Flipstones café : Most sustainable space in Ahmedabad

For years, as part of my work I have conducted many training programmes for various target groups to encourage them to have a sustainable lifestyle. A small effort of change in thinking, behaviour and doing goes a long way, I would always say. Many examples of being sustainable are known worldwide and there are many people, institutions and hotels, all doing their bit to preserve the environment. One such café in my hometown of Ahmedabad is wearing all the right hats and has taken sustainability very seriously and implementing it every day. I happened to visit it couple of days back and I cannot stop raving about how amazing the concept is. Read the Flipstones café review here.

The architecture and space of Flipstones café

Three friends talking about the lack of sustainability initiatives in Ahmedabad decided to take matter in their own hands and started Greenstraw.

Why two names?

Flipstones café is a brand under the Greenstraw umbrella which only serves food while Greenstraw is involved with a lot of other activities.

The friends envisaged it to be the perfect example of anything and everything sustainable. This included the building. They chose a house which was 50 years ago which could be uplifted to suit the café’s needs.

Nestled amongst Soni ni Chawl and walking distance from the Sabarmati Riverfront, the modern café is hard to miss with its green ambiance. The building was renovated using the local materials and using low VOC paints.

Eco-friendly products shop at Flipstones café

As soon as you enter the café premises, you will notice a small shop on the ground floor selling eco-friendly products ranging from bamboo toothbrushes to menstrual cups. The array of products will certainly motivate you to become eco-friendly by buying some of them.

Co-working and workshop space

On the first floor, there is a workshop space where a lot of sustainable workshops have taken place over the months. It also serves as a co-working space. Imagine working in a lovely space overlooking the Sabarmati riverfront and in-house café serving yummy snacks. All this at a very reasonable price!

The Flipstones café

The second and third floor serve as the Flipstones café. While second floor is a closed space opening in a small balcony, third floor is the terrace of the house. It has the most stunning views of the Sabarmati riverfront.

The café furniture is made from upcycled alang boats. The menu is printed over recycled paper and you are given a paper and pen to write your order. The menu is passionately curated food items which covers Italian and modern Indian cuisine. Order your food and play board games while you wait for the order to arrive.

Food at Flipstones café

The raw materials for food are mostly organic and locally sourced saving the costs of import. They use the freshest produce for authentic taste. Must try food recommendations are:

• Smoothie bowls
• Jacket Potato
• Purple Noodles
• Bagels
• Hot chocolate (one of the best in town)

Handling food waste

The café is a notch above everyone! While food joints across the city pay the local authorities to pick up food waste for disposal, Flipstones café uses leftover food from café and from kitchen preparation. The food scraps are composted using an organic composter – Kumbha. The compost generated after 2 months is utilized as manure for all the in-house plants.

The best part all of this information is also written on their menu to make the visitors aware.

Adopting plants

A lovely initiative in the café is of adopting plants. The café houses many plant pots which are all over the building. You can volunteer to adopt a plant and take care of its survival by regular watering. Be a green citizen and adopt a plant today.

Donate a book

In the world full of technology, books are unfortunately taking a backseat. The café however is trying to change that. An open library invited invites visitors to read from the existing collection of books or donate a book. You can even read the book in the café overlooking the lovely riverfront.

Overall I had an amazing time at the Flipstones café and knowing about their sustainability initiatives. If you haven’t visited this café yet, you must do today!

Disclosure – I was invited by Greenstraw and Flipstones café. However, all opinions in this post are unbiased and of my own.

Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links. It means it adds no extra cost to you if you book through the link but I get a referral bonus which helps me earn a little to keep this website up and running.

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