Madison Square Park Conservancy launched its sustainability initiative in 2020 to actively nurture the park’s delicate ecosystems, reduce carbon emissions from operations, and provide community leadership to reduce waste and consumption. As we work towards those goals, we are constantly seeking out opportunities to make positive changes within the park and the community through initiatives like our recently launched Neighborhood Climate Challenge.

Today, we are proud to announce that we have formed a partnership with the Flatiron NoMad Partnership, the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), Scarpetta, and other local restaurants to help turn the neighborhood into the nation’s second Green Dining Destination.

“As an industry, we create an extraordinary amount of water, land, and air pollution, and we have an obligation to put forth an effort to improve this,” says John Meadow, Founder and President of LDV Hospitality. “[Becoming a Green Dining Destination] will garner excitement and attention from environmentally conscientious dining guests, and most importantly foster pride amongst our staffs as they can become part of a concerted effort to make the world a better place.”

For the neighborhood to become a Green Dining Destination, 20 local restaurants must sign up and meet the requirements laid out by GRA to become Green Certified. Certification requires that restaurants take concrete steps to reduce their environmental impacts, and includes actions like eliminating single-use items, composting food waste, and reducing energy usage. 

As of November 2022, three restaurants are pending certification, and the following six restaurants have become Green Certified:

• Scarpetta
• Honeybrains
• Barcade
• BLACKBARN Restaurant
• Rezdora Osteria Emiliana
• Hawksmoor

We are thrilled to embark on this important endeavor in partnership with local businesses and the community. If you are a restaurant owner who is interested in helping us achieve our goal of transforming the neighborhood into New York City’s first Green Dining Destination, please contact us.

(Photo courtesy of LDV Hospitality)