Beyond The Straw: Sustainability in Hospitality | Tom Egerton | TEDxWanChai

On a busy day, a bar can make 1000 drinks a week; 6 bartenders make 160 drinks each and taste those drinks half the time with a plastic straw - that’s 1440 straws a week. Multiply that by 4 grams per plastic straw, then by 52 weeks - that’s .3 tonnes of plastic a year… in one bar. Multiply that by the bars in your neighbourhood, then by your city, then by your country, and then by the world. The number grows exponentially, showing the impact that small decisions in consumer choice can have in terms of waste and production.
So what’s the next step? In this talk, bar manager Tom Egerton questions how the culture of crafting creative cocktails has bred a culture of single-use produce and as a result, a culture of waste. Where does the responsibility lie? With the consumer or the producer? The maker or the buyer? After years of serving in tie-and-waistcoat style speakeasies, Tom Egerton hung up his arm garters and traded them for something less formal. He now manages the bar at Potato Head in Hong Kong, where he crafts cocktails with maximum flavor and minimal waste. That means reusing, recycling and repurposing ingredients-from pineapple skin to bamboo sticks-that would otherwise end up in a landfill and working to implement conscious practices in hospitality. Raised in New Zealand, Tom has traveled as far as Tokyo to Havana in search of his next cocktail. His experience spans bars, hotels and kitchens in Dubai, North America and most recently Australia, where he managed Sydney’s Eau De Vie, an award-winning drinking den for whisky worshippers. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@samina.777]

love it!

[@mutavenelly157]

This is such a lovely talk!!!!!!

[@inkwarcraft5714]

ws

[@wallyballsUSA]

Meanwhile, his entire outfit is coincidentally (and arguably) “in fashion.” Hair held with product, room full of (what I’ll assume) people being comforted by AC, crowd wearing matching lanyards most likely given out as “shwag,” a presentation using large amounts of electricity, etc.... End of the day, impact can only be made by looking to those that we (“humanity”) have held ourselves superior to for so long. From ants to bears, the lives are the same. And none of them need to drown their “sorrows” in a whiskey sour.

[@matr4724]

I see what you mean but you can t expect from every single person who talk or try to change habits to be 100% clean on their end. This guy also uses electricity in his place, maybe a fan when it s hot, maybe a heater in winter when it s cold, he maybe has a bed made of wood to sleep, and spend more than 5min under the shower. Come on mate, dont expect people to live like human did 1000 years ago. At least people like him are involved and he might be working on other projects who knows ? Stop being an internet troll.