Big Picture

Remember the 3-B's: Booze, Bottles, and Bathrooms

The next time you head out to rage and revel in your city's nightlife, meet a friend to chat over a pitcher of sangria, wash down some 25-cent wings with the guys on trivia, or check out a great live band, take a minute to think a bit about the environmental impact of the local bars and clubs. We encourage you to keep in mind the 3-B's: Booze, Bottles, and Bathrooms---as these areas are of great importance when asking "Izzit--this bar or club--green?"

Factoids n' Stuff

• Grapes top the list of the most chemically sprayed produce on the market today.
• "Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently reported that adding alcohol to strawberries and blackberries increases their antioxidant qualities." ("Reviving Organic Spirits with Green Liquor", Green Living Ideas)
• "Following the recent creation by the USDA of a National Organic Program, an organic wine is now defined as 'a wine made from organically grown grapes and without any added sulfites'. By this unfortunate restriction, the vast majority of what you and I have been calling organic wines must now be referred to as wines made from organic grapes' (or organically grown grapes)." (The Organic Wine Company)
• "The FDA says only about 0.4% of the population...is considered highly allergic to sulfites...Many people, however, have little tolerance for sulfites...The average level of sulfites found in many commercial wines can cause heartburn or other side effects: burning sensations, hives, cramps, and flushing of the skin." (The Organic Wine Company)
• "Organic beer sales rose 40% in 2005, while overall beer sales fell." Beer is now tied with coffee as the fastest growing organic beverage. ("On Tap: Organic Beer", msn lifestyle/EatingWell.com)
• "According to The Rodale Institute, the average mouthful of American food travels 1400 miles. When that mouthful of food is beer, a heavy liquid often distributed in a heavy glass bottle, which waits to be consumed for days or weeks in a refrigerated case, the fossil fuel consumption is particularly large. Moreover, more than 10 percent of US beer is imported, journeying from even farther distances to reach American consumers." ("Organic Beer", Green Guide)
• Silvertone Bar & Grill on Bromfield Street in Boston "has at least one good reason for recycling": the small (very small!) establishment "produces over 50,000 bottles per year – all which used to go directly to landfills." ("North End Eatery Serves Up A Greener Planet", Taranta: Going Green)
• At an October 2007 hearing held to discuss an ordinance regarding recycling programs for food and beverage service establishments, the "City of Boston determined that the cost to remove trash is $80 per ton, while recyclable material removal costs only a fraction of that - $21 per ton." ("North End Eatery Serves Up A Greener Planet", Taranta: Going Green)

What Goes In?

Stop and think about your drink. Do they use any organic vodkas (or other organic liquors) or serve drinks made with fair trade rum? Are there organic beer offerings? Are the beers local, domestic, or imported---what are the ratios? How many beers are on tap versus in glass bottles? Generally, kegs are sent back to the brewer or wholesaler to be refilled when they are empty, so beers on tap are a sustainable choice. Do they use soda guns—which produce less waste--or canned sodas for soft drinks and for mixed drinks? Do they use seasonal/local/organic fruits for garnishes and purees for mixed drinks? Are there organic and/or biodynamic wine offerings, or wines from any local vineyards? Is the tap water filtered and served or do they use bottled water? And what about the mineral waters—are they imported or domestic? Do they use organic, fair trade coffee?

What Comes Out?

Are the drinks cold/creative/tasty? Are appetizer and meal portions reasonable, or wasteful? Can you get pitchers of beer to share with friends to cut down on dishwashing all those extra glasses? Do they use reusable coasters or single-use paper cocktail napkins? Do they use plastic picks to spear drink garnishes or do they use eco-friendly bamboo picks? Do they use plastic drinking straws or swizzle sticks? And, possibly the most pressing issue: all of those glass bottles!!! Do they end up in a dumpster or on a recycling truck?

How's it Run?

Let's face it…when you drink, you will eventually need to go to the bathroom (again, and again, and again). We've all stood in line to use a bar bathroom (especially in our college years) and been confronted with the harsh reality of what' just beyond that half-open door: paper towels spilling out of trashcans, toilet paper rolls that have been "freed" of their holders and leave long, soggy trails all over the floor, water running out of the faucets while girlfriends check their hair and gossip. Take note of what kind of bathrooms your local bars and clubs operate. Do they use recycled, unbleached paper products in the bathrooms? Or, even better, do they have hand dryers? Are the toilets conserving water with each flush and are the faucets and lights on sensors? How do they clean and sanitize the bathrooms (and get that beer-stick off the floor)?

Bars and clubs are also huge energy wasters. How many TVs re there? Are they all being watched? What kind of lighting do they use? Is the AC running on high while all the doors and windows are left wide open?

If the club is taking tickets for a live music show, do they recycle the stubs?

What They Care About

Do they support local breweries and wineries? Are they trying to offer more organic liquors, wines, and beers? Are they taking steps to reduce their energy consumption? Are they recycling all that they possibly can? Are they eliminating the use of Styrofoam and using biodegradable products? Do they send their employees to tasting events or seminars to learn more about the liquor/wines/beers they are serving? Do they have benefit concerts or promotional parties for organizations that care about our planet? Do they donate to or work with any charities? Do they "give back" to their neighborhood in some way?

What to Ask

• Do you have any organic beer/wine/liquor?
• What local beers do you have on tap?
• Do you have any wine from local wineries?
• What do you do with all of your glass bottles?
• Do you have any cocktails made with organic fruit or purees?
• Do you serve beer in pitchers?

What to Do

• Order organic or local beverages whenever possible.
• Get beer on tap--skip the bottle.
• Better yet---snag a pitcher when available to reuse the same glasses.
• Skip the straws, swizzle sticks and plastic garnish picks---tell 'em to throw those cherries right into that Shirley Temple.
• Conserve cocktail napkins---don't let the waitperson put another down.
• If you're going to a club show that's ticketed, opt for an e-ticket if available---go paperless!

Find Out More

• Benziger Family Winery--information about organic and biodynamic wines
• Organic Wine Company
• "Cleaning up the confusion about organic wine"--article from the Organic Consumers Association
• www.thegreenguide.com/doc/113/beerpr --article on organic beer
• Wolaver's--one of the nation's original certified organic breweries, located in Vermont
• "Great Organic Beers for Summer BBQs"--list of 10 organic brews from thedailygreen
• "Organic Beer and Wine" --article from Co-Op America
• Beertown.org US Brewery Locator--locates brewpubs and breweries in your state...drink Local!
• "Reviving Organic Spirits with Green Liquor"--article from Green Living Ideas
• Square One Vodka--an American certified organic vodka