Sustainability

In other words, good food for the greater good.

We believe in food that is good for society. From the production, processing and purchase of our food, to how we sell it and how you eat it, Root & Stem practices serve to enhance both the health and diversity of local plants and animals, protect our natural resources, and help combat climate change.

We employ a variety of green practices
as an environmentally-responsible company.

Reducing Product Waste

We ensure all of our disposable plates and flatware are 100% biodegradable and made from recycled, post-consumer waste. Our clients are all offered the use of our reusable platters and serveware.

Buying local, seasonal, and environmentally-friendly food

Our purveyors provide us with organic, locally-grown produce and proteins.

Composting is cool

We compost our food waste for local farms, recycle our used cooking oil for biofuel, and offer our café clients our used coffee grounds as garden mulch for home gardening.

Commitment to Recycling

We recycle all empty bottles and plastic waste at our social and corporate events, as well as cardboard, paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic at our kitchens.

Sustainable office practices

We choose to email our clients’ proposals, invoices, and bills, as well as our correspondence to cut down on our use of paper and ink.

EatREAL Animal Initiatives

At Root & Stem, we care about the well-being of farm animals and that is why we commit to source 100% of our chicken, eggs, beef, and game meats from farms and ranches with an animal welfare certification recognized by REAL Certified and ASPCA® Shop With Your Heart program. Furthermore, by 2024, we will only source chicken from farms that are certified by Global Animal Partnership and require that chickens be processed in a CAS system that’s widely hailed as more humane.

Certifications

Green Restaurant Certified

The Green Restaurant Association provides a way for clients to measure a restaurant or catering company’s environmental accomplishments by using 25 years of research to measure how a company performs across seven categories:

  1. Water efficiency
  2. Waste reduction and recycling
  3. Sustainable durable goods and building materials
  4. Sustainable food
  5. Energy
  6. Reusable and environmentally preferable disposables
  7. Chemical and pollution reduction

Root and Stem Catering and DC Greenleaf is proud to be a Level 1 Certified Green Caterer™.

eat REAL Certified business

eatReal is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization dedicating to fighting diet-related disease by realigning the food service industry’s incentives with consumers’ health interests. It was launched by the US Healthful Food Council.

Our certification with eatREAL demonstrates our commitment to providing healthy options, cutting down or eliminating fried and processed foods, and using local and sustainable organic vendors.

REAL stands for Responsible Epicurean Agricultural Leadership.

  1. Responsible: Food and beverage options provide health benefits.
  2. Epicurean: Preparation maintains or enhances healthfulness of food.
  3. Agricultural: Food is sourced with a focus on quality, sustainability, and animal welfare standards.
  4. Leadership: Establishment demonstrates best practices and enables better choices.

Our certification means that we were audited for both health and sustainability by a Registered Dietitian and by the US Healthful Food Council.