Green Planet Catering Racks Up Environmental Awards
Posted: 11-12-2008 : RALEIGH, N.C.

RALEIGH – Green Planet Catering (GPC) www.greenplanetcatering.com has added a second major notch in its green belt by winning Sustainable North Carolina's Entrepreneurship Award at the Sustainable Solutions Expo held this week in Raleigh. This award comes on the heels of its recognition by the Triangle Business Journal for its "Entrepreneurial Effort/Innovative Idea" - part of that publication's Green Awards.

"These two awards represent real recognition of what we've been working so hard to achieve," said Daniel Whittaker, founder of GPC. "We are proving that you can set and reach business goals while reducing your carbon footprint in the process."

GPC was one of 50 companies competing for awards across five categories for Sustainable NC's www.sustainnc.org competition. The Entrepreneurship award recognizes small for-profit and for-benefit businesses that have demonstrated a positive impact on their employees, community and environment.

GPC serves a variety of clients across the Triangle including many in Research Triangle Park. Of those, several do business with Whittaker not just because of his food, but because of his business model.

"We work very hard to be a green company ourselves," said Maria Kingere of Southern Energy, a solar panel manufacturer in Morrisville. "And working with Green Planet Catering is a great fit because their food is terrific, but they also have a great sustainable business model."

GPC recently launched www.ImTurningGreen.com, a public/business networking blog. The site is an educational tool for businesses and the public to learn more about how to be more eco-friendly and connect with companies and others who already have a green plan.

GPC is the first eco-friendly catering business in the Triangle now serving a wide range of business clients. GPC's goal is to be 100 percent self-sustainable. Produce is grown locally at the Green Planet Farm with no artificial pesticides or herbicides. Financial support for the operation comes from a rapidly expanding client business and bio-diesel production. GPC founders Whittaker and Peter Pagano, owner of Tir Na Nog restaurant in Raleigh, also plan to construct a system of greenhouses near the Triangle to grow produce and further develop algae conversion technology and test varieties of aquaponic growing methods.

Green Planet Catering (www.greenplanetcatering.com) is a locally owned and operated business in the Triangle area. We share a passion for great food, impeccable service, and an awareness of the world in which we live. With emerging concerns about the environment, Green Planet Catering has made a decision to lead the local catering market in developing a business model that is devoted to creating eco-friendly solutions.