2021-12-11 05:31:04
Go green for your next meeting or event with these eco-friendly venues, caterers, hotels, and restaurants. VENUES The LEED-certified West Building of McCormick Place is home to the Midwest’s largest outdoor rooftop garden, with a terrace that can accommodate up to 800 guests for receptions. The 2.5-acre garden produces the seasonal harvests used in SAVOR…Chicago at McCormick Place’s kitchens, the convention center’s exclusive food and beverage provider. SAVOR leads the convention industry in green recognition, including Green Seal and Green Meetings Industry Council certifications. The Old Post Office was the largest postal facility in the world when it opened in 1921. A grand $800 million renovation has transformed the Gold LEED-certified landmark to its former glory. Ornate private event spaces include the art deco-style, two-story Historic Lobby, featuring white marble walls and gold leaf ceilings. The Historic Lobby accommodates 800 guests for a banquet or 1,400 for a reception. The outdoor Meadow — Chicago’s largest urban rooftop — is a seasonal 3.5-acre green space with city and Chicago River views that can host a 245-person cocktail party. Private event venue City Hall, located in a renovated West Loop warehouse, stays true to the building’s early-1900s roots. Most of the original brick remains in the column-free event hall, as do the intricate iron trusses and 20-foot clerestory windows. Skylights run the length of the building and bathe the space in natural light. City Hall can host 300 people seated or 987 standing. The outdoor patio at Recess, its adjacent bar-restaurant, is surrounded by shipping containers that open up and convert into bars. CATERERS Exquisite Catering & Events specializes in made-from-scratch international and cultural cuisine. The caterer partners with Urban Growers to help educate guests on how to use the products they grow, and offers virtual cooking classes. Its certifications include the National Restaurant Association ServSafe Dining Commitment. The caterer offers Exquisite 501, a private venue for hosting events or vendor pop-ups, with a special focus on promoting Black businesses. As one of the first certified Green Caterers in Chicago, Limelight Catering was a pioneer in the conscious catering movement, installing the city’s first green commercial dishwashing system and purchasing renewable energy credits. Limelight embraces a socially responsible farm-to-table ethos, incorporating local and sustainable ingredients in its dishes. The women-owned Food For Thought Catering Group creates everything from customized menus to custom-built buffet food presentations that take event themes to the next level. Food for Thought is Green Seal certified, and puts a focus on dishes that are ethically sourced and sustainable, using ingredients such as cage-free eggs and responsibly caught seafood. The caterer operates Mae District, a historic Motor Row venue accommodating up to 400 guests. Blue Plate Catering, one of Chicago’s early Green Caterers, is certified by the Green Restaurant Association. Earth-friendly practices at Blue Plate include the composting of food scraps (used as fertilizer for city parks) and recycling cooking oil into biodiesel. Blue Plate also uses Green Seal-certified paper products and cleaning supplies. Plan a meeting or event at Larkin Hall, Blue Plate’s state-of-the-art venue that features indoor and outdoor rooftop spaces. HOTELS Virgin Hotels Chicago, located in the former Old Dearborn Bank building, is Gold LEED certified. Virgin Hotels restored much of the 1928 building’s interior to its original form, including the lobby desk and ornate plaster ceilings. Modern updates were installed to meet LEED certification standards, utilizing green strategies respectful of the building’s historic elements. The hotel also uses smart thermostats and occupancy sensors to save energy when guests are not occupying their rooms. The 26th-floor Cerise Rooftop is the perfect cocktail spot for groups of 120 indoors and out, featuring its own private bar, a fireplace, and a wraparound deck with stunning city views. The Langham, Chicago achieved Gold LEED certification by implementing practical green strategies. The hotel utilizes a recycling program that allows it to recycle paper and cardboard for reuse in the adjacent AMA office building. A temperature-controlled thermostat and lighting system reduces the temperature in unoccupied guest rooms, along with queuing lights to shut off when guests exit the room. The hotel also uses energy-saving light bulbs and composts kitchen waste. The intimate Chef’s Table at Travelle, nestled next to the restaurant’s glassen-closed show kitchen, makes for an interactive evening where up to 18 VIP guests can enjoy a unique culinary