AgeSong has announced that its Lakeside Park residence kitchen was named a Certified Green Restaurant® by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a national non-profit organization that specializes in helping restaurants become more environmentally sustainable.
“The green certification exemplifies AgeSong’s commitment to creating nature-friendly, healing environments,” says Nader Shabahangi, Ph.D., founder and CEO of AgeSong. “This distinction, the first of its kind in our industry, reflects our overall commitment to respecting and preserving nature and the surrounding community, while improving the quality of services for our residents at the same time.”
As the first assisted living community to earn the GRA’s certification, AgeSong at Lakeside Park leads the trend toward adopting sustainable practices in senior living communities. To achieve certification, AgeSong exceeded the minimum of 100 points in six of seven environmental categories, by implementing the following changes:
· Increasing vegan and vegetarian menu items
· Using non-toxic cleaning chemicals
· Implementing a full-scale recycling and composting program
· Replacing plastic cutlery with a bio-based alternative made from potato starch
· Sourcing napkins that are made from 100% recycled post-consumer waste
· Installing energy efficient kitchen equipment and lighting
“We’re thrilled to have helped AgeSong be successful in greening their foodservice operation,” says Michael Oshman, founder and chief executive officer of the Green Restaurant Association. “We commend them for being leaders in the assisted living industry and we look forward to helping them continue to make even more environmental changes in years to come.”
