Marist College might as well change the school colors from red to green, because Marist Dining Services has been going green and keeping green this year once again. 

The North End Dining facility just received confirmation that it was certified with a rating of 2 Star Green Restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA)! The GRA is a nationwide organization that works with restaurants, manufacturers, and distributors all across America and Canada to attempt to help the restaurant industry go green. It has been recognized by Time Magazine, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Fox News, and NBC Nightly News. This certification demonstrates that Marist Dining has made great strides in greening its processes, especially, though not exclusively, recycling, composting, and the elimination of polystyrene foam. 

This recognition is a result of advance planning by the College culminating in the purchase of energy efficient lighting, cooking oil recycling machinery, and more. Marist Dining Services student intern Phoebe Smith was instrumental with the application process. In the future, the North End Dining team will strive to achieve the highest level of certification, 4 Stars. To achieve this rating, further sustainable initiatives are required in operations, food sourcing, and production. 

“Our goal is to achieve a 4 star rating,” said Colene Doughty, General Manager at Sodexo. “This is a wonderful landmark achievement. We’ve already come so far in terms of sustainability practices - we’re so proud of the work North End Dining is doing to help our environment.”