Waste

How to jettison yourself from the wastefulness of conspicuous consumption.

Waste

• The NY Times reports (5/29/2018):  “After China banned used plastics this year, many municipalities in the United States no longer accept plastics numbered 3 to 7, which can include things like yogurt cups, butter tubs and vegetable oil bottles. Look at the bottom of a container for a number inside a triangle to see what type it is.”

Zero Waste

• Seven Generations Ahead is a non-profit in Oak Park, IL promoting sustainable and healthy communities through partnerships, programs, conferences and workshops. This is their before- during- and-after guide for a zero-waste event.
• Green Mary, based in Napa, CA consults on and manages green events, from recycling/composting stations with personnel to green food vendor outreach to tracking and reporting what was diverted from the landfill. Her website provides a good overview of all the aspects to consider in producing a truly green event.
• Book: Sustainable Event Management: A Practical Guide/2nd edition by Meegan Jones . See table of contents for in-depth list of all topics to consider.
• UC Santa Cruz Zero Event Guide: Tips from UC Santa Cruz Zero Waste Team on planning zero waste events and tracking diversion rates. Their goal is for UCSC to achieve Zero Waste by 2020.
• EcoCycle: One of the largest non-profit recyclers in the US, and located in Boulder, CO, their website gives short, to-the-point information on basic materials needed (compostable tableware, compostables collection containers, signage, etc.) and speaks to the importance of using a commercial composter.
• The Story of Stuff Project started in the San Francisco Bay area with the 2007 online viral sensation The Story of Stuff. Now The Story of Stuff Project has grown into a movement working to shift the way we make, use and throw away “Stuff” in our consumption-crazed culture. Their 9 solutions-focused, award-winning animated films have garnered millions of views and inspired hundreds of projects around the world. Their 4-week Citizens Muscle Boot Camp program gives participants the skills to organize and lead local projects.
• Gary Liss and Associates, in Loomis, CA, has decades of experience helping communities and companies achieve greater waste diversion. Gary Liss is president of the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council, on the boards of the Zero Waste International Alliance and The Grass Roots Recycling Network, and on the Sierra Club National Zero Waste Team
• ZeroWasteUSA.org, in the San Francisco Bay area, aims to facilitate a transition to a world without waste — “No Waste, No Burn, No Toxics”. In world-wide collaboration with groups and individuals, Zero Waste USA provides in-depth training programs (including case studies of work being done in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin and Ft. Collins); organizes events; offers resources, tools and strategies and maintains a network of speakers and organizers to assist communities in their pursuit of Zero Waste.