For EAV Restaurants, Every Day Is Earth Day

By Jeffrey Brower
For Earth Day, the Gravity Pub, N’awlins Restaurant, and the soon to re-open Glenwood got their parking lot cleaned up by one of their mutual business partners. All three restaurants use a company called Greenlight Bio-fuels to recycle their used cooking oil into bio-diesel. Greenlight also works with Holy Taco, the Flatiron, Happy Donuts, and the new Hook Fish and Chicken in East Atlanta.
Lance Gwaltney, a Greenlight representative, said, “We’re an environmental company. We do wind, wave and solar power in addition to bio-diesel, so what’s cleaning up a parking lot for a few of our best customers?”
N’awlins owner Frank Capobianco has been using Greenlight’s services since he opened six months ago and was not surprised by the parking lot cleanup. He thinks it is typical of East Atlanta, which he fondly compares to his hometown, New Orleans. Capobianco grew up in the restaurant business and has been practicing sustainable efforts for decades. At N’awlins, he continues what he learned in some of New Orleans’ biggest and busiest restaurants, from the food to the recycling.  Recalling the Gulf oil disaster of last year, Capobianco is proud to report that Gulf oysters, which are sustainable and safe, are back on the market. The oysters at N’awlins are farmed in the Gulf in protected pods that shielded them from the oil. Capobianco believes, “We can all do more,” when it comes to being green. He respects restaurants like the Radial Café and Ted’s Montana Grill for their green efforts.
Ed Dombrowski, the new owner of the Gravity Pub, started using Greenlight at his barbecue restaurant, J-Bones, in Mableton, GA. Dombrowski has always tried to be green and built one of his former restaurants out of recycled materials from an old house. Dombrowski has revamped the menu at the Gravity with new additions, including the barbecue from J-Bones. The day of the clean up, Dombrowski treated all of the Greenlight volunteers to beef brisket sandwiches, who all agreed they were better than any other barbecue joint in town. Along with his sons, Justin and Steven, Dombrowski is also revamping the Gravity Pub scene. A new music night on Thursdays hosted by Jeremy Ray, an East Atlanta resident, has proved a big hit. Dombrowski loves the neighborhood atmosphere and said, “Not only are neighbors coming in to see their neighbors play, but in some cases they jump onstage and get into the act. It’s great!”  In addition to music on most nights, the Gravity is planning trivia, poker, comedy nights, and new Sunday hours. Dombrowski insists even with these changes, “We are still EAV’s neighborhood bar.”
The folks at The Glenwood were impressed with Greenlight’s initiative and their commitment to the environment.  The Glenwood, which has always been known for its sustainable efforts, will continue to do so in its new incarnation. The food will still be locally sourced, but the fare will lean more towards comfort food. While closed, The Glenwood has undergone a substantial renovation that boasts a classic horseshoe shaped bar. The Glenwood is also planning some changes while keeping the things so many people liked. More live music and the addition of a league dart night are slated, but the open mic night will stay. The Glenwood is proud of their sustainability efforts and encourages people to look them up on the Web for discounts tied to their green marketing initiatives.    
Earth Day may only be one day a year, but here in EAV we are lucky to have restaurants that are making a difference every day.