USCC Prepares for New Era!

With the foodservice (and other industries) embracing diversion of organics from landfills to composting and other permitted uses, the USCC has a major role to play as the tides shift from landfill hauling to source-separated organics collection.

Michael Virga

Effective September 16, 2011 Michael Virga took the helm of the U.S. Composting Council as Executive Director.   With his extensive trade association and private industry background, Michael has the necessary experience and depth to develop new programs and initiatives that will propel the USCC into a new era.  In the past Michael served in executive positions at trade associations as well as private companies including the American Forestry and Paper Association, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Green Solutions and Lyon's Pulp and Paper.


With the upcoming Zero Waste Zones national expansion announcement, Elemental Impact is excited to work closely with the USCC on creating an environment where source-separated organics collection is easy, makes solid business sense and common practice.


Note the next POWER - Perishable Organics Waste to Energy Recycling - is scheduled as a session at the USCC Annual Conference, January 17 - 20 in Austin, TX.  The session topic is the Current Organics Scenario: The Successes & Challenges.  Stay tuned for more details on the POWERful session.


Welcome Mike!

GPI Issues Executive Summary on Glass Recycling Survey

On September, 15, 2011, the Glass Packaging Institute issued an Executive Summary of their Survey of U.S. Glass Container Recycling Programs for Bars, Restaurants and Hotels.  The in-depth telephone survey included ten bar, restaurant, and hotel glass container recycling programs in eight states (CA, CO, IN, MO, NC, OH, TX).  Of the programs surveyed, four were initiated by a hauler/recycler or glass processor, another four by the city or county and two were started by a bar/restaurant or hotel.


In addition to collecting data on containers and processes, economics and logistics, the survey also identifies the following eight best practices:

1. Build partnerships that utilize and advance the local economy.
2. Ensure sufficient participants for economic feasibility.
3. Do not underestimate "set-up" time and personnel requirements.
4. Consider separate glass collection for a closed loop system.
5. At a minimum ensure cost-neutral economics.
6. Work with a collection team dedicated to glass quality.
7. Match storage containers, collection vehicles, and participants.
8. Keep inside collection containers adaptable and clearly marked.

“The glass container industry has always known that bars, restaurant, and hotels are a source for high-quality recycled glass. And this survey provides some details and best practices that we hope will encourage more communities to assist local foodservice and hospitality businesses recycle their glass bottles,” says Lynn Bragg, GPI president.


With the Zero Waste Zones ready for national expansion, it is promising to witness the growing awareness of separated glass collection for the most efficient, effective programs.  The zones provide route density to aggregate sufficient bar|restaurant|hotel collection stops for a glass recycling program to make economic sense.

Stay tuned as an Atlanta separated glass collection pilot is in the exploratory stage with the goal to create a template for other cities to implement.

New ZWZ Site is LIVE!

The Zero Waste Zones site is live!  With the ZWZ national expansion plans gearing up for a late fall announcement, a separate site was important to clearly communicate program parameters and other pertinent information.


Thank you to the ZWZ website team for their dedicated work on creating the excellent site.  Team members: Mark Anderson of LivePage Cafe, Lee Thompson of Thompson Creative, ZWZ Director Holly Elmore,  ZWZ Program Director Susan Montgomery, ZWZ Administrative Support Roshni Patel and Kelly Hornbuckle.


An example of new copy on the site is the Bring ZWZ to Your Community page.  With the expanded navigation, the team has the flexibility to develop content depth and diversity - stay tuned!


Check out the site and give us your feedback.

ZWZ Blog Tops 20,000 Views!!

Yippee - Sometime in the wee morning hours the ZWZ Blog received its 20,000th page view!  


With an escalating page view rate, the ZWZ Blog is a strong communication tool for the shifts in corporate disposal systems.  Supported by the Elemental Impact FaceBook album, the blog documents the milestones achieved on the journey to embrace recycling and recognize the value of materials previously sent to landfills as trash.


For a concise recap of the milestone events, players and ACTION that make the ZWZ vision a reality visit the ZWZ Milestone page.


In partnership with the National Restaurant Association Conserve program, the Zero Waste Zones program is monumental and important as a catalyst to mobilize the foodservice industry to embrace zero waste initiatives.  National expansion plans are in the works with the announcement staged for later this fall. ... Stay Tuned!

ZWZ Participants Do More than Avoid Landfills

Zero Waste Zones Participants are astute business professionals whose sustainable operating practices make solid business sense and extend well beyond zero waste initiatives.  It is inspiring to hear the tales from their journey of creating new operating standards for the corporate community.


Here are a few examples of ZWZ Participant endeavors:

Chef Ahmad at the Affairs to
Remember Herb Garden

Chef's Gardens - A common theme on the SC Hospitality Association ZWZ Tour was chef gardens at the foodservice establishments.  See the ZWZ Blog posts, ATL ZWZ Team Hosts SC Hospitality Tour, for details on the tour and Chef Gardens:~ A Tasty Way to Close the Loop for a 2010 blog post about chef gardens.  Note the Chef Gardens post was the catalyst for the reporter's pitch on Chef Micah Willix's CNN story - see Yippee - Chef Micah at Ecco is World Famous! for the post on the story.


Local Food - Most participants are passionate about using the highest quality ingredients,  grown locally if feasible.  ZWZ Participant FreshPoint, one of the nation's largest produce distributors with an Atlanta regional distribution center, began its local farm focus in 2008.  For many participants their corporate policy does not permit purchasing directly from local farmers, mainly for insurance and food safety concerns.

