Spirit Elephant Receives Winnetka Green Award

Press release from the Village of Winnetka:

April 21, 2021

This year’s winner of the Winnetka Green Award, presented by the Environmental and Forestry Commission, is Spirit Elephant Restaurant. As the pioneer vegan restaurant in Winnetka, Spirit Elephant leads the way in advocating for plant-based eating, both for its environmental impact and for health reasons.*

Behind the scenes, Spirit Elephant continues its commitment to sustainability by sourcing locally grown food whenever possible, thereby saving transportation energy costs and supporting local farmers. They compost and recycle, keeping as much food and other waste out of landfills as possible. Their take-out containers and bags are also compostable and, instead of adding plastic utensils and napkins to every take-out order, customers are always asked first, so they utensils don’t wind up in the trash. Finally, in designing the restaurant, all equipment met energy star standards and lighting is energy efficient.

Each year, the Village of Winnetka’s Environmental and Forestry Commission (EFC) invites residents to participate in its Green Awards Program. The purpose of the program is to recognize properties and households within Winnetka that demonstrate exceptional commitment to sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices. The Commission encourages residents to nominate their house or property for any project that has been completed within the past five years. The EFC section contains background and nomination forms.

*Spirit Elephant has partnered with the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center to promote plant-based eating as an anti-inflammatory diet aimed at fighting cancer and the recurrence of cancer.

This press release was produced by the Village of Winnetka. The views expressed here are the author’s own.