Ready, Get Set, To-Go Ware
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Green Living |
Stephanie Bernstein went to get some ice cream with her sister. They went to a little ice cream shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was 1997. They both ordered scoops in a bowl, no cone, and when they were served Stephanie got confused. Did they ask for the ice cream to go? Um, no. Why was the ice cream in a plastic bowl with a plastic spoon? To her deep disappointment, her local ice cream shop, along with so many other ice cream shops, coffee shops, and small restaurants around the country were starting to replace reusable dishware with paper and plastic single use containers. That day an idea was born.
A lot of university students carried their coffee mugs everywhere, mainly for the discount they received from the coffee shops around town, but also for the positive environmental impact. Stephanie wondered, what if we all just carried everything around that we’d need in a day-what would that look like?
Seven years later, in Northern California, Stephanie sold her first set of utensils in their own handwoven carrying case. They were a hit. Her first generation To-Go Ware sets feature bamboo utensils in cloth carriers woven by a women’s cooperative of Burmese refugees called WEAVE. The women of WEAVE are able to care for their children and their homes, while also creating income for themselves and their families.
The second generation of To-Go Ware was launched earlier this month. These sleek sets have a firmer case made of recycled compressed plastic bags. The bags are collected by ragpickers in India and formed into the colorful polymer by CONSERVE, a recycling and waste management organization. CONSERVE’s collection efforts help to clean the polluted streets of New Delhi while employing hundreds of people in need of work.
Stephanie Bernstein has created a company dedicated to reducing unnecessary waste while creating financial sustainability for the people who make it. To-Go Ware is now carried in hundreds of Whole Foods, yoga studios, restaurants, and online stores around the country, and business is booming. To-Go Ware serves up the triple bottom line with style.
Check out this video of Stephanie visiting WEAVE in Thailand. Get your handkerchief out…
Americans throw away enough plastic forks, knives, and spoons every year to circle the equator three hundred times. Three hundred times. Want to change that? Take action!
- Take your own utensils everywhere you go. It’s easy.
- Sit down at a restaurant to eat, instead of getting take-out.
- When you throw parties, use real utensils. Good guests love to wash dishes.
Posted on June 20, 2008 |
Comments
Leave a Reply
-
Buy eCo Products