For large purchasers, like Georgia Tech, it is important for the produce company to address  the common challenges of consistency and available quantity associated with local purchasing. By working directly with the farmers, FreshPoint is able to mitigate these challenges.  Earlier this year, FreshPoint introduced Eat Southeast Fresh with a Meet the Farmers website to acquaint their customers with the farmers.  There is also a hard copy version available.

Parsley's Solar Panels

Solar Power - In July, 2008 Parsley's Catering installed solar panels at their Kennesaw event facility.   The solar panels are a 1.3 KW system and provides about 8% of  the facility's energy consumption.  As an early pioneer, Parsley's owner Marc Sommers was an active Green Foodservice Alliance member when the ZWZ program was in its infancy. In April 2011, Parsley's received the Two-Star Award from the Green Restaurant Association program.

Sheraton's EV
Charging Station

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations - The Sheraton Hotel Downtown Atlanta is the first Atlanta hotel to offer electric vehicle charging stations complimentary in their parking garage.  Read the IMPACT Blog post, Sheraton POWERS New Energy & Identity, for details on the Sheraton's green commitment in front-of-the-house operations and behind the scenes.


Recycling Beyond the Common - While hosting Microsoft's TechEd Conference (10,200 attendees) earlier this year, The Georgia World Congress Center made the extra effort to secure donation of leftover conference supplies to local organizations. A total of 1,000 backpacks, 600 t-shirts, 60 polo-style shirts, 1,000 pens/pencils, 500 notebooks, 800 water bottles and 2,000 lanyards were distributed from the event to local schools and charities.   Read the ZWZ Blog post, GWCC Hits Recycling Strides, for an impressive summary of their sustainable practices.


Green at the Core - From Radial Cafe's tagline, small carbon footprint | big local flavor, it is clear sustainability is at the foundation of their business model.  When he opened Radial Cafe in 1999, founder Phil Palmer was a forerunner in the local and sustainable movement and set the standard for Atlanta to follow.  Under Phil's reign Radial was the first Atlanta restaurant certified under the Green Restaurant Association program.  With the baton passed to Frank Bragg, Radial continues the march to its green tune and was awarded a coveted three-star Green Restaurant Association award this spring.


Some of Radial's other operational changes under Frank's direction include replacing its dishwasher with an Eco-Star rated, low-flow dish machine that uses environmentally-friendly chemicals and switching to BPA-free printer paper and other products. BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1960s. “We don’t use plastics in our restaurant, and recent findings have confirmed that was a smart move for many reasons,” added Frank. “The National Toxicology Program at the Department of Health and Human Services says it has some concern about the possible health effects of BPA on fetuses, infants and children, and that’s not risk we are willing to take.”


It is an honor to work with these dedicated professionals. Stay tuned for more tales from the adventure to the new business paradigm! 

Kudos to Atlanta

Midtown, City of Atlanta
Home of ZWZ-Midtown

In a recent mattermore blog post, Atlanta Gets Kudas as a Zero Waste City, author Sebrina Zerkus Smith cheers Atlanta for creating the Zero Waste Zones in 2009 and ties ZWZ to Mayor Reed's goal of making Atlanta a top ten sustainability city by 2020.


With many of her facts from the 2009 ZWZ launch press information, the blog post signifies the important role ZWZ plays in Atlanta's perceived green image and actual sustainability rankings.  With the ZWZ regional expansion plans underway (see ZWZ Blog post, ATL ZWZ Team hosts SC Hospitality Tour), the ZWZ Team is preparing for a major November national announcement in partnership with the National Restaurant Association.


In February, 2011 the NRA announced their collaboration with Ei|ZWZ at the ZWZ Two-Year Anniversary Press Conference (see the ZWZ Blog post, ZWZ Garners National Support).  Working closely with Chris Moyer, NRA Conserve Program Manager, the ZWZ program is in the evolution process to a NRA program in partnership with Elemental Impact.  The November announcement is an opportunity for Atlanta to blaze her shining sustainability star as the ZWZ birth place.


With sustainability a major component to business decisions for corporate headquarter, convention and major sporting & entertainment event locations, the ZWZ program sends an impressive message supported by solid metrics to the business community and the media.  ZWZ cities will have a competitive edge in decision making processes that impact its economic vitality.


Kudos to Atlanta for coming forth with a pioneering spirit in sustainability!

Life in the RE-World, a 20 Year Celebration

The Georgia Recycling Coalition celebrated their 20th Anniversary Conference at the King & Prince on St. Simon's Island with a stellar program.  Life in the RE-World - REuse, REclaim, REcover, REduce, REthink, RECYCLE - was the theme at the well attended conference.

Kimberly Reeves & Gloria
Hardegree @ registration

GRC Executive Director Gloria Hardegree knows how to orchestrate a fantastic conference, from creating an excellent educational program, to attracting national corporate leaders as keynote speakers and plenary session panelists to choosing a beach front conference site.  With the "Parade of Presidents" scheduled for the closing GRC Annual Membership Meeting, many of the organization's early supporters were in attendance and told some great stories.

Jim Hanna 

Jim Hanna, Starbuck's Director of Environmental Impact & Global Responsibility, gave a fantastic  morning keynote presentation about Starbuck's environmental stewardship, including an update on their ongoing research for disposal options of their famous cup.  With a wide range of pertinent topics, attendees were educated on local and national programs in various stages of execution.  For the conference agenda along with supporting PPT presentations, visit the GRC Conference page.


For a pictorial recap of the conference visit the Elemental Impact FB album, 08-22 GRC Conference.


In addition to industry education, the GRC Conference is an excellent networking opportunity where long-time friends REconnect and new bonds are formed.  The camaraderie and genuine friendships among attendees is inspiring and instigates new adventures in the RE-World.