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Showing posts with label Annual Ei Partner Meeting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Annual Ei Partner Meeting. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Ei 2016: A Year of Recognition

Ei Partners traveled from across the
nation for intimate, powerful meeting.
On Thursday, November 17 Elemental Impact Partners, Friends, Supporters, Strategic Allies and Advisory Council Members traveled from across the nation to attend the Annual Ei Partner Meeting. It was a powerful day filled with education, updates, camaraderie along with great food and wine. Thank you HLB Gross Collins for hosting the meeting and reception.

 Ei Chair Scott Seydel welcomed the Ei Family with a reminder the meeting follows the Chatham House Rule. After introductions, Ei Founder Holly Elmore gave the annual Ei Year in Review presentation. In her opening slide, Holly summarized the past and current years as follows:
2012: Year of Accomplishments | Completions - in late 2012 the Zero Waste Zones (ZWZ) were sold to the National Restaurant Association catapulting Ei into a major metamorphosis.The ZWA Blog article, The NRA Acquires ZWZ, announces the monumental acquisition.
2013: Year of Transitions | Introductions - until fall 2013 Ei flowed within the metamorphosis stage. As the year drew to a close, the three-platforms approach emerged. The IMPACT Blog, Ei Emerges Strong from Metamorphosis, introduced the three platforms: Product Stewardship, Recycling Refinement and Water Use | Toxicity. The IMPACT Blog article, Another Year, Another Annual Ei Partner Meeting, recaps the formation of the new Ei three-platform approach for pilots and initiatives.
2014: Year of Foundations | Evolutions - in 2014 the platforms were grounded with initiative launches and supporting taglines. The IMPACT Blog article, Ei 2014: A Year of Evolution, provides a summary of the platform foundations. 
2015: Year of ACTION - in 2015 Ei lived up to its tagline: Sustainability in ACTION! The IMPACT Blog article, Ei 2015: A Year of ACTION, summarizes the empowering year.
2016: Year of Recognition - in 2016 Ei's important work was recognized in published industry case studies and Ei-hosted national conference panels. In addition, the Ei Blogs' following significantly increased and Holly was recognized as a respected journalist.
In her Year in Review presentation, Holly gave a synopsis of Ei recognition including a powerful speaking circuit at universities and national conferences:

 Colleges | Universities:
Holly speaking @ Ga Tech
photo courtesy of Scott Seydel
Ei-Hosted Panels @ Industry Conferences:
2016 U.S. Composting Council Conference
2016 National Zero Waste Business Conference (NZWBC)
Ei Team at USCC Conference
Industry Webinar:
U.S. Zero Waste Business Council:

  • Recycling: The Business Case co-presented by Ei Founder Holly Elmore & Container Recycling Institute President Susan Collins in December, 2016.
The ZWA Blog article, A Recycling or Contamination Crisis? an article series, was published to coincide with the Recycling: The Business Case webinar promotion. Important to the industry, the article garnered 800 views since its November 6 publication, a mere two plus weeks!

Intended article series topics include:
  • Waste Prevention – working within the value chain.
  • WE Consciousness | Culture – working together is key | top management buy-in is essential to creating a zero waste culture.
  • Hauler | Generator Responsibility - working together, hauler & customer craft recycling programs that generate clean streams and make solid business sense.
  • Clear Communication - educating employers and guests on proper placement for material and trash.
  • Local Infrastructure - working with grass roots recycling companies on flexible programs unique to the local end market.
Case studies validate accomplishments and serve as templates | encouragement for related organizations to follow suit. The week of the Annual Ei Partner Meeting, three Ei-related case studies were published: RayDay Embraces Path to Waste Reduction, Proven Steps Culminate Into Waste Reduction Success, and a Comparative Case Study: Plastic Film Recycling at Two Simon Malls.

Ei Partner NatureWorks published the RayDay Embraces Path to Waste Reduction and Proven Steps Culminate Into Waste Reduction Success case studies to showcase the 2015 Ei Zero Food Waste Journeys. Thanks to SMAT - Sustainable Materials ACTION Team - leadership, 2015 RayDay achieved zero food waste, including the caterer's food prep scraps. The ZWA Blog article, Simple, easy, proven steps culminate in zero food waste success, chronicles the RayDay accomplishment in alignment with the case study. 

