The George & Vulture

The George & Vulture - London

The George & Vulture is a unique London pub that stands as the tallest pub in the city since 1870.

With a penchant for tradition and an eye for progression, licensee Charlie Baker and his team pride themselves on the quality measure of their humble Hoxton establishment. Their main offerings include craft beer and sourdough pizza.

Despite being an older, more traditional venue, Charlie and the team have introduced a modern way of operating, implementing sustainability-focused processes for all staff to follow.

A holistic view of his business pushed Charlie to be the driving force in the sustainable look of the venue, recognising that it would make them both more environmentally friendly and profitable at the same time.

Initiatives introduced include the installation of smart thermostats and monitoring technology, enabling them to actively manage their energy usage.

Moreover, Charlie has used the height of the building where the pub is located to his advantage. A number of plant-based ingredients that are used in the George & Vulture’s menu are grown on the rooftop, while there are also several bee hives that help to pollinate the produce grown there.

When it comes to recruiting staff, Charlie tends to conduct the process with specific values in mind, prioritising those new staff members who best fit company values. Existing staff also complete monthly training both in person and online to enable them to become more sustainable at the venue, but also engage in more sustainable practices in their personal lives, encouraging a wider promotion of best practice.

We are delighted to recognise Charlie and the whole team at this historic venue as BII Sustainability Champions.

You can view the George & Vulture website here

The New Bowling Green - Warwick

The New Bowling Green is a historic, Grade II listed, 15th century family run pub in Warwick with a great beer garden and renowned for its tasty homemade food.

Adam Dudley and Jess Hobbs head up operations at The New Bowling Green, with the pair being the two key players in moving the pub towards a more sustainable future.

A key change made by Adam and Jess has been cutting out the single-use plastics in line with the new laws that came into place in 2023. This previously provided a huge amount of the pub’s waste, and the change in operations has seen a massive reduction.

Furthermore, energy saving and smart monitoring technology has been implemented all across the pub, with LED light bulbs replacing the incandescent and smart thermostats making everyone aware of what is being expended on a day-to-day basis.

Sustainable procurement has also brought success for The New Bowling Green. Some of the fruit, vegetables and herbs used on the menu at the pub are sourced from the Head Chef’s allotment, along with some from the pub’s own garden. The garden is designed in a way that promotes sustainable growing and attracts wildlife, with The New Bowling Green officially recognised as Warwick’s first ‘Bee Friendly Pub’.

Waste reduction is another element of the sustainability journey that has been instrumental in moving the pub towards a greener future. With various recycling programmes in place, food waste has also been heavily reduced. All vegetable peelings and anything possible is used for stocks and sauces, while anything that can’t be used is composted.

When quizzed on the importance of a sustainable future in the local community, Jess is keen to stress what it means to her;

“It’s hugely important - a pub is the heart of the community and leading on sustainability in the local community is essential for creating a healthier, more prosperous, and more beautiful future for everyone. Every individual and community have a role to play in driving positive change towards sustainability, no one more than the local pub."

We extremely pleased to add The New Bowling Green to our ever-growing list of Sustainability Champions. Congratulations to Adam, Jess and the whole team.

You can view The New Bowling Green’s website here.

The Dove and Rainbow - Sheffield

The Dove and Rainbow is a modern, glass-fronted music bar located in Sheffield City Centre. Hosting live rock, metal, punk bands, as well as DJs, this wet-led venue is a local favourite for those who love their music and real ales.

With The Dove and Rainbow being a wet city centre pub without outside space, licensee Dawn Gunther has had to be innovative when it comes to introducing sustainable operations to the venue, as reducing food waste, and increasing kitchen efficiency are not possible due to their wet-led stock.

Dawn says that the main thing she has done to improve sustainability at her pub is engage with her pub company, Punch, on any sustainability issues. With Dawn on a five-year tenancy with Punch and the company not owning the building where the venue is situated, collaboration between the two parties has helped bring about success.

At the Dove and Rainbow, all cellar equipment and fridges are on timers and there are notes on every door to turn off lights when a room is not in use. The pub also has a new, more energy efficient boiler and cellar cooler, while Dawn hassaid that she is will be a ‘Guinea Pig’ for any new cellar technology that may become available in the future.

Dawn can be credited as the driving force behind the sustainable change at the pub, with all staff now fully engaged in the energy reduction and recycling actions. All of the team also generally use public transport or walk to work, meaning that the pub’s passive carbon footprint is reduced further with this.

Punch’s ‘Pub Heroes’ initiative actively invite members, such as Dawn, to have their input and feedback from a small group of operators on all issues of sustainability. Dawn has been labelled one of the ‘go to’ publicans for sustainable operating.

We are delighted to recognise The Dove and Rainbow with Sustainability Champion status.

You can view The Dove and Rainbow’s website here.

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