Sunset House's My Bar Goes Green

One thing most can say about visiting the Cayman Islands is that the need for a cool tropical beverage is often at hand. And up until now, it's been standard practice to serve those drinks in disposable plastic cups.

But as of early this year, Sunset House, and it infamous bar, My Bar, along with a few other venues on island have started carrying Greenware.

(My Bar received Best of the Caribbean 2006 fame from Caribbean Travel and Life late last year)

The significance of this product is far reaching as it takes petroleum completely out of the equation. That's because Greenware is made entirely of corn. The cups and lids are thermoformed out of Nature Works polylactic acid, a polymer derived from corn starches. Polylactic acid is produced by isolating the starch stored in corn kernels, which is then stored into sugars. During a process of fermentation and separation, the sugars become lactic acid, which is used to create the plastic polylactide.

Unlike petroleum–based plastic, the resources used to make Greenware are 100 per cent renewable. And Greenware breaks down. Under ideal composting conditions, the cups break down completely into entirely natural molecules in only 50 days.

Adrien Briggs, owner of Sunset House knew it was the right move.

"As a diving resort, Sunset has always tried to protect the environment and this fits perfectly," he says. "Considering the cost, this is a product that every business on the island should be using. It's benefiting the island and reducing its cost, will be a fantastic incentive for all the island's bars and restaurants."

The price is comparable to that of conventional plastic, but it's environmentally friendly, especially in a place like Cayman where there is no plastic recycling or a proper landfill.