The Kansas City chapter of the Green Dining Alliance was established in 2026, and is proudly housed by Bridging The Gap, KC’s leading local environmental organization.

The GDA is an extension of St. Louis–based earthday365’s award-winning, event-greening program, Recycling on the Go (ROG), which started as a response to a local need for consultation and execution of waste reduction and diversion strategies at area events. 

In working with food vendors at these events, many of whom own local restaurants or catering businesses, it became clear that there was a need for, and an interest in, instituting permanent changes. Through learning about sustainability at events with ROG services, many food vendors recognized that industry norms had changed, and that the St. Louis community desired more sustainable dining choices. 

Like the ROG program, the Green Dining Alliance provides an opportunity for restaurants and diners to take environmental action and make a tangible impact on sustainability in the region. After two years of piloting the program, the GDA was fully launched in late 2012. Today, more than 100 St. Louis–area establishments are certified GDA members.

Bridging The Gap is eager to build on the success of the Green Dining Alliance by delivering a knowledge of and support for the program to Kansas City’s side of the Show Me State.