[greenyes] Conference Recycling

[Mary Appelhof <mappelho@no.address>]

Lisa Lynn Anderson said this in reference to a coming conference in Fort Worth:

"A client wants to hold an eco-friendly event . . . Recycling programs are
a great place to begin and often an indicator of how well the hospitality
industry is poised to work with us."


We held a conference back in the mid-80's, "Waste is not Waste Until 
it's Wasted," (compliments to Mary Lou Van deVenter)to turn back 
attempts to site an incinerator in SW Michigan. Paul Connett was a 
keynote speaker. We used porcelain plates and cups and real 
silverware with paper napkins for the buffet lunch we served. (Had to 
make arrangments for washing the dishes in an approved kitchen over 
at Wesley House.) Had buffet tables with the food. No condiments in 
little plastic packages. Had containers labeled Worm Food for the 
plate scrapings.

We had only 12 pounds of food discards from the meal for 150 people. 
If I had thought about it more, I would have had participants put the 
paper napkins in with the food discards. Anyhow, fed my worms with 
the discards. They produced castings that I used to fertilize an 
African Violet which I displayed at my booth at the following year's 
Recycling Conference. Called the concept "Closed Loop Recycling," 
where food discards from one year's conference became decorations for 
the next.

Contrast that to a Sustainable Business luncheon I attended this 
week: Styrofoam plates, cups, plastic tableware wrapped in plastic. 
Waste baskets full of plastic crap all mixed with food waste and 
condiment packages. Real Progress, eh? (The organizers said they were 
told by the caterer that plastic and styrofoam would not be used, but 
when it was delivered, that's what they got and it was too late to 
change."

Good for you, Lisa Lynn, to help current planners do a better job.

Mary Appelhof

--
Mary Appelhof, Author of "Worms Eat My Garbage"
Flowerfield Enterprises,10332 Shaver Road,Kalamazoo, MI 49024 
PH:269-327-0108  FAX 269-327-7009

"Changing the way the world thinks about garbage"

The Russian Worm Connection featured  in  WormEzine. Access at 
http://www.wormwoman.com