Comments:

Ypsidixit - 2007-08-30 12:58:44
As you know, Cafe Luwak's Jim Karnopp is doing this too, after much research (and expense, incidentally) on his part. From a recent bulletin:

"One of the biggest issues I have had running my caf� since I opened is how to serve to go coffee drinks. When I first bought the place the previous owner was using foam. When I looked into switching to paper cups I found out that they were covered in petroleum based plastic, so they really weren�t any better for the environment than the foam I was using. A few weeks ago I was talking to one of my customers, and she mentioned how she really didn�t like the foam cups. I told her I didn�t like them either and went on to explain my dilemma with paper cups. She mentioned that she had heard of some cups that were made with corn that were supposed to be really good. I did a little searching on Google, and found out about these cups. They are a paper cup that is coated in a plastic that is made from corn. According to the manufacturer these cups will break down in a municipal compost site within 60-90 days. Even the plastic lids are 100% biodegradable. I was really excited to find these and started contacting all my vendors to see if they had any of these cups. I got an email back from my Gordon�s Food Service rep saying that they had just started carrying the cups two weeks before. I immediately ordered replacements for all of my coffee. Soon we will be replacing our cold cups as well, and I am going to be looking for sources for all of our disposables over the next few months.

"I have also received a couple of comment cards recently suggesting that I switch to energy efficient lighting. I had tried some of these lights in the past, but they didn't work with the dimmers that are setup for all of the dining area lighting. When I started thinking about it though, it just made sense to change out the dimmers and replace all the lights. Since we were closed on Easter, I decided that would be a good time. I replaced the switches and all the lights in the caf� with energy efficient bulbs. The lights are actually quite a bit brighter with the new bulbs with 75% savings in energy."
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Ypsidixit - 2007-08-30 13:41:13
Can a geothermal heating system at Powell's Pub be far behind?

They could put it right under the parking lot, there (eight feet down it's 50 degrees year round!)
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Jim Karnopp - 2007-08-31 13:10:12
I thought it was really great to see that the Sidetrack is implementing their own green initiative. The more businesses that do this, the more options there will be available. Right now I still have to order several items off the internet and pay really high shipping because my vendor doesn't stock everything I use. As more people start using green products, the main suppliers will have to start carrying them regularly or else loose business. We have eliminated almost all of our Styrofoam and converted to PLA plastics for all of our cold cups, salad containers and take out bags. The one item I am having trouble finding a solution for is the foam containers we use to serve ice cream and soup in. I haven't had any luck finding something that can handle the heat of our soups or that is sized right for our ice cream scoops. If anyone knows of a product that would fill this gap in our green initiative please let me know. We use both and 8 ounce and 16 ounce size.
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ypsidixit - 2007-08-31 13:25:49
Jim: Good point: there's a critical mass when enough businesses participate so that it gets cheaper for all, theoretically.

Ignorant question: are the containers you are looking for takeout ones? Or used in the store? Do you have china bowls for in-house eating of soup and ice cream? For some reason I can't recall.
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Jim Karnopp - 2007-08-31 13:41:10
Yes the bowls in question are for takeout. We have glass and ceramic bowls and plates for dine in.
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