Restaurant Testimonials

“For us, certification was in large part a personal desire to ensure our choices are really making an impact” … “the LEAF program is growing and gaining recognition as a benchmark in the food service industry across Canada, and many customers are now aware, at least in part, of what being LEAF certified means. We hope both our customers and other restaurants in Calgary will embrace the LEAF program and encourage others to get certified and to dine at LEAF certified establishments.”

“…We are impressed by the process itself of becoming LEAF certified. It’s not just a rubber stamp and LEAF has really developed an important benchmark for sustainability in the food service industry. The criteria are rigorous and the audit is very thorough. It’s a fair bit of work to go through the process but that makes achieving LEAF certified status even more exciting in the end.”

Andrea Brassart, Owner, Cassis Bistro

“The benefits [of the LEAF program] are exposure and the opportunity to be industry leaders with respect to sustainability”… “We have always been conscientious about recycling and reusing products in anyway possible… LEAF has helped us refine this and helped us also set some new goals”

Natasha Young, Manager, Mountain Mercato

“There are quite a few benefits to us”…”One is we think that the graduate student body as a whole sort of values the environment and wants to protect it, so this is our way of ensuring that Bitters and some of the GSU operations sort of follow that”

Riley Pollom, former GSU sustainability co-ordinator, Bitters Restaurant and Lounge

“[LEAF] gives us goals to strive for as well as helps to identify areas of opportunity within our business; [LEAF] gives our customers a way to identify that we are a greener choice and gives them the opportunity to support a business that is dedicated to making a difference; [it also] heightened public awareness about our initiatives [and] allows us to reach some new guests that may not have known about us prior to receiving our certification. Going through the audit process gave us some great insight into the opportunities and ways that we can become a more sustainable business.”

Chef Paul McGreevy, Executive Chef, & Alison Robertson, Marketing Manager – CRAFT Beer Market

“The LEAF process has been a positive process for our club. It served to bring some of our weaker points to the surface and to ignite new conversations about alternative solutions. It also has helped us to feel recognized for our efforts as we are a very small private club and receive very little public and media attention. We are proud to have been awarded a Level 2 Certification.”

Kimberly Edwards, Sustainability Coordinator, Beaver Valley Ski Club

“Embarking on the certification journey with LEAF was a great way to lend credence to our efforts, while also boosting morale among staff members and engaging our environmentally conscious customers.”

Margie Gibb, Owner, Caffe Beano