LEAF becomes ENERGY STAR™ Participant

LEAF is proud to announce that we are an ENERGY STAR participant. For years, our program has emphatically promoted the ENERGY STARY program for its important work in reducing the energy consumption of the foodservice industry. Energy use is one of the largest contributors to the environmental footprint of the foodservice facilities. With the ENERGY STAR program, foodservice operators can choose equipment that not only uses less energy, but saves them money in the long run. 

LEAF heavily encourages our members to replace their equipment with ENERGY STAR equipment when their current pieces near the end of their life, or when retrofitting their kitchens. In fact, the energy section of the LEAF criteria is one of the most heavily weighted, and using ENERGY STAR equipment significantly helps our restaurants reach the amount of points required for certification. In addition, to be Level 3 LEAF Certified (our highest level), at least 60% of a restaurant’s equipment must be ENERGY STAR certified.

We are happy to be working to promote such an important program. Stayed tuned for more information on the ENERGY STAR program, tools and tips to help you reduce your energy use further.

To learn more about the ENERGY STAR program, click here.

LEAF welcomes new Director of Eastern Canada

LEAF is pleased to welcome Sarah Letto as LEAF's new Director of Eastern Canada. Sarah will be focused on the growth and strategic development of LEAF for the Eastern provinces.

Sarah is an environmental sustainability professional who is passionate about helping organizations reduce their environmental impact. Her professional background includes senior management positions in carbon quantification and sustainability consulting. She has developed and implemented environmental sustainability programs for a variety of economic sectors including the global transportation and hospitality industries, working with organizations such as Marriott International and Virgin Hotels.

Sarah is a certified Greenhouse Gas Inventory Quantifier (GHG-IQ), holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree from York University, and recently completed her Environmental Professional (EP) designation from ECO Canada. She is incredibly excited to join the team at LEAF and continue her journey to help organizations reduce their environmental impact in the foodservice industry!  

We are thrilled to have Sarah with us - Welcome, Sarah!

Radical Gardens leads as first LEAF certified restaurant in Timmins, Ontario

Timmins, Ontario gained its first LEAF Certified restaurant in 2015. Radical Gardens completed an audit and was able to achieve Level 2 LEAF Certification. We talked to owner, Brianna Humphreys about the process, her philosophy and their accomplishments.

LEAF: Do you have a food or sustainability philosophy? What is it?

RG: Yes, food sustainability is a mainstay of life for us. We started as a sustainable farm and still continue to farm. I guess our philoshophy is that: We need to give back into the Earth as much as we take.

LEAF: Describe your journey to sustainability – where did you start, and where are you now?

RG: I started out as a pretty small time hobby gardener and then it got out of control and then I bought a restaurant. Since the environment is key to our survival as farmers we made sure to create out restaurant with that in mind.

LEAF: What are the benefits of LEAF certification for Radical Gardens?

RG: The benefits are really for our customers, this certification allows them to really feel comfortable knowing that we are very serious in our commitment to sustainability.

LEAF: What sustainability accomplishments have you made at your restaurants that you are most proud of?

RG: Our composting for one. Any food waste that we may have gets sent back to our farm. Also our disposables and the fact that 90% of it decomposes or is recyclable.

LEAF: Why do you think sustainability is important in the restaurant industry?

RG: It is really important for any Business; if you don't come to realize that the Earth allows you the ability to run your own business no matter what it is we will lose it. For the restaurant industry specifically, there can be a large amount of waste created from our line of work, it is best to make sure you leave this place unstained.

LEAF: What sustainability goals are you striving to reach in the future?

RG: Our next goal is to purchase a large industrial composter that makes fertilizer and energy.

LEAF: Did anything surprise you about becoming LEAF certified?

RG: Actually i was pleasantly suprised to see that the certification process is rather in depth and pretty rigorous. I'm glad this certification is held to such a high standard.

Visit Radical Gardens today:

RadicalGardens.com

www.facebook.com/radicalgardens/

163 5th Ave, Timmins, On

LEAF Announces first annual LEAF Awards!

Leaders in Environmentally Accountable Foodservice (LEAF) is pleased to announce the first annual LEAF Awards, to be presented at the 2018 Restaurants Canada Show February 25-27th in Toronto. Winners will receive a beautiful, hand-crafted award to display and be promoted through social media. 

This is an exciting opportunity for Canadian restaurateurs to be recognized for their commitment to the environment, the progress they've made, and the hard work they put into making their businesses as sustainable as possible. 

There are 4 categories to enter:

Greenest Restaurant
Greenest Facility over 10,000 square feet
Most Improved
Eco-Innovator of the Year

While the first three categories are only open to LEAF certified restaurants, the Eco-Innovator award is open to any restaurant. In partnership with Restaurants Canada, the Eco-Innovator award will recognize one restaurateur's achievement in implementing a new technology or innovative solution to a problem, which results in a significant reduction in the environmental impact of the establishment or facility. 

How to enter:

• If you've been putting off upgrades, do them now! Not LEAF certified yet? Start the process!
• To enter for the Eco-Innovator award, please go to www.LEAFme.org/eco-innovator-award.
• LEAF certified members can enter for up to 3 additional categories by going to www.LEAFme.org/LEAF-awards.
• Fill out the form, hit "submit", and you're done!

Deadline for submission for all awards is 11:59pm EST on Thursday, November 30th, 2017. 

Good luck to all applicants!

Congratulations Casinos of Winnipeg on achieving Level 1 LEAF certification

Club Regent and McPhillips Station restaurants, both of Casinos of Winnipeg, are committed to doing their part to support a sustainable future.  Both food and beverage facilities recently became Level 1 LEAF certified and are proud to join a growing number of green restaurant options in Manitoba.

Casinos of Winnipeg is acutely aware of the energy usage and kitchen waste that can accumulate on a daily basis. For Alain Dumonceaux, director of food, beverage and events, environmental leadership is par for the course in this business.

“I think restaurants collectively are in a position to place environmental and social value right on the plate and be economically viable,” says Dumonceaux. “A restaurant is also a great place to provide sustainable education and awareness to customers.”

The restaurants at Club Regent and McPhillips Station started their journey to sustainability with organic waste collection for composting.  Their composting program supports the development of a soil amendment as well as reduces the casino’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“Because of the size of our restaurants, we felt that this was our biggest environmental impact,” Dumonceaux says. “Staff really connect to the [composting] program and are proud of their efforts.”

On top of composting, both restaurants have taken steps to improve water and energy efficiencies by using green cleaners wherever possible. 

For Dumonceaux, LEAF certification was an important step because it brings awareness to the fact that they are supporting the correct actions needed to protect ecosystems, support sustainable food production and become more sustainable. One of the most successful and rewarding strategies that they have embraced is a commitment to buying local.   

“Our chefs are especially proud of their efforts to both advance local food offerings and our commitment to serve only fair trade certified coffee.”

They are continually looking for ways to increase local offerings at both Club Regent and McPhillips Station and have recently updated their menus to proudly list their local producers and products.

According to Dumonceaux, the quality and supply of water and soil is just as much a concern for the restaurant industry as it is for the farmers who supply them.

“We need to use our purchasing power to support sustainable agronomic practices,” he says.a “Looking ahead our goal is to improve the efficiency of our organic composting program, increase our local food spend, and expand our fair trade offerings to customers.