Carlstadt, NJ (PRWEB) September 10, 2014
Terre à Terre, Carlstadt’s vibrant farm-to-table eatery and artisan market, is the first Meadowlands area restaurant to have received certification as a 2 Star Certified Green Restaurant® from the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a national nonprofit organization that helps restaurants become more environmentally sustainable.
Terre à Terre is the first restaurant to receive the Green Restaurant Association’s certification under a US EPA grant awarded to the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) to assist the region's food and beverage industry in implementing green initiatives. The restaurant has undergone a rigorous certification process with GRA that covers the seven environmental categories of energy, water, waste, chemicals, food, disposables, and building.
"As a farm-to-table restaurant, our commitment to sustainability includes serving locally sourced foods, but we knew we wanted to extend that focus beyond the kitchen (and the plate) to the rest of our operation - the physical restaurant environment," said Chef Owner Todd Villani. "The restaurant’s commitment to sustainability includes an eco-friendly environment through a dedicated effort to reduce waste, to recycle, conserve water and generally pay more attention to our impact on the environment."
“We are proud of Terre à Terre’s leadership in becoming Meadowland’s first independent Certified Green Restaurant®”, said Michael Oshman, CEO and Founder of the Green Restaurant Association. “Every community has its early adopters in sustainability, and we look forward to other restaurants following Terre à Terre’s lead.”
Villani's approach reflects a broader trend in the food industry as more NJ chefs step up and serve as the voice of sustainability in their communities. Many, including Chef Villani, are forging stronger ties with farmers, growing their own produce, seeking to transform their operations so they are more environmentally responsible, and educating guests about how and where their food is grown.
"We're always looking for ideas on how to conserve from our guests who don't hesitate to email us or call us with ways to be green," adds Villani. “Terre à Terre already also has eco-friendly practices in place that help create a more sustainable environment, but our hope is that over time we can adopt more green practices."
“The Meadowlands Commission congratulates Terre à Terre on becoming the first Meadowlands area restaurant to receive GRA certification under its Green Restaurant Initiative," said Debbie Lawlor, Chief of Sustainability of the NJMC. “Terre à Terre is providing a benchmark for restaurants in the region that want to dedicate themselves to sustainability by implementing green practices.”
Among the contributors to the restaurant's certification:
- The restaurant has its own water-filtration system, serving water in reusable glass carafes instead of plastic water bottles and only upon request.
- A company collects and recycles used cooking oil to convert into renewable fuel instead of getting thrown out.
- Many of the furniture pieces and accessories all over the restaurant are painted with Chalk Paint – an eco-friendly paint that contains extremely low volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
- The restaurant is decorated with down-to-earth materials that include terracotta, woven linen and burlap, wood, twigs, birch bark, and other natural fibers. Most of the decor was handcrafted by artisans, and some, like the mason jar track lighting made from wood salvaged after Hurricane Sandy, the pallet table in our chef’s room, and the seating in the entry area were made using upcycled wood.
- The restaurant has a durable yet sustainable menu holder made from birch wood planks bordered by natural bark that is kiln dried and not chemically treated; the seasonally rotating menus are attached using natural jute string.
- Specials of the day and featured farms are posted daily on chalkboards, saving paper.
In all, Terre à Terre implemented 52 environmental steps, earning it 112 GreenPoints™ to meet the rigorous environmental standards to become a 2 Star Certified Green Restaurant®. To see all of Terre à Terre’s environmental steps, link to http://bit.ly/1xzOxKP.
About Terre à Terre
In creating Terre à Terre, translated as down to earth, Chef Villani brings many years of restaurant experience working for some of Manhattan’s top restaurants, including Marcus Samuelsson’s renowned Aquavit restaurant and at his subsidiary interest, World Yacht, combining simple fresh foods with a creative blend of exotic flavors and ingredients – his signature approach to preparing foods with an international flair.
With nearly 50 seats, a private dining area and outdoor garden, the Chef’s Table, which offers a multi-course gourmand tasting menu, Terre à Terre provides dining from Wednesday through Saturday 5:30 – 10:00 p.m. and on Sunday for brunch 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Terre à Terre is located at 312 Hackensack Street. For more information, or to learn more about the farmers and artisans supplying Terre à Terre, visit http://www.terreaterre.biz. The restaurant takes reservations online at http://terreaterre.biz/reservations-2/ and by phone at 201.507.0500.
About the NJMC Green Restaurant Initiative
Through its Green Restaurant Initiative, the NJMC is working to help the region’s food and beverage industries realize energy savings and boost profits through a variety of sustainable business practices. The program is performed with financial support provided in part by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under a Cooperative Agreement. It is being administered by the NJMC in partnership with the national non-profit Green Restaurant Association (GRA). The initiative includes educating restaurateurs through workshops, training and free environmental assessments about the availability of cost-effective strategies to green their businesses.
For further information, contact Brian Aberback, Public Information Officer at 201.460.4619 or brian(dot)aberback(at)njmeadowlands(dot)gov
About the Green Restaurant Association
The Green Restaurant Association is a national non-profit organization that provides the only official Certified Green Restaurant® mark in the country. For 23 years, the GRA has pioneered the Green Restaurant® 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 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 http://www.dinegreen.com.