of restaurant management and promote sustainability in energy, water, waste, reusables/disposables, chemicals/pollution, food, building/furnishing, and education/transparency.
With its location in the same LEED-certified building as the School of Environmental Sustainability, Engrained was already implementing sustainable practices for lighting and climate control. However, to get a 4-Star Certification, restaurants must earn enough GreenPoints across all eight GRA categories. Jordan Davis, Aramark Sustainability Manager for Loyola, worked with a consultant from the Green Restaurant Association to complete the certification process. This involved developing and implementing sustainable practices in these areas and conducting a virtual walkthrough of Engrained that allowed the GRA consultant to verify the environmental work in the caf茅.
鈥淏eing certified as a 4-Star Green Restaurant confirms our dedication to doing what鈥檚 best for the environment,鈥� Davis explained. 鈥淚t not only shows that our everyday operational practices are in line with sustainability, but also that we are committed to continuing to work towards other solutions that will reduce our carbon footprint and help our caf茅 operate in an environmentally-friendly way.鈥�
Though the 4-Star Certification is the highest achievable honor from the GRA, Engrained鈥檚 sustainable efforts will continue developing as they maintain a close relationship with their consultant. This partnership will allow them to work with the Green Restaurant Association to come up with new sustainable projects and grant them access to the most up-to-date research on environmentally conscious restaurant practices.
This forward-looking mindset is part of what makes 黑料门one of the greenest campuses in the country. Engrained is the flagship sustainability-focused caf茅 on campus, but 黑料门has been working with Aramark and other partners for years to create a university community that puts the environment first in all areas. 黑料门measures these efforts by voluntarily submitting data to a report every three years. STARS is a project of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). AASEH describes the system as a 鈥渢ransparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance.鈥� 黑料门has maintained a gold STARS rating since 2017. Megan Conway, Loyola鈥檚 Sustainability Coordinator for the Office of Sustainability, explained that 鈥渢he STARS report provides a great way to benchmark against our peers and an opportunity for valuable self-reflection on the university鈥檚 sustainable practices.鈥�
In addition to this reporting, 黑料门strives to implement sustainable food sourcing and management methods through its partnership with Aramark. One such project is the university鈥檚 relationship with A Just Harvest, an organization fighting poverty and hunger in the Rogers Park community by providing nutritious meals and encouraging sustainable practices. Loyola鈥檚 chapter of the Food Recovery Network works closely with A Just Harvest to donate leftover food from the campus dining halls to those in need.
黑料门University Chicago is committed to being a driving force for sustainability among collegiate institutions. The recent achievement of a 4-Star Green Restaurant Certification for Engrained Caf茅 is an exciting affirmation of this goal.
Story by Mars Reilly