The Proven Steps Culminate Into Waste Reduction Success case study highlights waste reduction at the 2015 Les Dames d'Escoffier International (LDEI) Atlanta Chapter’s prominent annual fundraiser Afternoon in the Country (AITC). Rainy, muddy event conditions showcased lessons learned necessary to build a solid, effective zero food waste template for annual events. The ZWA Blog article, Zero Waste Journeys: Successes, Challenges & Lessons Learned, supports the case study with event details.

Tonya Randell with Moore Recycling Associates attended the annual meeting to announce the Comparative Case Study: Plastic Film Recycling at Two Simon Malls release. Prepared by Ei on behalf of W.R.A.P. - Wrap Recycling Action Program, the case study chronicles the Charlotte plastic film recycling programs pioneered within the Sustainable Food Court Initiative (SFCI) - Shopping Mall Pilot. 

CM GM Ray Soporowski w/
his Orwak baler
Concord Mills (CM) launched their plastic film recycling program in August 2012 and SouthPark Mall a month later. Louis Herrera with Ei Partner Novolex (then Hilex Poly) was instrumental to crafting the mall plastic film recycling template. Ei Partner Orwak worked closely with CM General Manager Ray Soporowski on the on-site plastic film baling process.

For the case study ROI (return on investment) analysis, 2015 calendar year program stats were used. Tonya brought several hard copies of the case study published three days earlier.

Ei's pioneering role in commercial plastic film recycling is chronicled on the the Plastic Film Recycling website page. The Ei FB album, Source-Separated Materials Recycling: building a city-wide network, is a pictorial recap of the work-in-progress. Note the Plastic Film Recycling Template expanded to the Source-Separated Material Recycling Template.

In addition to the case study, Tonya presented on the WRAP successes and programs under development. Initiated by members of the American Chemistry Council's Flexible Film Recycling Group in partnership with GreenBlue's Sustainable Packaging Coalition and The Association of Plastic Recyclers, W.R.A.P.'s purpose is to reinvigorate plastic film recycling. The goal is to double recycling to 2 billion tons by 2020.

Within her Year in Review presentation, Holly welcomed two new Ei Strategic Allies: Recycle Across America and Second Helpings - Atlanta (SHA). The IMPACT Blog article, Ei Welcomes New Strategic Allies, includes an introduction to the organizations.

After lunch SHA Executive Director Joe Labriola gave a passionate presentation on SHA's impressive impact; SHA connects Atlanta's excess food with the city's hungry population. Joe began his presentation with the long-standing Ei | SHA partnership, dating back to 2009. As he closed the session, Joe included a slide on SHA's impact:
  • 125 pick-ups | deliveries per week.
  • 146,000 pounds of food rescued in October 2016, twice the amount rescued in October 2015.
  • 1,109,000 pounds of food rescued in 2016, a 62% increase over 2015
  • 5.700,000 pounds of food rescued since SHA was established in 2004.
Joe Labriola speaking at meeting
In Joe's words:

It took us 15 months to rescue 100,000 pounds of food. We’re doing that now every 25 days.

 The new Ei website launch was prominent within Holly's Year in Review.  With an entirely new format, the website home page is re-designed to include Holly's photos as the navigation base. Many new pages | sections are added to document Ei initiatives and work-in-progress. A prominent new section is Mission Accomplished, a collage of Ei endeavors considered complete via a sale, term expiration or simply mission accomplished:
In April 2016 the IMPACT Blog article, Ei: New Website, New Era!, announced the new website launch.

Within the Ei: Respected Media presentation section, Holly began with the escalating status of the Ei Blogs. Below are the quick overview blog stats:

The IMPACT Blog:
  • 95,000 pageviews
  • 120 published articles
  • Average 792 pageviews per article
  • Most popular article: Ei New Mission Statement (12/12) 2,845 views
The Zero Waste in ACTION Blog:

The ZWA Blog article, Ei Blogs: respected media & valuable industry resources, celebrates strong readership, acknowledges teamwork necessary to build the solid foundation, and details interesting reader analytics.


