Greener by Default

03/27/2026

"Nudges are already incorporated into most facets of our daily life; they’re just used to maximize profit rather than to benefit people or the planet."

The power of the nudge (or choice architecture) is the center of our work at Greener by Default. In a recent op-ed, GBD CEO and co-founder Katie Cantrell describes the impact of behavioral science when used for good—making plant-based foods more abundant, appealing, and accessible. 🌱

By shifting institutional policy while preserving individual freedom, plant-based nudges offer a powerful, inclusive lever for systemic change that promotes both planetary health and health equity, and brings us closer to a sustainable future.

Read Katie's full op-ed via Green Queen:

Katie Cantrell, co-founder and CEO of Greener By Default, argues why the food industry needs to rethink nudges for plant-based food.

03/27/2026

BIG NEWS: We're excited to be part of a groundbreaking new coalition, supporting and empowering healthcare organizations to adopt delicious, nutritious, and sustainable plant-rich food cultures. 🌱

The Plants First Healthcare Coalition (PFHC) is formed of five founding members: Greener By Default, Mynutriweb.com, ProVeg International UK, Plant-based health professionals, UK, and Real Zero. Together, we bring a wealth of experience to support the healthcare sector in increasing plant-based meal provision, benefiting people and the planet, and maintaining choice.

"Greener by Default is thrilled to take our work with UK hospitals to the next level alongside our dynamic coalition partners, with whom we share a deep commitment to building greener, healthier, and more inclusive healthcare settings and a belief that, together, we can amplify our impact far beyond what any of us could achieve alone." - Heidi Fritz, GBD Healthcare Director

A culmination of several years of working in partnership, the founding organizations have come together to share their expertise as a single coherent offering, including business case development, culinary and service staff training, recipe development, sector engagement, choice architecture, behavioral nudges, healthcare professional training and food culture change.

🔗 Read more: https://www.greenerbydefault.org/blog/plants-first-healthcare-coalition-uk

03/24/2026

Do you know that your favorite artist’s concerts carry a significant carbon footprint? MIT Climate Machine shared an in-depth assessment of emissions generated by live music events, and the results may surprise you.

After fan travel emissions, the largest emission source is…food and beverage.

The good news is, if venues implemented plant-forward menus, the impact could decrease by at least 40%! The carbon footprint of these events is significant, which is why Greener by Default has been expanding our work with venues across the country to help them build menus with plenty of craveworthy—and sustainable—plant-based options for concert attendees.

03/09/2026

Sustainable dining is achievable anywhere, including hospitals. Greener by Default partnered with Sodexo UK & Ireland to create sustainable, plant-based menu designs backed by behavioral science.

Through this pilot, we saw:

📉 A 22% reduction in food-related carbon emissions
📉 A 14% reduction in meat served per-patient
📈 A 50% increase in plant-based proteins servings

These results speak for themselves, showing how hospitals can provide excellent patient care while also prioritizing health and sustainability, all without removing the power of choice.

Check out the full video here:

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

02/27/2026

GBD is proud to work with Sodexo UK & Ireland and Nuffield Health on their innovative patient dining pilot program, which has lowered their food-related carbon emissions by 22%—the equivalent of driving over 100,000 miles 🚗—through the power of plant-forward menus! 🌱

As GBD’s own Amy Roach said: “This early work showcases how behavioral science, culinary innovation and cross-sector collaboration can come together to deliver healthier, more sustainable and more inclusive dining experiences.”

💡 Learn more about how we supported their commitment to sustainable dining and their efforts to drive “improvements in health, inclusivity and environmental impact while maintaining high levels of diner satisfaction”:

Sodexo UK & Ireland and its client partner Nuffield Health have reduced food-related carbon emissions by a massive 22% - the equivalent of over 109,000 miles driven – through a ground-breaking programme with Greener by Default, started in early 2025, that is reshaping the future of patient dining.

02/11/2026

🚨 Big news! We're so excited to be working with Medirest—the healthcare sector of Compass Group UK & Ireland—to implement plant-forward menus at six UK hospitals!

Together, we'll be trialing plant-forward menu strategies across patient, staff, and visitor menus, and working to assess the impact of these strategies on carbon footprints, nutrition, the uptake of plant-based meals, and patient satisfaction.

"After nearly a year of strategic collaboration, Greener by Default couldn’t be more pleased to support Medirest as they pilot strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of their menus, while balancing nutrition and diner satisfaction. Compass has taken a deliberate approach to this effort, working with GBD to develop a pilot plan that aligns sustainability goals with operational excellence." - GBD UK Healthcare Manager Amy Roach

🔗 Read more:

Catering News Sponsored by Ditsch UK Medirest, the healthcare sector of Compass Group UK & Ireland, has launched its plant-powered menu trial, developed in partnership with leading research body, ‘Greener by Default’. As the first UK hospital caterer to test the principle across both patient din...

