Detroit Zoo Restaurants Receive Green Resturant Association Highest 3-Star Rating - SSA Group

Written by Shayne Marcely | 5/16/22 10:40 AM

SSA is proud to announce that two of our locations, Buddy’s Pizza and Table 28, at the Detroit Zoo have been awarded for their dedication to sustainable practices and are now recognized by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) as 3 Star Certified Green Restaurants.

What is the Green Restaurant Association?

The GRA is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to making restaurants more sustainable. In 29 years of research into the relationship between restaurants and the environment, the GRA implemented certification standards to measure each restaurant’s environmental accomplishments and provided recommendations each restaurant could take towards increased environmental sustainability. The GRA’s rigorous standards include categories like water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable food, chemical and pollution reduction, and energy efficiency. Under these standards, different sustainable practices receive differing scores, all of which are joined to a single number that determines which certification the restaurant would receive.

How We Earned 3-Star Certification

Many updates went into accumulating points for the certification, including:

Implementing a comprehensive recycling program
Remaining free of polystyrene foam products
Offering numerous eco-friendly products, including bowls, plates, cutlery, and cups,
Utilizing 100 percent led lighting throughout the buildings
Offering a wide range of vegetarian and vegan menu options
Introducing washable cutlery to eliminate the usage of plastic cutlery

Buddy’s Pizza and Table 28 at the Detroit Zoo join a growing list of restaurant locations that have received certification from the GRA. This list includes our Base Camp Café at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, The Beastro at Utah’s Hogle Zoo, and Tuskers at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden; all of which, in alignment with our partner’s missions, committed to sustainable practices like those mentioned above and were awarded for their dedication. These awards align with SSA’s strategic plan, thrive(3), in which we commit to a company-wide effort to become more sustainable. Congratulations to our newest additions to this list and we are excited to add many more in the years to come!

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