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Green dining is all the rage these days, from Colorado (which is trying to "green" its restaurants before the Democratic Convention) to Chicago (where newcomer The Balanced Kitchen boasts eco-friendly details like sustainable bamboo, recycled glass and resin panels). The Buzz took a look at the greening of restaurants earlier this year, exploring five ways in which the industry is making like Kermit. One reader, however, recently noticed a spate of new eateries calling themselves "LEED" certified and wondered what it meant. So we turned to Ashley Katz of the USGBC (the U.S. Green Building Council) for more info:
Zagat Buzz: What exactly is LEED certification?
Ashley Katz: Basically the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary building certification program, like the nutrition label on your food but for buildings. It shows how much energy is being used, how much water is being used, what the building is made of, where the materials came from, what the indoor environment is like and so on. We look at all those features and assign points in those areas. How many points a building accrues determines the building's level of certification, of which there are four (Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum). For restaurants, LEED certification offers diners a chance to be as picky about where they eat as they are about what they eat.
You can learn more about LEED certification here.
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