Chick-fil-A and Western Kentucky University celebrate school’s third certified green restaurant

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Chick-fil-A and Western Kentucky University held a ribbon cutting Friday morning inside of the Downing Student Union to celebrate the school’s third certified green restaurant.

WKU President Timothy Caboni was excited to host a ribbon cutting alongside Big Red and the Chick-fil-A cow to honor the the school’s third certified green restaurant.

The school boasts the only certified green restaurants in the entire city as well as the only college campus in the state to have any food establishments with that accreditation.

This is also only Chick-fil-A’s second green certified location in the nation.

For WKU, Fresh Food Company was the university’s very first green restaurant dubbed in December of 2019.

Now, less than two years later, the school has a total of three with Hilltopper Hall receiving the certification in June.

Waste reduction points were awarded because of the school’s collection and processing of pre-consumer food waste, according to Leslie North, the director of WKU’s Office of Sustainability.

“This food waste composting program not only diverts waste from the landfill, but it also creates a unique educational and applied research opportunity for WKU students, faculty and staff. You heard me correctly, we have managed to turn the making of a chicken sandwich into an educational and applied research opportunity here on WKU’s campus,” said North.

Caboni stated he hopes to continue to create a healthier and more sustainable campus for faculty, staff and students as the years continue.