Balance of trade

Ben McFarland visits the Earth and Stars in Brighton, the UK's first 'climate balanced' pub

Things are hotting up and it's all our fault! Apparently, due to the build up of gases generated by human activities, the world has been getting warmer for the last 50 years and is predicted to continue at a similar rate unless things change.

According to Greenpeace, global warming not only increases the Earth's temperature, it also leads to an increase in floods, droughts and wildfires, intensified hurricanes, heat waves, the spread of infectious disease and species extinction - and if the sea level rises as much as predicted, it may eventually mean Norfolk and the Netherlands will find themselves submerged under water!

The major culprit when it comes to global warming is carbon dioxide (CO2) which comes from the burning of fossil fuels - particularly oil, coal and gas - and efforts are being made globally to reduce the levels of its release.

Few pub companies, however, place global warming very high on their list of priorities - after all, there are very few tree-hugging eco-warrior shareholders.

Zelgrain (also known as Zel), however, a Brighton-based pub chain with more than 30 outlets, is greener than most. Last December, the company opened the Earth and Stars, transforming a dark and dingy local in the North Laine area of the city into what must be a major contender for the most environmentally friendly pub in the UK.

One of the first things customers notice when walking into the pub is the dearth of familiar logos and big brand names shouting at them from the counter and the back-bar.

The Earth and Stars has deliberately hidden away any sign of commercial branding - even the bar fonts are hand-written.

The likes of Stella Artois, Guinness and Smirnoff have been replaced with an impressive collection of organic spirits (only an organic scotch whisky is missing), a number of organic beers on tap and bottles including a porter and a wheat beer from the Black Isle brewery in Scotland.

Organic ciders, soft drinks and a chemical-free energy drink are served by barstaff wearing organic t-shirts, while customers can choose from an extensive list of organic wines to wash down an organic food menu created freshly every day and sourced from local suppliers. Smokers can even do their bit by puffing away on organic cigarettes!

The news that an organic pub has opened up in ultra-trendy Brighton is unlikely to raise many eyebrows, but the Earth and Stars' commitment to the environment goes far beyond its organic status.

For instance, the wood panelling that adorns the walls, the floor and the bar is all made from reclaimed wood, all the lights and lamp fittings have been salvaged while as much waste as possible is also recycled.

Its major claim to ecological fame is that it is Brighton's, and perhaps the UK's, first and only "climate balanced" pub.

With the help of C Level, a local company that specialises in helping businesses and individuals reduce their contribution to global warming, Zelgrain has adopted a number of measures to keep its carbon emissions to a minimum and intends to eventually carbon balance its entire estate.

There's more to becoming "climate balanced" than taking a few empty bottles down to the local recycling depot, stocking a few home-grown ciders and remembering to switch off the lights at night. Three sets of strict criteria had to be met before Zelgrain could rightly call its Earth and Stars a "climate balanced" pub.

The first stage involved working out the Earth and Stars' "carbon footprint" - an assessment of the amount of CO2, in tonnes, the pub emits over a 12-month period.

This includes emissions from energy use such as lighting, heating and electricity; transport - such as the impact of the delivery lorries on the environment - and waste.

Having estimated the size of its carbon footprint, the next step the Earth and Stars had to take was to implement a number of carbon-cutting measures. The pub was switched, along with the entire Zel estate, to a 100 per cent renewable electricity supply that uses alternative energy sources such as wind power, while a solar panel to heat the pub's water is due to be installed on the roof.

"Better house-keeping is a key step that can be taken and this requires awareness and co-operation from pub staff and management," added Ben Messer, director at C-Level. "For instance, from our experience, poorly insulated cellar storage is a major energy drain and can be easily rectified."

After minimising the size of the carbon footprint, the next step involved compensating for the tonnes of CO2 produced by planting a large enough area of forest in Uganda to counterbalance the CO2 emission from the pub.

"The trees when fully grown absorb the CO2 and turn it into carbon - it's a global atmosphere so it doesn't matter where you take it from," added Ben. "The excitement and interest generated by the climate balanced approach with a pub involves the staff, is easily communicated to them and encourages their co-operation."

So does balancing the climate make it harder to balance the books? "It's more expensive but it's worth doing," said Gavin George, Zel's managing director.

"The more people did the same, the less expensive it would be. Our business is not run with profit as the only motivator - if it was we wouldn't be able to do these things."

In a separate move, Zel has also improved its standing with its environment closer to home by setting up Connective, a non-profit organisation designed to benefit Brighton's community, environment and culture.

"Brighton is a very artistic and talented place and pubs are a great platform to promote artists, musicians and poets," said Gavin. "A lot of pubs are being ripped apart and revamped with little regard for the local community and have lost sight of what a pub's role is all about."