A California vegan school has received the award for the Greenest Restaurant by The Green Restaurant Association, a US and Candian nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting sustainability in foodservice and hospitality. MUSE Kitchen, the MUSE School’s onsite cafeteria, accepted the award.
MUSE School was co-founded in 2006 by sisters Suzy Amis Cameron and Rebecca Amis, the former a successful actress and wife of famed vegan director and environmental activist, James Cameron. The unorthodox education model focuses on ‘passion-based learning’ in addition to core academics, communication, self-efficacy, and sustainability. Students range from early education preschool to grade 12. In 2015, MUSE became the first US school to become 100 percent solar powered and virtually zero waste, with a completely organic plant-based lunch program.
The school’s commitment to and successful implementation of its ambitious sustainability practices have led it to become a 4 Star Certified Green Restaurant. In addition to the intelligently sourced, organic plant-based food, the MUSE Kitchen’s solar panels offset 80 percent of its annual energy use. The kitchen also utilizes recycled and reusable serving ware and packaging.
Michael Oshman, CEO and founder of the Green Restaurant Association, said in a press release, “MUSE School’s Kitchen has just pushed the edge of sustainability even further from vision to reality. I applaud MUSE’s leadership in providing a successful foodservice operation that is in concert with the oft-used word Sustainability.”
MUSE Kitchen also won the “Sustainable Food Award,” “Greenest School Cafeteria,” and the “Energy Conservation & Renewable Energy Award.”
Although The Green Restaurant Association has been in operation since 1990, this is the first year it has doled out awards to recognize the most sustainable kitchens in America. The organization stated, “The restaurant industry has such an enormous environmental impact, and all of the Certified Green Restaurants® are truly going the extra mile to preserve this earth for generations to come.”
To find and support Certified Green Restaurants near you and view the other award winners, visit the association’s website. Additional information about the MUSE School and its programming can be found here.
Image Credit: Getty Images and MUSE School
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