Eco-Chic Nightlife
By Justine Goodman, Nightlife Editor
Just because you're less like Al Gore and more like Amy Winehouse doesn't mean you can't help save the planet. These bars are leading the way toward a more eco-friendly New York nightlife scene by stocking organic products, curbing waste and conserving energy. So now you can drink 'til you turn green--literally and figuratively. Everybody wins!
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Oulu
170 N 4th St, Brooklyn, NY
We've always suspected bars were good for our health, and now one is actually helping us breathe easier. Approximately 35 panels of soil, each planted with green succulents, are screwed into this Billyburg bar's facade, creating a lush vertical garden. Since vegetation converts carbon dioxide into oxygen, our crack team of math geeks estimates that Oulu's green wall is large enough to produce oxygen for 46 people a year. -
Barcade
388 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Part beer-lover's paradise, part old-school arcade, this bar delivers '80s nostalgia without the kitsch factor--and without the use of excessive energy resources. That's because Barcade runs on 100 percent wind power, which uses no fuel and emits zero greenhouse gases. Translation: Brooklyn hipsters can play Frogger all day, completely guilt free. -
The Village Pourhouse
64 3rd Ave, New York, NY
The rowdy East Village spot may not be reducing the number of hammered frat boys on 3rd Avenue, but it is doing something to conserve resources. The Pourhouse uses only certified green cleaning supplies, launders all uniforms in-house to reduce emissions, carries organic booze brands like eco-friendly 360 vodka, and uses only recycled paper products (which are recycled again, along with all bottles)--even the toilet paper is 100 percent recycled. Seriously. -
COUNTER - Restaurant & Wine Bar
105 1st Ave, New York, NY
Environmentally minded foodies flock to this spot (a member of the Green Restaurant Association) for its organic, largely vegan menu. But Counter is also a model of eco-chicness when it comes to booze. A 300-strong wine list contains only organic, biodynamic and sustainable-certified bottles, and with 100 percent organic martinis and dozens of organic beers on the menu, your liver may incur some damage, but at least the planet won't.
