HOSTING ZERO WASTE EVENTS
by Jennifer Tacheny and Karen Olson, Earth Partners
A zero waste event focuses on conserving and recovering materials for later use rather than destroying them.
Last June, POWER Summit, a program of Celeste’s Dream, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Consociates was a zero waste event. POWER Summit takes place at Carondelet Center, therefore, communication with Carondelet Center about the value and cost-benefits of a zero waste event was key in our success. Considerations for planning a large-scale, zero waste event such as POWER Summit include:
1. Using cloth napkins rather than disposable.
2. No paper placemats.
3. No disposable dishes.
4. *Collecting food scraps after each snack and meal. Most food scraps
went to our garden compost bin. Meat, bones, grease, whole eggs
and dairy scraps went into our industrial compost bucket which was
later brought to Eureka Recycling to be composted.
5. *All paper towels from bathrooms were also added to our industrial
compost bucket and taken to Eureka.
6. Using dry erase white boards rather than sheets of paper for presenter notes.
7. Minimizing handouts by posting speaker notes and other contact
information on our blog and facebook,
8. Ordering locally grown/sustainably raised food for all our meals.
9. Using lettuce and herbs from our community garden for daily meals.
10. Inviting participant to bring used t-shirt upon which to paint event logo
rather than ordering new t-shirts.
* Eureka Recycling currently picks up industrial compost from a few twin cities restaurants and plans to pick up more industrial compost in St. Paul in 2009.
In participant reviews of POWER Summit, our zero waste efforts received great
praise and appreciation. This effort was a visible example of our commitment to earth and sustainability.
The dedication of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Consociates Randolph Campus as an International Peace Site in 2008 was also a zero waste event. We used "Ecotainers" to hold our beverages and 100% biodegradable compostable trash bags to collect these containers after use. Our programs were printed on recycled paper products and leftovers collected to be recycled again. Since one of the major principles of our designation as an International Peace site is our stance on environmental protection, the designation as a zero waste event seemed fitting.
"Bio bags" for our trash are available at stores such as Whole Foods but, are also on the shelves at big box grocers like Cub. They are usually not stocked at eye level, so look up or down to find them. Cellulose based bags for personal lunch items are also available. The "Ecotainer" must be purchased in bulk and is available from javastock.com at the lowest pricing. "Ecotainers" can hold hot beverages and are made from renewable resources. They are petroleum free and are 100% compostable. Conventional paper cups have a lining made from petroleum and may contain chlorine. The "Ecotainer" is chlorine free and the lining is 100% corn based and the paper of the cup is made from trees harvested sustainably.
Most of these products are now competitively priced as demand has increased their supply in today's market, proving that every day can be earth day.
Planning a zero waste event takes a bit of energy and creative thinking and it’s well worth it in the end.
To learn more about zero waste and how the city of St. Paul sets a goal to be zero-waste by 2020, visit http://www.eurekarecycling.org/