National trade associations are vehicles to educate the corporate community on the zero waste business value. In October two prominent industry trade associations - the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) and the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) - published front-cover zero waste articles in their October hard copy magazines.

For the ISM cover article, Full Circle, Supply management can play a key role in the circular economy, working with suppliers to eliminate waste and drive financial value, Holly served as an industry resource for the author. As a "thank you" the article ended with a prominent quote by Holly.

The NWPCA Pallet Central September | October issue cover article, Zero Waste Makes Good Business & Environmental Sense, was written by Holly on behalf of the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council (USZWBC). With three industry magazine-published articles, a new website page Ei-Published Articles was created.

For details on the national trade association articles, visit the ZWA Blog article, Zero waste moves from "best" to standard operating practices.


Holly's Fingertip Press moved from respected media to recognized journalist with the following invitation:
In early November the U.S. State Department invited Ei to join the invitation-only COP22 preview press conference call. Journalists from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times were among the respected, mainstream media on the call.
Since 2012 the USZWBC | Ei relationship evolved into a strong partnership, grounded in media, communication and education. The following is a brief synopsis of the evolution:
  • 2012 – Holly presented @ inaugural conference. 
  • 2013 – First Ei-hosted conference panel: Zero Waste is a Team Sport.
  • 2014 – Ei named conference media partner…. and more!
  • 2015 – Ei named USZWBC media partner.
  • 2016 – Ei wrote magazine cover article on behalf of USZWBC.
Stephanie Barger speaking at meeting
In the afternoon, USZWBC Founder & Former Executive Director Stephanie Barger gave an empowering update. Beginning with a focus on the USZWBC substantial certification and education program development, Stephanie followed with a focus on the strong Ei | USZWBC partnership. 

 In her closing remarks, Stephanie discussed the USZWBC and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) joining forces along with its industry implications. Effective November 1, Stephanie is the USGBC National Zero Waste Director.

 The ZWA Blog article, USGBC Empowers Zero Waste Industry: USGBC & USZWBC join forces, announces the monumental event.

Holly ended the Yr in Review presentation with an Ei: Global Reach section. In 2014 Holly was inducted into Lambda Alpha International (LAI), a global land economics honorary, and this year was appointed to the International Public Relations & Communications Committee. At the Fall 2016 Toronto Land Economics Weekend (LEW), Holly represented the Atlanta Chapter at the semi-annual LAI Executive Committee meetings.
Scott Seydel during his EMF update
The IMPACT Blog article, Toronto: crafting a livable city amidst staggering population shifts and growth, is a Toronto LEW overview with commentary on the powerful presentations and tours throughout the weekend. A LAI emphasis on livable cities flows with Ei focus areas.

Earlier in the fall, Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) CEO Andrew Morlet requested Ei support for the Biocycle Economy concept paper under development. The nutrient cycle within cities is integral to the Biocycle Economy. In addition, the paper addresses release of toxins into the environment, augmenting the Ei synergies.

In the afternoon, Scott gave an impromptu EMF update on their profound work within the Circular Economy and beyond. Scott serves on the EMF USA Board.

Boyd Leake speaking at meeting
City of Atlanta, Mayor's Office of Sustainability Senior Policy Adviser Boyd Leake opened the formal presentations for the meeting. In his overview, Boyd educated on the City's four initiative areas: 1> electric vehicles, 2> recycling, 3> urban agriculture and 4> municipal. Additionally, Boyd updated on the City's recent Rockefeller Foundation Grant and Stephanie Benfied's appointment to Chief Resilience Officer.

Following Boyd, Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) Director of Sustainability Tim Trefzer updated on the pending Georgia Dome decommissioning, Solar Arrays, the Energy-Saving Performance Contract and the potential new GWCC campus hotel. Tim's opening slide was a reminder of the GWCC | Ei longstanding partnership, beginning with the 2009 ZWZ Launch press conference. Due to the Georgia Dome's slated March 2017 decommissioning, the SFCI - Event Venue Pilot will shift to the GWCC.

