Turning Your Espresso Bar Green

I'd like to share a few additional tips with you to help make your wedding reception more eco-friendly, especially your coffee beverage service.

First off, after you've asked your caterer, event manager, bartender or espresso bar barista about glassware or china/ceramic service, make sure they have receptacles for recycling glass and plastic bottles and for paper products. A plain trash can won't do: request that the event manager wrap the can with fabric to match your reception's color scheme (a tablecloth will do!) 

To turn the coffee bar green, ask if your specialty coffee caterer can serve shade grown coffee, this is coffee grown in the most natural habitat, typically from small, family-owned farms.

When planning for a greener coffee service, you might also consider requesting disposable, compostable or biodegradable options. Have you seen the exciting innovation in biodegradable drinkware called Jelloware? Developed by The Way We See The World, these cups come in a variety of flavors to complement your ice caps or frozen mochaccinos and smoothies. They are made fromagar agar, a gelatin derived from algae that can nurture plant growth. Fill, drink, nibble, toss, grow. What a concept!

One more tip: before your event, deliver a special container to the caterer or event manager in which to collect the used coffee grounds during the event. These grounds can later be used as fertilizer for the garden you and your partner will tend to during your future together!