performance. Hilton Chicago is a recipient of the prestigious Governor’s Sustainability Award. Hilton Chicago — one of the largest hotels in Illinois — uses a wide variety of sustainable practices to manage its historic 1927 property. They include a food composting program; a hotel-wide recycling program for paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum; the installation of LED light bulbs; and water-conserving fixtures in guest rooms. The Hilton Chicago also has a rooftop garden that supplies fresh vegetables and herbs for the hotel’s restaurants, with additional produce sourced from Midwest farmers. Hilton Chicago houses the largest hotel exhibit space in the city, with more than 50 breakout rooms, multiple ballrooms, and modern boardrooms. By putting ecoconscious initiatives into practice, the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place’s 2013 expansion resulted in the hotel’s LEED Gold certification. Sustainable efforts made during the design and construction project included the installation of a green roof, water-efficient plumbing and irrigation systems, energy-efficient windows, lighting, and HVAC systems, and the use of regionally sourced construction materials. Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is connected to the McCormick Place convention center, and is within walking distance of Wintrust Arena and the burgeoning South Loop neighborhood. RESTAURANTS The Silver LEED-certified Eataly Chicago is an Italian culinary adventure for guests, designed as a dining emporium made up of restaurants, specialty food counters, and markets. Eataly’s Zero Waste Journey is a project that aims to reduce its waste by using less and doing more. From utilizing recycling and compost bins, donating excess food to local organizations, and inviting guests to bring their own reusable bags, Eataly continues to take meaningful steps toward becoming a more sustainable marketplace. The Edgewater location of Uncommon Ground is home to the first certified-organic rooftop farm in the U.S., and has been recognized as one of the greenest restaurants in the country by the Green Restaurant Association. The garden helps to limit the restaurant’s food and material waste (no shipping materials or packaging needed), while keeping ingredients as local and fresh as possible. Two buzzing beehives produce honey for the restaurant and its sister location in Lakeview. Uncommon Ground also serves craft beer from its own Greenstar Brewing, which was the first organic brewery in Illinois. At the Edgewater location, plan a rooftop cocktail party in the garden, followed by dinner on the large outdoor patio or in one of the two rustic dining rooms. Acclaimed Mexican restaurants Topolobampo and Frontera Grill, owned by celebrity chef Rick Bayless, have both been awarded Guaranteed Green Seal certification by the Green Restaurant Association. The restaurants were recognized for their efforts to reduce waste, energy, and water use, improve recycling, and support organic farming. Bayless sources much of the restaurants’ produce and ingredients from local, sustainable farmers, limiting the resources needed to transport ingredients across the country. Tacos, Mexican street snacks, and seafood specialties are the stars of the show at La Vista, a festive private dining space located above Frontera Grill that accommodates up to 32 seated guests, or 50 reception-style. Big Jones is an LGBTQ-friendly dining option in the historic Andersonville neighborhood, serving up delicious Southern heirloom cuisine like fried catfish and shrimp and grits. Big Jones has made it a mission to develop sourcing practices that are as sustainable and healthy as possible. The restaurant is a partner in the Shedd Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood program, which serves as an educational resource for all things seafood, as well as a reference for ethical sourcing options. Big Jones also prioritizes using organic produce and meats from a variety of Midwest farms. MEET WELL Keep your attendees healthy and happy with these wellness perks. PTN WELLNESS offers on-site chair massages, guided walks and runs along Lake Michigan, and fitness classes that can include anything from Zumba to Pilates. SPA IN YOUR SPACE is a full-service mobile spa that offers a variety of experiences, including an oxygen bar, beauty and brow bar, and create-your-own fragrance bar. THE GRAY hotel will arrange an all-levels group yoga class led by a certified instructor, accompanied by live music and followed by a wellness cocktail. THE PENINSULA CHICAGO Healthy Meetings program includes offerings like group stretches, mindful meditation sessions, and healthy snacks such as fresh smoothies and build-your-own trail mix.
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