CHICAGO, May 29, 2012 - Several restaurants at Midway and O'Hare International Airports are joining the Chicago Department of Aviation's (CDA) overall efforts to make Chicago's airports the greenest in the world - and are now getting the recognition they deserve.

Midway and O'Hare concessionaires are making their daily operations greener by composting kitchen waste and coffee grounds, purchasing locally grown food, avoiding the use of Styrofoam containers and donating surplus food to charities.

The CDA is pleased to announce the first four concessions at Midway and O'Hare that have received awards under the CDA Sustainable Airport Manual (SAM) green airplane rating system:

• Harry Caray's Seventh Inning Stretch, Midway
• Sprigs, Midway
• Taylor Street Market, Midway
• Tortas Frontera by Rick Bayless, O'Hare

Each of these concessions volunteered to have their sustainable practices reviewed and rated by the CDA under the Concessions & Tenants chapter of the SAM. The new green airplane rating system was featured on WLS-TV's "Living Green" segment that aired last Friday. Click here to view the video.

"We commend our concessions at O'Hare and Midway International Airports for their efforts to integrate sustainability into their daily operations," said CDA Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino. "Passengers will be able to recognize our green concessions by way of our 'green airplane' logo and will get to know their 'green' options when they travel through our airports."

Depending on the level of sustainability achieved by each concession, the status of Mentor, Leader or Achiever was awarded, with Mentor being the highest. Concessions that earn any of the three rating levels have gone above and beyond standard practice in terms of sustainability.

O'Hare's two Tortas Frontera by Rick Bayless locations are operated by HMSHost and Midway's Sprigs, Harry Caray's and Taylor Street Market locations are owned and operated by MAC One, Inc.

"MAC One is committed to green concession practices company-wide and is honored by the CDA's recognition of our stores and most of all, our hardworking team. On behalf of the entire MAC One family, I wish to thank CDA Commissioner Andolino, Managing Deputy Commissioner of Midway Erin O'Donnell and Deputy Commissioner of Sustainability Amy Malick for their leadership in this important area," said Timothy Rand, president and CEO of MAC One.

Additional concessions at O'Hare and Midway are currently undergoing the SAM review process and will be awarded ratings in the near future.

The restaurants' green airplane rating level and sustainability highlights are as follows:

Harry Caray's Seventh Inning Stretch: Leader Status
Midway, Concessions Triangle 

• Avoids use of Styrofoam for carryout food  
• At least 50% of food sold is sourced within 250 miles
• Organic kitchen waste and coffee grounds are composted
• Surplus food and lightly used uniforms are donated to local charities
• Use of green cleaning products
• Sustainable operation procurement plan
• Employee education plan and newsletter
• Napkins and hand towels made of 100% recycled paper
• Energy conservation plan in place

Sprigs: Leader Status
Midway, Concourse B 

• Avoids the use of Styrofoam
• At least 50% of food is sourced within 250 miles
• Organic kitchen waste and coffee grounds are composted
• Surplus food and lightly used uniforms are donated to local charities
• Use of energy-efficient LED, compact fluorescent, and halogen lighting
• Use of green cleaning products
• Napkins and hand towels made of 100% recycled paper  
• Energy conservation plan in place
• Sustainable operations procurement plan
• Employee education plan and newsletter 

Taylor Street Market: Leader Status
Midway, Concourse B 

• Napkins and hand towels made of 100% recycled paper  
• At least 50% of food sold is sourced within 250 miles
• Organic kitchen waste and coffee grounds are composted
• Surplus food and lightly used uniforms are donated to local charities
• Use of Energy Star rated refrigerators
• Use of green cleaning products
• Sustainable operation procurement plan
• Employee education plan and newsletter
• Energy conservation plan in place 

Tortas Frontera by Rick Bayless: Mentor Status
O'Hare, Terminals 1 and 3 

• Avoids the use of Styrofoam  
• 75% of consumer disposables have recycled paper content
• Nearly all consumer disposables have biobased content and are compostable
• Majority of food is sourced within 250 miles, much of it from the Chicago area
• Food is sustainably produced or harvested, including tea, organic eggs and sour cream, Fair
• Trade coffee, antibiotic-free pork and chicken
  Organic kitchen waste and coffee grounds are composted
• Surplus food is donated to the USO