01/07/2026

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻? 🏛️🦁🌱

Cultural centers like museums, zoos, and aquariums are uniquely positioned at the forefront of the sustainability movement. But there’s a massive, often overlooked opportunity to scale that impact: the dining experience.

With millions of meals served annually, small shifts in what’s on the plate can lead to monumental progress toward conservation goals, all while delighting visitors and helping your bottom line.

Join us for our upcoming webinar:

💻 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘂𝘀: 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀
🗓️ Date: Jan 22, 2026
🕑 Time: 2 pm ET / 11 am PT
🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/QEb1O1ZQRSy6c3DYaedgnw #/registration

We’re diving into practical solutions for any foodservice operation, including:
✅ The business + environmental case for plant-forward menus
✅ Evidence-based strategies to boost plant-based uptake without restricting choice
✅ Real-world results and tips for getting stakeholder buy-in

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹:
🎙️ Daniel Palawasta, Regional VP of Operations, Levy
🎙️ Adrienne Dunlap, Corporate Engagement Manager, Greener by Default
🎙️ Moderated by: Jennifer Behr, Director of Plant-Based Initiatives, Mercy For Animals

Don't miss out on these insights to transform your visitor experience! 🚀

12/17/2025

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲! 🚀

Greener by Default’s success is about the deep commitment of our champions on the ground. From the visionary sustainability directors and talented chefs to the tireless internal advocates who drove operational change this year: your belief is the engine that powers us forward.

2025 Highlights at a Glance:

• 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱: Across all our partnerships, GBD shifted a monumental 6 million meals from meat-based to plant-based.

• 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀: We propelled our strategies into new sectors with landmark partnerships, securing our first-ever collaborations with a financial institution, sports venue, music tour, and convention center.

• 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵: We significantly expanded our collaborations, boosting the number of active pilots by 30%.

As we look toward 2026, we are laser-focused on efficiency and scale, building the tools to make climate-conscious dining the "easy choice" for every institution.

𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: To help launch our 2026 plans, we have a $75,000 end-of-year matching gift! Every dollar donated before 12/31 is matched 1:1 to fund the scalable tools we need to shift the next 6 million meals.

12/02/2025

is a day for giving, but first, it’s a day for gratitude. We are celebrating the incredible progress achieved this year—and it is 100% because of you.

Your Partnership is Our Power:
Our supporters are the reason GBD went from two people with a concept to a dynamic team of 18: Your collaboration has allowed us to expand our budget and exceed our goals a year ahead of schedule! Thank you for co-creating this success with us.

Looking to Exponential Scale:
We're building game-changing, data-driven tools to make sustainable food the easy choice for any institution. We need to accelerate this work for our 2026-2028 roadmap.

🚨 To fuel this growth, we've secured a powerful $75,000 matching gift! If you feel inspired to grow your impact, every dollar you give before December 31st will be matched 1:1, doubling the resources we can put toward transforming institutional foodservice in the new year.

Click the link in the comments to double your gift and help us power the next phase of our mission!

11/12/2025

Culinary creativity is front and center on ! 🍴

Today, we’re excited to celebrate participating colleges nationwide that are showing us what collaboration looks (and tastes!) like, crafting delicious, plant-forward dishes that benefit people and the planet.

11/07/2025

Next week, we’re excited to celebrate the colleges nationwide participating in MCURC Day, serving up food that’s good for people and the planet. 🌎

GBD is proud to be a research partner to Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, an incredible national initiative helping colleges and universities work together to reduce food-related emissions through research, education, and innovation.

On Wednesday, November 12, we hope you’ll join thousands of students nationwide as they highlight delicious, climate-friendly dining on their campuses!

11/06/2025

How do you dramatically cut a concert's carbon emissions? Start with the food. 🍴🌱

Greener by Default is honored to partner with Support + Feed on Billie Eilish’s fall tour to do just that. Our teams are working together to lead culinary trainings with venue staff to help them make sustainable, plant-based options the easy, delicious choice for fans across the country.

This food-focused work is one part of the tour's comprehensive sustainability mission, driven by a coalition of partners that also includes Reverb and Live Nation Concerts.

Hear Maggie Baird, founder of Support+Feed, discuss the effectiveness of plant-forward menus and the tour's groundbreaking sustainability initiatives at the Billboard Live Music Summit: