| Welcome to the Sustainable Restaurant Association Newsletter #7
Three weeks since launch,
the dust has settled and our Membership numbers keep growing; we hope to be able
to announce in Newsletter 8 that we've reached our next milestone of 200
restaurants! The more restaurants we can sign up now, the more chance we have of
reaching our ultimate target - to help every restaurant in the
UK be more
sustainable
WE'VE
LAUNCHED!
Getting new restaurant
Members on board is one way to do this. Our stand at Hotelympia (28 Feb to 4
March) and our launch party at Sanctum Soho Hotel (1 March) both helped to
generate a huge amount of interest and we've also had a great response to press
that was published prior to and since launch.
You can read all about
our launch party in our Latest News online: who was there (Katie and Giancarlo Caldezi of Caffe Caldezi, David
Moore of Pied a Terre, Jay Rayner, Allegra McEvedy, Giles Coren...), what the papers said the next day and
quotes from Member restaurants. You can also view pics of the night on our
Flickr photostream.
Soon, you'll also be able
to view all our press cuttings online on our Press and Marketing page - we're
uploading them at the moment so watch this space.
We'd also like to take
this opportunity to say another big thanks to everyone who attended our launch
events and to all our sponsors, supporters and advisors. We couldn't have done
it without you and hope to welcome or work with you at future
events.
OFF TO A GOOD START
From the feedback we've
received, the vast majority of restaurants and customers agree with our
Directors Giles Gibbons, Mark Sainsbury, Henry Dimbleby and Simon Heppner that
an organisation such as the Sustainable Restaurant Association is
needed:
- To put
all the sustainable information restaurants need in one
place
- To
provide a forum for discussion and debate
- To
encourage restaurants to go further and increase their sustainability year on
year
- To
reward restaurants for their Champion sustainability through our
Audit
- To
encourage restaurants to work together to do more
TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE
'Together we can do more'
- that's a key component of our Sustainable Restaurant Values (For a full list
of our Values see our Pledge, Values and Charter of Actions document online.)
One way in which we're
helping our Members to work together is through our Local Champions initiative.
This works by awarding a participating Member restaurant Local Champion status.
Generally this would be a restaurant that has inspiring sustainable credentials
and enthusiasm for further improvement - an establishment that is willing to
encourage neighbouring restaurants to improve their sustainability and work
together as a team.
OUR
FIRST LOCAL CHAMPION EVENT
We held our first Local
Champion event on Monday 15 March and we're pleased to report that it was a
great success. The event was hosted by our first Local Champion, Due South in
Brighton, and was attended by over 20 guests
including restaurateurs, chefs, press from The Guardian and Metro and Sustainable Restaurant
Association representatives Simon Heppner, Mark Sainsbury, Sandra Deeble and
Jess Bowen.
Thanks to Due South for
their kind hospitality and for chairing a number of presentations and
discussions. Rob Shenton of Due South kicked off the proceedings with an
overview of his restaurant's sustainability approach and the potential benefits
of working together as a Local Hub - namely sharing best practice, lobbying the
council and setting up waste collection schemes. There was also a healthy dose
of industry gossip that helped keep a lighthearted atmosphere!
I gave a short
presentation on the Sustainable Restaurant Association and the key benefits for
Members, why they should join and how to go about it. This was then followed by
an inspiring talk by Mark Sainsbury (Co-founder of the SRA, Moro and the Zetter
Hotel) about his experiences setting up his own Local Hub: the Clerkenwell Cog.
Mark then invited everyone to share their stories and a lively discussion
followed on the potential of a Local Hub in Brighton and Hove.
If you want to find out
more about this event and our Local Champions initiative, see our Latest News. You can also contact your
Account Manager or call our Local Champions Co-ordinator Sandra Deeble on 07787
578186 or email Sandra.deeble@thesra.org. As Mark
also pointed out you can never have too many Hubs so the more people we can get
involved, the better!
WE
NEED YOU...
Customers, suppliers,
expert advisors and restaurant guides, we also need you to get involved to make
our organisation as useful and successful as possible.
Suppliers: Flag up a service, offer or discount in our Supplier
Directory
Sustainability experts: Support our Member events, offer tips and
advice or include us in your print or online material
Restaurant guides: Highlight our Member restaurants and their
sustainability achievements
Find out more about how
to get involved at www.thesra.org.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Thanks for signing up to
our Newsletter. We'll be sending out a new issue every fortnight but you can
check our online Latest News for topical updates in the meantime.
You can also
take part in regular polls, download a free A3 or A2 Year Planner 2010 (packed
with foodie and sustainable events), view our Accreditation Audit process and
key documents (SRA Audit Management Survey, SRA Evidence Log and SRA Guide to Audit) and access our Twitter page at www.twitter.com/the_sra.
Thanks for your continued support.
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