In the service industry, “sustainability” is about more than just reducing a bar or restaurant’s environmental impact – it’s also about creating and maintaining an industry-wide culture that prioritizes responsibility, inclusivity and long-term viability. Another Round Another Rally’s Rally for Tomorrow programming, which includes monthly mixers, Q&A sessions and grant opportunities, among other elements, helps bar and restaurant owners do just that, giving them the knowledge and resources they need to make meaningful strides toward a more sustainable, equitable service industry.
A key component of Rally for Tomorrow’s programming is its sustainability grants, which provide financial support to organizations promoting eco-friendly practices and equitable treatment in the field.
This year’s grants, sponsored by Pernod Ricard’s Bar World of Tomorrow and BarSmarts, total $50,000 and recognize three changemakers chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants. The following three grant recipients scored funds to finance their existing sustainability initiatives, implement new ones or both.
- Turning Tables, a Greater New Orleans-based nonprofit that advocates for sustainability and equity in the hospitality industry, secured $25,000 to help finance its innovative “Earn and Learn” workforce development program. The program assists aspiring Black and Brown beverage professionals from marginalized groups with technical training, networking, externships and job placement and educates them about smart sourcing, waste reduction and other industry-specific sustainable practices. Grant funds will also go toward expanding the sustainability initiatives recycling partnership between Turning Tables and Glass Half Full, financing childcare, affordable health care resources, mental health and other support services for both current students and alumni, and broadening the reach of the Bystander and De-escalation Training it offers in conjunction with safe bars.
- SAFE Bar Network, a national nonprofit, scored $15,000 to pilot a project to expand its programming focused on preventing overconsumption, harassment, and other forms of harm in Chicago with alcohol-serving establishments led by women and BIPOC hospitality professionals.
- Roc LA’s Culinary Hospitality Opportunities for Workers (CHOW) Institute, the third recipient of 2024’s Rally for Tomorrow Sustainability grant, secured $10,000 to enrich and expand its professional workforce development training for front- and back-of-house employees. This funding helps hospitality professionals land higher-paying, higher-prestige positions in exchange for college credit from the State University of New York (SUNY), and it also will also finance the addition of a new sustainability course to its curriculum.
“Turning Tables, SAFE Bar Network and Roc LA’s CHOW Institute are doing more than just lead by example,” said Another Round Another Rally’s Amanda Gunderson. “They’re also contributing to the betterment of the entire hospitality community. We’re proud of their achievements and supportive of their vision, and we eagerly anticipate seeing the ripple effect of their efforts.”
For more about Another Round Another Rally, its Rally for tomorrow programming and its ongoing efforts to enhance sustainability and equity in the service industry, check out AnotherRoundAnotherRally.org.