Greenest Restaurant In America Opens In Omaha - The Grey Plume Becomes The Nation's First 3 Star Sustainabuild Certified Green Restaurant

A restaurant rarely commands so many titles on the date of its opening. The Grey Plume is an exception. The newest addition to the Omaha dining scene has earned the title of "Greenest Restaurant in the Country" as designated by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), as well as the honor of being the first Certified Green Restaurant in Nebraska. The Grey Plume is the first restaurant in the country to meet the GRA's rigorous SustainaBuild standards-the nation's only green building standards developed specifically for restaurant operations.

To meet the GRA's rigorous SustainaBuild guidelines, a restaurant must meet a minimum of 205 points in seven environmental categories, including a minimum of 90 points in Energy and 20 points in Sustainable Furnishings & Building Materials. Having accumulated 277.48 points and completed 120 steps, The Grey Plume has truly built their restaurant green from the ground up and have accumulated more points than any restaurant in the country-with exciting and innovative steps such as:

- Installing energy efficient LED lighting throughout 94% of the restaurant
-Constructing their bar, booths, doors, chairs, and cabinetry with well-managed and rapidly renewable woods sourced from forests certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC)
- Implementing a full-scale recycling and composting program
- Only serving water upon request, an effort that, if undertaken by every restaurant, would save an estimated 26 million gallons of water each day

See http://www.dinegreen.com/customers/certification_details.asp?RestaurantID=REST10888&embedded=true">here for details of all the steps and points The Grey Plume has completed, and see the full SustainaBuild standards here.

"The Grey Plume's accomplishments constitute a significant milestone for the restaurant itself, the GRA, and restaurant industry as a whole," remarks Michael Oshman, Executive Director of the Green Restaurant Association. "Grey Plume broke two records in sustainability with their opening. They are the first restaurant in the country to meet the coveted SustainaBuild standard, and they currently have the most points of any restaurant in the country."

For more information about the Green Restaurant Association, visit www.dinegreen.com.

About the Green Restaurant Association
2010 marks the 20th anniversary of the Green Restaurant Association's (GRA) founding in 1990. The Green Restaurant Association is a national non-profit organization that provides the only official Certified Green Restaurants mark in the country. For two decades, the GRA has pioneered the Green Restauran movement and has been the leading voice within the industry encouraging restaurants to listen to consumer demand and green their operations using transparent, science-based certification standards. With their turnkey certification system, the GRA has made it easy for thousands of restaurants to become more environmentally sustainable in a profitable manner. The GRA is endorsed by scores of national environmental organizations such as NRDC and Environmental Defense, and esteemed trade organizations including the New York State Restaurant Association, Orange County Restaurant Association, and America Public Garden Association. The GRA is also an Energy Star partner. In 2010, Citysearch announced the GRA as their official Green Restaurant? listing partner. The GRA has been featured on CNN, NBC Nightly News, NPR, and in The New York Times, and The Washington Post. For more information visit www.dinegreen.com.