Electricity and Chemical-free Cafe

Location: 684 Tongil-ro, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul 

Open Hours: Wed-Sat: 11:00-17:00 

If you have any interest in protecting the environment, the Electricity and Chemical-free Café located at the entrance of Innovation Park is the perfect place for you. It looks like a small cabin in the woods right out of a fairy tale. Imagine a café without electricity - no Wi-Fi, no laptop, and no electric outlets. This is far from what normally comes to mind when we think of a café. The café’s walls are made of straw and soil, and the roof and floor are insulated against heat with eco-friendly materials. By looking at this process, we can see how this café has tried to lower its waste output. It does not have a roasting machine, making the time to prepare a cup of coffee longer. In contrast to the fast pace of modern society, the time in this place goes by slowly and peacefully.

 

Bottle Factory

Location: 26 Hongyeon-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 

Open Hours: 11:00-22:00 / Closed on Sun 

We continuously use disposable products in our daily lives. Thus, most of us are accustomed to using plastic cups and straws when we go to a café. However, at Bottle Factory, we are free from that dependence and can think more about protecting the environment. Bottle Factory does not use plastic products at all, so if you want to take a drink out, you should bring your own tumbler or borrow one from the café. There are two benefits when you sign up for the “Bottle Club”: you can borrow a tumbler whenever you want, and get a 500 won discount on your drink. You can also have fun choosing between various tumblers displayed on the shelf. After enjoying your drink, you can return the used tumbler in the return box that is hung at the entrance. Drinking coffee without a straw and using a tumbler are things that we don’t habitually do. However, they are worthy challenges to reduce waste. The amount of trash we produce is greater than we think, so one small act will be a big help to all living things on Earth. 

 

Zero Waste Shop Ji Goo

Location: 16, 1-gil, Seongdae-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul

Open Hours: 12:00-21:00 (Last Order 20:30) / Closed on Mon 

After shopping, we have a lot of garbage along with our purchases: wrappers, boxes, and plastic bags. The waste that is produced in our daily lives is gradually damaging the earth. In order to ameliorate these issues and prevent further environmental destruction, a café called Ji Goo opened. Its name means ʻearthʼ, and it doesnʼt use any disposable packaging containers. With the aim of reducing waste, they also sell eco-friendly products as well as fresh fruits and grains without unnecessary packaging. It is recommended to bring a cotton bag or glass jar to pack them, although the store is prepared to provide shoppers with paper bags. In addition, they sell eco-friendly detergents, bowls, and various kinds of straws made of stainless material, silicon, and paper. These changes to our normal routine may be troublesome, but they are worth it for the sake of the environment. 

이 기사를 공유합니다
저작권자 © 한양저널 무단전재 및 재배포 금지