3 Sustainable Bartending Tips for Your Green Wedding

A well-stocked bar is an important component of most wedding receptions (it's the most important component, for many people), but the bar is also where much of a wedding's waste is generated. To plan a more sustainable wedding, follow these tips to set up a bar with a lighter eco-footprint: 

1. Use growlers and kegs

Rather than serving beer in individual bottles or cans, fill glasses with beer from reusable growlers or kegs. You'll greatly reduce the volume of waste generated by the bar, and you can refill or return growlers and kegs to the brewery for future reuse. Make sure the glasses you're filling are reusable too, not disposable!
 

2. Help your bartender recycle

Think of all the empty bottles generated by a bar in one night. Even if you're using growlers or kegs for beer, you'll go through bottles of wine, liquor and mixers. Fortunately, almost all of these containers are recyclable in most standard recycling programs. 

Make sure your bartender has easy access to a recycling bin and that they know specifically what can and can't go in it. Call your recycling collector and ask for their policies on plastic bottle caps, aluminum can tabs, corks, straws and any rinsing requirements, and communicate these points to the bartender on a handy cheat sheet. That way all the bartender has to worry about is serving delicious drinks, not making judgment calls about their waste.
 

3. Skip the straws

Indianapolis environmental activist Jim Poyser recently completed a project to demonstrate just how many straws we use in our daily lives without giving them a second thought. He collected straws used at a downtown restaurant and formed them into a literal "straw bale" (see a picture here). This visualization helps drive home the point that even something as small as a straw can have a significant environmental footprint when you consider the total quantity being produced and used.

One way to cut down on this source of waste is to have servers and bartenders offer straws by request only. To avoid surprise among your guests, place a small sign on the bar that says something like, "To reduce waste, straws are provided by request only." Apply the no-straw policy to soft drinks and water glasses as well as cocktails. This effort will not only reduce waste, but it will prompt guests to think about whether they really need a straw, a perspective shift that may stick with them even after the wedding is over.

A sustainable wedding doesn't have to be a dull—or dry—affair. Follow these tips to enjoy your reception with a glass in hand, knowing you've made a significant effort to reduce waste. 

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As a sustainable events consultant, Julia Spangler helps organizations, event planners and individuals identify practical ways to reduce the environmental footprint of their events. She helps couples plan green weddings in Indianapolis and central Indiana to help your special day stay true to your shared values. Learn more at http://www.juliaspangler.com/services/green-weddings/.

 
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