The Shop at 105 Degrees has many cool products- all distinctly thought out and sought after. To choose just one artist to mention was nearly impossible. So we decided to start with one of our favorite products, that we both sell in the shop and use in the restaurant.

The Glass Straw- by Glass Dharma. This eco friendly solution to a “plastic problem” is not only logical and cool- it happens to be aesthetically very beautiful and well designed. We chose the beautiful bended version to serve and sell- and customers are constantly impressed. (I think we are almost sold out!)

To mention the straw, we must mention the maker. We would like you to meet David Leonhardt. David brings us GlassDharma from the beautiful Mendocino coast in Northern California where he both works and lives with his wife Gail. After giving up his corporate life, David decided to “retire” to the beautiful coast to pursue a more peaceful existence. David worked as a lamp worker (glassblower) for over 10 years before deciding to change his glass blowing specialty to glass straws. David recognized the glass straw as something that is not only creative, but also incredibly useful and environmentally friendly. The goal of GlassDharma is not to focus on whether global warming is human caused or not, but to focus on ways to provide a positive impact. I bet you didn’t know that McDonalds serves an average of 52 million meals a day- if each meal only used one straw (doubtful) that would still be 52 million plastic straws a day! So even though plastic straws may seem like a minor problem in the grand scheme of things- it adds up. In a setting where re-use is an option, the glass straw is the perfect solution. And, how cool does it look to be sipping a smoothie or cocktail from a beautiful glass straw? Very. Another good reason good reason to use a glass straw? When you use a plastic straw in a hot beverage you are leaching harmful toxins into your beverage. Remember the “Don’t leave plastic water bottles in your hot car spiel?” Same thing.

Hemp Sleeves

Once we established that a glass straw is good for the environment and your health, we asked if a glass straw practical? It does sound potentially hazardous, and often the first question is, “Will it break?”

Several weeks after opening, 105 Degrees provides a sound example of the durability of these works of art. In a restaurant setting, glass inevitably breaks- between customer handling and commercial dishwashers, all glass gets a lot of rough attention. I can confidently say not a single straw has broken thus far and this is not because they haven’t been through a lot already. These straws have a lifetime guarantee.

The straw in our own Blueberry Lavender Lemonade

Cleaning? Easy. David and his company send a cleaning brush with each straw.

With heightened awareness on environmental issues, the door for new creative solutions and positive impact is wide open. It is an exciting time for art and design and the shop at 105 Degrees will continue to provide an outlet for cool people and their companies.

www.glassdharma.com