 Tim reported the following impressive savings from October 2015 to September 2016 under the Energy-Saving Performance Contract:
  •  $983,849 of energy costs saved.
  •  $173,167 Georgia Power rebates.
  •  5,583,710 kWh of electricity saved.
  •  16,312,384 gallons of water saved.
  •  536,666 pounds (268 tons) of construction waste recycled.
David Paull during his presentation
photo courtesy of Scott Seydel
The morning session ended with a impressive presentation by Compost Wheels (CW) Founder & Chief Composting Officer David Paull. It was empowering to understand David's passion for rebuilding our soils, educating the youth, and creating a solid community-based food waste collection for compost system. Via a recent partnership with King of Crops farm, CW expanded their residential food waste collection business model to include the commercial sector.

Prior to lunch, Holly gifted attendees with sweet 'n savory bags filled with delectable homemade treats. An added bonus is a photo print from Holly's nature photography portfolio.

One of the Annual Ei Partner Meeting highlights is the excellent lunch filled with plenty of vegetarian options. As in the past, Chef Donald Stone "wowed" the partners with the amazing feast!

After lunch Donald switched chef jackets to his role as Georgia State University (GSU) PantherDining Executive Chef for a presentation on their exceptional sustainability commitment. Beginning with the downtown campus stats, Donald established GSU as a major contributor to Atlanta's economic vitality: 
Chef Donald Stone speaking
  • 34,000 undergraduate and graduate students
  • 2,000 staff and faculty
  • 8 schools and colleges offering
  • 61 buildings, spanning 71.79 acres
  • 3 dining halls, serving over 10,000 meals a day
PantherDining incorporates food waste prevention best practices within their daily operations: trayless dining with reusable serviceware, food served to students (vs. self-serve), condiment pump stations, individual napkin dispensers, and small batch production. To monitor and improve their food waste, PantherDining uses the LeanPath food waste smart meter system.

Biannually PantherDining hosts Plate Waste Parties to raise student awareness of post-consumer waste. Excess food meeting the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act is collected by student-driven Panther Food Recovery Network for donation to local agencies. Kitchen scraps and post-consumer food waste are collected for commercial compost.

Healthy dining is a top PantherDining priority with a dietitian on staff at each dining hall. In addition to Meatless Mondays, 20% of food offerings are vegan and 68% are vegetarian. When practical, PantherDining purchases from local businesses.

Wasabi arugula 
IMPRESSIVE: the PantherDining Freight Farm is an enclosed vertical farm system free of pesticides| herbicides with a 365-day growing system. The equivalent of an one-acre farm, the 256 growing towers produced 450 heads of lettuce in the first eight-week harvest. In October, Donald hosted Boyd & Holly on a PantherDining tour; the Freight Farm was the tour star!  At the meeting Donald shared samples of the Freight Farms greens - the wasabi arugula is beyond awesome!

It was empowering to learn the history of Ted's Montana Grill's (TMG) role pioneering sustainable best practices in the restaurant industry. The journey began with the Green Restaurant Revolution 2008 launch by Co-Founders Ted Turner and George McKerrow. TMG Sustainability & Purchasing Manager Paula Owens gave an excellent overview of TMG sustainability practices ranging from source reduction to small batch production to energy and water conservation.

Paula Owens during her presentation
Paula works closely with their supply chain to minimize transport package, ensure integrity within production processes, and purchase locally where feasible. In addition to their internal water conservation, TMG supports the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to offset a portion of their annual water usage. By funding water restoration certificates to restore their unavoidable water footprint, TMG helped restore over 12 million gallons of water in the Colorado River Basin over the past five years.

In her closing remarks, Paula mentioned TMG is evaluating an Ei Airborne Kitchen Grease (AKG) Initiative pilot in two of their metro Atlanta restaurants.

Since Ei Sustainer Jordan Salpietra of Grease Lock Filters (GLF) was unable to attend the meeting, Holly stepped into her "Jordan persona" for the Ei AKG Initiative update. A powerful year, GLF is in the midst of national installations of their proactive AKG system at Walmart | Sam's Club, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy's, McDonald's and more.

Though they are high profile and important for the initiative, national chains are only 10% of the U.S. restaurant industry; regional chains are 20% and single-operators comprise 70% of the restaurant industry. To service the single-operators and small chains, GLF developed an e-commerce site for filter on-line ordering and shipping. In first quarter 2017, the site is slated for roll-out within the Ei AKG City-Wide Template, which was announced at the 2015 Ei Annual Partner Meeting.  

