I attempted to make sidewalk chalk from eggshells, following the advice linked to from the Eggs and Sustainability page here on CocktailGreen. The basic procedure is: Collect eggshells, boil them to clean them. Mix with flour, water, and food coloring. Put into a tube and allow to dry. I did the above, and spoiler: it turned out bad. In the first place, I buy mostly brown eggs (to encourage biodiversity) and thus the eggshells started with a beige base rather than white. The second and far worse thing was: they smelled awful! They took a long time to dry (I... Read more →

An article in PlasticsToday is called "Bacardi’s Foray into Sustainable Packaging Has Some Challenges." It talks about compostable plastics that the company has announced they'll be switching to within a few years. While probably not the exact type of compostable plastic that compostable take-out food containers are made of, they're related, or rather they could have related problems. Recyclable plastic can go into recycling bins. Compostable plastic can be composted in gardens, or put into industrial/curbside compost bins only in some cities. I checked with my city, San Francisco, and their website says that "Products clearly labeled “Compostable”" can go... Read more →

Here's a round-up of sustainability news catered to the cocktail audience. Not a single part of a fruit goes to waste in Bar Trigona's new cocktail menu “Sustainability has always been part of Bar Trigona. From the beginning, we’ve tried to be as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible, from only using ingredients produced locally, to reducing packaging and waste at the bar, ” says head bartender Ashish Sharma. The new menu, titled The Life Cycle Of Fruit, focuses on how you can reduce, reuse and think differently about fruit. The drinks revolve around four fruits – mango, jackfruit, mandarin... Read more →

The last time I checked there was no recycling program (that I noticed) for Brita water filters in the US. Either I missed it or it wasn't in place yet. Long story short, now you can recycle the filters: This comes from a partnership with TerraCycle Once per year, you can get a label to use for free shipping of filters It must be a minimum of 5 pounds of filters - so ask your friend group, coworkers, neighborhood group, etc. to chip in and mail them all at once. Go here to sign up. Read more →

I've been reading a few sustainability books, most of which were written for consumers rather than bartenders, and am sharing a few notes on them, or highlights of things I found interesting. How to Be a Conscious Eater: Making Food Choices That Are Good for You, Others, and the Planet by Sophie Egan This book is geared toward the consumer rather than the bartender, so it may not change much about how you order for the bar. As a consumer resource I found it to be impressively useful and revealing, and balanced: no blind fear of "toxins" here. According to... Read more →