Doolin's Irish Pub Working to Help the Environment
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ALISON HATTON
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By CATHOLINE BUTLER
VANCOUVER - While many of us were celebrating Earth Day on April 22, Doolin's Irish Pub were celebrating Earth Week. Everything on their Earth menu was ocean friendly and organically grown with as many products as possible from British Columbia.
For instance, their spring rolls consisted of all-organic vegetables, hand-wrapped by their chefs and made in-house from scratch. Doolin's use as many organically grown products as possible. Their coffee is Frog Friendly Wild Coffee that has been organically grown.
But, Doolin's didn't just start going green on Earth Week. For the past year, Doolin's Irish Pub has initiated a program of going green and recycling and re-using just about everything they can in the establishment.
I recently spoke with Alison Hatton, public relations, sales and marketing at Doolin's, about their green program and how that was working.
"Our industry is so wasteful, it's really just out of convenience that makes it so easy to simply throw things out," said Hatton. "If you organize it properly, it's just as easy to recyle. Our glasses, corks, and bottles can all be recycled instead of throwing them in the garbage.
"Jay Mangan, our general manager here at Doolin's, has been the big factor behind our going green. Now we just want to create more awareness in our downtown community, especially in our industry.
"For instance, instead of throwing the glass bottle in the garbage, throw it in the recycling bin. Separate them and then put them out because there are people who come by to pick them up.
"Throw your corks in a box because they can be recycled and made into peg boards. Just about everything can be recycled and when you take care of your environment... then it benefits everybody."
Alison said, "Our staff is very supportive of our recycling program. We are at an era when everyone understands that this is our future. Our staff are really getting on-board, wanting more information and being proactive in getting this information out to our customers because they are the face of Doolin's who reach our customers every day."
Speaking about her own long term dreams, Alison said, "personally, I want to see a lot of the world and I want there to still be shrubbery and a rain forest when I get there. I think if we continue using pesticides and depleting our natural resources, then what we take for granted now will just not be there.
"I believe that it's somewhere in Asia that at street corners there are oxygen tanks where you put your money in to receive oxygen. Something like when we had telephone booths on every corner.
"We don't want to get that way - B.C. is so gorgeous and we are so lucky. I really think that we need to be proactive in maintaining this. Where can you go that you can swim and ski on the same day!
"I don't think that it's a lost cause, or too late. It's just that everyone needs to jump on the bandwagon to maintain our beautiful eco system."
Doolin's Irish Pub is located at 654 Nelson at Granville Street in Vancouver. For more information, call (604) 605-4343, or visit: www.doolins.ca.
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