ECCO Certified as First Green Restaurant in Georgia
Green Foodservice Alliance (GFA) has just announced that Ecco in Atlanta has become the first restaurant in the Georgia to receive the Green Foodservice Certification. Ecco and GFA are the leaders in greening the restaurant industry nationwide. GFA unites several foodservice organizations in the fight to incorporate environmental conservation practices into the daily operations of dining establishments.
Ecco is owned by Fifth Group Restaurants. The restaurant’s website is ecco-atlanta.com.
Steve Simon, a partner, helped to develop this program and now sits on the Green Foodservice Alliance Executive Committee. Simon was involved in forming the green foodservice certification requirements. The Green Foodservice Certification program is brand new and become more stringent each year. The 2009 certification requires that the restaurant adhere to the following practices:
1) Recycle common recyclable goods such as aluminum, cardboard, plastic, glass and paper. Amount of material recycled must be reported on a monthly basis.
2) Spent grease must be used for the local production of biofuel.
3) A written plan must be provided for donation of non-sellable but edible food to a local food bank or other source.
4) A written plan must be provided for energy conservation.
The Green Foodservice Alliance is a collaboration of the Georgia Restaurant Association, American Culinary Federation – Atlanta Chapter, Georgia Organics and Georgia Grown program at the Department of Agriculture.
Fifth Group Restaurants is the privately owned company that operates Atlanta restaurants South City Kitchen® Midtown, South City Kitchen Vinings, La Tavola Trattoria, Ecco and The Original El Taco, as well as Bold American®, a catering and events company with onsite services at Studio 887 and the Event Gallery at the King Plow Arts Center and offsite at private homes, offices and Atlanta’s premier venues.
