Charity begins at the pub: London bar seeks "most ethical" title

Employing the homeless and offering beer brewed from leftover bread, "The Green Vic" in London's trendy Shoreditch district is aiming to be the world's most ethical pub. Open for an initial three months, founder Randy Rampersad has secured enough funding to buy second-hand furniture, soap made by the blind, toilet rolls from recycled paper and drinks supplied by social enterprises that donate to charity.

He launched the project hoping to enable the average pub-goer to give to charity without having to change their daily routine. The pub employs the homeless and those with disabilities. Food is all plant-based and it avoids sending anything to landfill by recycling and composting. "Every single drink you buy goes towards a different charity," Rampersad, 35, told Reuters. "The soap in the toilets, the toilet paper, the staff uniform, all of them help either the homeless or give money back to charity as well."

The drinks menu has ties to over 40 different charities. For instance, a Brewgooder craft lager, for 4.90 pounds ($6.14), is produced by a non-profit organization that donates all its money to clean water projects in Africa. The Toast Ale, at 5.50 pounds, is brewed with fresh surplus bread.

Adopting the industrial chic interior design popular with many other bars in east London, the Green Vic is hoping to secure enough funding for a permanent location. It has so far had success in attracting customers keen to try out an alternative approach, in a neighborhood catering to students, artists, and tourists. "I've never been to an ethical pub before and I was interested to see what it was like," said John Rampton, 49. "I thought it sounded a good place to go."

($1 = 0.7987 pounds)

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