Sodexo's Sustainability Efforts at Loyola Marymount University Recognized by the Green Restaurant Association

GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 19, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sodexo, a food and facilities management company committed to delivering Quality of Life services, announced today that its Lair Marketplace at Loyola Marymount University earned over 400 GreenPointstm on the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) certification scale, making it the first University dining facility to achieve this honor.

"We are so proud of our team at Loyola Marymount University. It is important to us and our clients that we prioritize sustainability efforts to lessen our environmental footprint on campus and in the surrounding community," said Barry Telford CEO, Universities West, Sodexo North America. "This recognition demonstrates Sodexo's commitment to our corporate responsibility roadmap outlined in our Better Tomorrow 2025 plan."

Certified by the Green Restaurant Association since 2013, the Lair Marketplace earned exactly 403.47 GreenPointstm, certifying it as a 4-star Green Restaurant, by implementing 128 environmental steps. GreenPointstm are accumulated through seven environmental categories including Disposables, Energy, Furnishing and Rebuilding, Food, Chemical and Pollution, Waste, and Water. The Lair Marketplace scored the highest in the Energy category accumulating 163.56 points alone.

Highlights of the Lair Marketplace's green accomplishments include:

• Recycling and composting program keeping up to 90% of waste out of landfills.
• The usage of Energy Star equipment which is 30-40% more efficient than conventional models.
• The offset of 100% of the Lair Marketplace's annual energy use with Renewable Energy Credits supports wind power production.
• 100% of the Lair Marketplace's lights are LEDs, which use up to 90% less energy, last longer, contain no mercury, and emit fewer greenhouse gases than incandescent bulbs.
• Over 70% of coffee and tea offerings are USDA Certified Organic, which are grown using minimal chemicals and in turn protect natural resources.
• The facility is Styrofoam Free, which keeps harmful chemicals and litter out of our environment.

To see The Lair Marketplace at LMU's detailed Green Label and all their environmental steps, click on: http://dinegreenco.com/customers/featured.asp?ID=REST11831

About the Green Restaurant Association

The Green Restaurant Association is a national non-profit organization that provides the only official Certified Green Restaurants^® mark in the country. For 28 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 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.

About Sodexo North America

Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 80 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily.  The company employs 133,000 people at 13,000 sites in all 50 U.S. states and Canada and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $9.2 billion in goods and services from small to large American businesses. In support of local communities across the U.S., the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed close to $30 million over the past 20 years to help feed children in America impacted by hunger.  To learn more about Sodexo, visit SodexoInsights.com and connect with us on Facebook and @SodexoUSA on Twitter.

SOURCE Sodexo