Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport announced Aug. 8, that all of its 32 restaurants are officially Certified Green Restaurants, marking the first time an airport terminal in the world has reached such a milestone.
In partnership with SSP America – Terminal 4’s exclusive food and beverage purveyor - all 32 dining locations have earned the prestigious sustainability certification by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a national nonprofit organization helping restaurants become more environmentally sustainable since 1990. These dining locations include iconic restaurants such as The Palm, Danny Meyer’s Blue Smoke on the Road, Shake Shack, Marcus Samuelsson’s Uptown Brasserie and more. Terminal 4 and SSP America were awarded Best Green Concessions Concept – 3rd place at the ACI-NA’s 2018 Excellence in Airport Concessions awards for its Certified Green Restaurants.
“Terminal 4’s restaurants becoming 100 percent Certified Green Restaurants is an incredible accomplishment,” said Edward Midgley vice president of commercial for JFKIAT, the company which operates Terminal 4 at JFK Airport. “This honor demonstrates our commitment to reducing T4’s carbon footprint for the wellbeing of the environment and the more than 21 million passengers that come through our doors each year. We thank SSP America and the Green Restaurant Association for their dedication and guidance throughout this process.”
“I am proud of the 32 Terminal 4 concession locations that have taken environmental steps to become Certified Green Restaurants,” says Michael Oshman, CEO and founder of the Green Restaurant Association. “As the very first airport terminal to have 100 percent Certified Green Restaurant concessions, Terminal 4 is paving the way for a more sustainable travel industry.”
“Our team at JFK Terminal 4 has worked with tremendous passion to bring this program to fruition, and we couldn’t be more proud of them. The JFKIAT team has demonstrated, once again, their commitment to innovation and the passenger experience. We are honored to be part of this extraordinary accomplishment,” said Michael Svagdis, chief executive officer of SSP America.
Terminal 4 began working on this initiative with the Green Restaurant Association and SSP America in the summer of 2017 with the goal of achieving Level 1 Certified Green Restaurant® status at all dining locations, making it the first airport terminal to do so. Since then, the terminal has taken the following steps on its way to becoming certified by the GRA:
- Near-Zero Waste program with comprehensive recycling and composting, which can divert up to 90 percent of waste from the landfill
- Certified Green pest management service, which does not use unnecessary pesticides or chemicals
- LED lighting, which is mercury-free, saves up to 90 percent on electricity and emits less greenhouse gases
- 90 percent of locations have vegetarian or vegan options
- Elimination of Styrofoam
- Water control measures
This certification is Terminal 4’s latest effort to ensure an optimally sustainable facility. In December 2017, the terminal was awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for the category of operations and maintenance. The LEED rating system, developed by the USGBC, is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.
