As I mentioned last time, I may be a bit annoying about recycling. (I may be annoying in general, but that is for a different blog site) I promised that I would write a bit about the steps that Catalyst Ranch has taken to reduce our carbon footprint, create less waste, and use less energy.
In the past we have written about our transition to LED lights from CFL bulbs in Easy Being Green, so I will skip that part. One other thing that we did was start an initiative to purchase and use a compactor for our trash and recycling. The concept is simple: smash trash down to a smaller size, thus creating less space in the landfill, and less trips to the landfill, reducing the need for fossil fuels to transport it. The smashing idea is not novel, as waste removal companies have been doing it for a long time. We took it a step further here, asking our neighbors in the building to be a part of this, also reducing their impact on the environment.
We also do not use plastic single-serve water bottles, opting instead to use pitchers of filtered water for our clients. When we have foodstuff leftovers, we put them in Biobags, which are made of corn and completely biodegradable. And grease or things of that nature are disposed of in the empty plastic containers that our snacks come from. And anyone who was been to the Ranch knows that Eva re-purposes many things, from furniture and artwork to mugs for pen cups and glass jars for drinking cups and flower vases.
Going forward, one of the things I am most excited about is the prospect of composting our own food and paper waste, but I will hold off on that for right now.
Instead, I will discuss a bit about our caterer, Big Delicious Planet, and some of their initiatives. The owner, Heidi Moorman Coudal, now has a gardener on staff. They have created an urban oasis out of a vacant parking lot. They have a vertical garden, along with beautiful wooden plant beds. You can find some pictures of the progress on the Big D Facebook page here!
This will help provide fresh fruits and vegetables, and spices and garnishes for their clients (us and you!). The kitchen at Big D creates a healthy amount of food waste, and they have elected to use an Aerobic composter, which relies on a higher temperature inside the pile to create the usable bi-product. After a few weeks, the compost becomes a nutrient-rich fertilizer for their garden. This cycle can repeat itself indefinitely, thus giving back to the earth from whence it came. So gratifying, isn’t it? Kudos to Big D for taking these steps and providing an example we can all take a page from.
John Leen is Catalyst Ranch’s Operations Manager, A.K. A. Johnny Rotten and Leen Been. For more info about him, visit our staff page.
