COOL 2012, Compostable Organics Out
of Landfills by 2012,
As communities work to decrease
greenhouse gas emissions, the first place to look is in the garbage can. Every
day, communities across the U.S. send tens of thousands of trucks
to bury biodegradable materials such as paper products, food scraps and yard
trimmings. These materials amount to half of our discarded resources. When
buried in a landfill, those lettuce heads, grass clippings and paper boxes don’t
just break down as they would in nature or in a compost pile. They decompose
anaerobically, without oxygen, and in the process become the number one source
of human-caused methane and a major player in climate
change.
There’s no time to lose in cutting
methane.
We’re facing a rapidly closing window of
opportunity before greenhouse gas emissions reach a tipping point and the
effects of global climate change severely alter life on earth. Carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions from vehicles and utilities have been identified as major
culprits. However, the emerging story in the fight against global warming is the
tremendous and previously underestimated impact
that methane has as well. Methane is now
understood to be 72 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year period. This means
our landfills emit the greenhouse gas equivalent of 20 percent of U.S.
coalfired power plants every year!
Meanwhile, back on the
farm…
Intensive farming and shortsighted land
use management have been spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere for more
than 100 years. This contributes to one-third of the increase in atmospheric
CO2, while stripping our soils of carbon and other essential nutrients. Rather
than applying organic material to replenish the soil, modern industrial
agriculture relies upon huge quantities of polluting petroleum-based,
energy-intensive, greenhouse gas-generating fertilizers to produce crops on
declining lands. Soils hold twice the carbon stocks of plants. Releasing this
carbon through tilling means the soil now contributes to, rather than protects
against, global warming. It also compromises the ability of soil to grow our
food. We’re wasting the very carbon
and nutrients our soils so desperately need to sustain our
society.
COOL 2012 Campaign:
While we work toward longer-term,
challenging solutions like shutting down coal-fired power plants and taking cars
off the road, the easiest, first step that can produce significant climate
results RIGHT NOW is to STOP landfill-produced methane. Simply by getting COOL — Compostable
Organics Out of Landfills — by 2012, we can prevent potent methane emissions AND
build healthier soils. Taking the COOL step replenishes carbon stocks and
supports sustainable agriculture, yielding healthier foods for our population.
The technology exists, the need is certain and the time to act is
NOW.
It’s easy to be COOL by
2012.
Be a COOL2012
Sponsor!
SUPERCOOL —
$5,000
• Your logo in large font on COOL 2012
website with a 25 word description of company and/or organization — plus a
website link for one year.
• Your logo on letterhead used for press
releases for one year.
• Your logo on COOL 2012 exhibit booth
signage and handouts at BioCycle, state and national conferences for one
year.
• Your logo will appear on all COOL
workshop materials and in-room signage (minimum of three workshops or for one
year, whichever is longer).
• Your logo on COOL 2012 advertisements
in BioCycle, the leading magazine in the composting industry, for one
year.
• Your participation heralded on the
GreenYes Listserve, which is GRRN’s online community of over 800 active
participants of key recycling professionals, activists and
decision-makers.
• Credited as a founding
sponsor.
TotallyCOOL —
$1,000
• Your name on list of COOL 2012
sponsors to appear on website for one year.
• Your name on list of COOL 2012
sponsors handed out at workshops (minimum of three workshops or for one-year,
whichever is longer).
• Announcement of your participation on
the GreenYes Listserve, which is GRRN’s online community of over 800 active
participants of key recycling professionals,
activists
and
decision-makers.
COOL —
$500
• Your name on list of COOL 2012
sponsors to appear on website for one year.
To Sponsor,
Contact Linda Christopher at
GrassRoots Recycling Network — linda@no.address — or email us at
getcool@no.address
COOL 2012 Compostable Organics Out
of Landfills by 2012
www.cool2012.com
Ricanthony@no.address
RichardAnthonyAssociates.com
San Diego,
California