The City of Malibu and the Bay Foundation announced the 2018 Clean Bay Certified restaurants with 38 Malibu establishments, highlighting the community’s commitment to clean water and sustainability. The program was started in 2006 by The Bay Foundation to recognize food establishments that integrate sustainability and ocean-mindedness into their business practices.
“I am proud of Malibu’s local restaurants whose management and staff have shown how much they care about the environment and the community by making the Clean Bay Restaurant list,” said Mayor Rick Mullen. “This great program rewards those restaurants by giving them a stamp of approval, and lets customers know which restaurants they can support for being green.”
The goal of the Clean Bay Certified program is to recognize food service establishments that are working to prevent pollution from their businesses and protect the water quality of local beaches and creeks. Criteria include proper labeling of storm drains, preventing polluted runoff to storm drains, maintaining a recycling program, proper maintenance of grease traps, keeping the property trash-free, keeping trash bins closed and leak-free, not providing customers with polystyrene containers and plastic bags, serving water only by request, using two water conservation measures, and meeting two of the 12 “Clean Bay Options.”
This year’s results show that more than half (62%) of the food service establishments in Malibu are meeting every one of the Clean Bay Certified criteria.
Malibu has participated in the program since 2008. Other cities taking part in the program include Santa Monica, Culver City, Inglewood, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates and Rolling Hills Estates. To earn the certification, restaurants must meet 100% of the criteria. Certified establishments receive a window decal to let customers know they are supporting a business that protects the environment.
With nearly 30,000 restaurants, bars and eateries in the Santa Monica Bay watershed, their cumulative impact on the environment can be huge. According to the City of Los Angeles Stormwater Program, 30 billion gallons of stormwater and runoff drain from the Santa Monica Bay watershed to the ocean every year, impacting humans, marine life and the ocean water’s chemistry. An average restaurant uses 300,000 gallons of water and generates 150,000 pounds of trash per year. When not handled properly, the waste generated at food service establishments such as food scraps, fats, oils, grease and other waste can end up in storm drains and into the ocean.
The Clean Bay Certified program is an important way to prevent stormwater pollution and urban runoff, which pose a serious threat to the environmental health of Santa Monica Bay, local water bodies, and the overall ecosystem of the region. Millions of residents depend on the environmental health and beauty of the coast and Santa Monica Mountains for recreation, quality of life and economic activities.
Malibu’s 2018 Clean Bay Restaurants
Bui Sushi, Café Habana, Caffe Luxxe, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Country Kitchen, D'Amores Naturally, D'Amores Pizza, Duke’s Malibu, Geoffrey's Malibu, Gravina, Grom, John's Garden, Le Café De La Plage, Lily's Café, Little Beach House Malibu, Malibu Mutt, Malibu Ranch Market, Malibu Seafood, Mr. Chow, Pacific Coast Greens, Pavilions, Ralphs, Sparrow Café, Spruzzo Restaurant and Bar, Starbucks at Trancas Country Market, Starbucks at Point Dume Village, Starbucks at Malibu Country Mart, Starbucks at Malibu Colony Plaza, Starbucks at Point Dume, Starbucks at Trancas, Subway at Point Dume Village, Subway at Malibu Colony Plaza, SunLife Organics at Malibu Country Mart, SunLife Organics at Point Dume Village, The Sunset Restaurant, Tra Di Noi, V's Restaurant + Bar, and Vitamin Barn.
The program offers many resources to help businesses meet the criteria, and to help customers find and support the businesses that are certified. This year, the Clean Bay Certified partners created a Certification Handbook in English and Spanish to help restaurants with training staff. An interactive map with links shows all of the Clean Bay Certified restaurants. To see the map, the handbook, the list of criteria and other resources and information about the program, visit www.MalibuCity.org/CleanBayCertified.
Submitted by Matt Meyerhof
