As you may remember, Restaurant Associates, working with the Environmental Defense Fund, recently developed a code of Best Practices for sustainable restaurant operations. RA vowed to begin working to bring all of their restaurants, including Atlanta's Table 1280 and the World Trade Center Atlanta, into line with these green guidelines.

Now they've made another step toward letting the world know they're green and proud of it. They are seeking certification through the Green Restaurant Association, the nation's trailblazer in providing education and guidance for restaurants that seek to utilize sustainable practices. The GRA has been working with restaurants for two decades to help them make the changes that will conserve water and energy, reduce carbon emissions and  minimize waste. A GRA certification means that a restaurant is Styrofoam-free, has a comprehensive recycling program and has accumulated a minimum number of points in the GRA's scoring system, which assesses performance in seven areas of operation. Those areas include:

• energy
• water
• waste
• disposables
• chemical and pollution reduction
• sustainable food
• sustainable furnishings and building materials

When RA's Atlanta restaurants receive their certification, they'll bring the number of Georgia restaurants to earn this honer to three. So far, Decatur's Radial Café is the only Georgia restaurant that has made this public commitment to sustainable practices and earned GRA  certification.

The Green Restaurant Association is not the only certifying body for sustainable restaurant practices however. Atlanta's Green Foodservice Alliance, a division of the Georgia Restaurant Association, has a mission similar to the GRA's with a local focus. The GFA, which has had a tremendous success with its Zero Waste Zone initiative, granted its first certification this in January of this year to Ecco, a renowned Atlanta restaurant.

Consumers who are on the lookout for good food, done right, can enjoy a great meal, served with a side of ethics, at any of these certified Georgia restaurants.