Jim Harrell speaking at meeting
Another Water Use | Toxicity program, the Ei Cooling Tower Blowdown Initiative, gained significant momentum in the second half of the year. Renaissance Technology President Jim Harrell presented on the initiative premise | history along with two prominent case studies at Polk State College and the Tampa Data Center.

In the fall, the Ei Team met with the Mercedes Benz Stadium engineering department and TRANE on behalf of the GWCC. TRANE corporate is vetting the underlying WCTI technology for future guaranteed energy performance contracts. On November 14 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the SFCI - Airport Pilot and the busiest airport in the world!, issued a cooling tower RFP. The Ei Cooling Tower Blowdown Initiative was one of several organizations included in the RFP.

Holly donned a Michigan State hat as she stepped into her Ei Partner Rick Lombardo of NaturTec persona. Rick co-presented the 2016 NZWBC Macro Cost of Micro Contamination panel with Lia Colabella of Five Gyres Institute and was disappointed to miss the annual meeting.

Rick Lombardo & Lia Colabella
@ NZWBC
The NZWBC Macro Cost of Micro Contamination panel was a huge success! A prominent attendee confided in Holly "this was the BEST conference panel - I learned so much and I appreciate gaining visibility to such important issues!"

Micro level contamination yields tremendous hidden costs to communities, the environment and food chain systems. Though often not seen by the human eye, fragmented microplastic pieces are poison to our soils | water microbial communities as well as to fish, mammals, birds and most all life forms. 

Rick's presentation focused on the micro contamination in compost when petroleum-based plastics, versus certified-compostable plastics, are used for foodservice packaging and food waste bags. The fragmentation process results in tiny plastic pieces that may slip through the screening process into finished compost. Within the presentation, Rick explains the difference between bio-degradation and decomposition: TIME! 

For decomposition, complete assimilation within 180 days must occur in an industrial compost environment. There is no time constraint for complete assimilation within the bio-degradation definition. "Green washed" petroleum-based products with misleading to false claims are abundant. Thus, it is important for foodserivce operators to ensure products are BPI-certified compostable.

The ZWA Blog article, The Macro Cost of Micro Contamination, is an in-depth recap of the powerful NZWBC panel.

Greg Chafee speaking at meeting
Ei General Counsel Greg Chafee with Thompson Hine closed the formal presentations with interesting anecdotes from his renewable energy clients. What a great slide of Greg's work escapades:
A Life of Adventure….!
  • Moose Hunting at Minus 20 Degrees Fahrenheit
  • Passing the Peace Pipe in a Teepee
  • Driving a Rail Locomotive Across a Collapsing Bridge
  • Rappelling Down a Wind Turbine
In addition, Greg wove a closing synopsis of the empowering presentations throughout the day. Scott and Holly gave meeting closing comments.

 The wine reception following the formal meeting was an excellent time for Partners to chat in a relaxed atmosphere and continue discussions started during the meeting. Partners were treated to Holly's homemade gravlax with mustard dill sauce and her goat cheese cheesecake with grape compote. Chef Donald completed the reception with his excellent cheese & light hors d'oeuvres platters.
Group dinner @ Portofino
photo courtesy of Scott Seydel
Following tradition, the meeting festivities ended with a lovely dinner at Portofino. Superb food and wine brought forth the magic intertwined within the powerful presentations and dialogue throughout the day.

A big THANK YOU to University of Georgia seniors Samantha Eberhard & Mason Towe for helping out with the meeting administration. 

The Ei FB album, 2016 Ei Annual Meeting, is a pictorial recap of the monumental day. PPT presentations are soon available for download on the Annual Ei Partner Meetings page.

With the Year of Recognition coming to a close, the Ei Team is excited to move into expanded dimensions of impact! Stay tuned ...
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Thursday, November 26, 2015

Ei 2015: A Year of ACTION

Scott Jenkins presenting to
a full room
On Thursday, November 19 Elemental Impact Partners, Friends, Strategic Allies and Advisory Council Members traveled from across the nation to attend the Annual Ei Partner Meeting. It was a powerful day filled with education, updates, camaraderie along with great food and wine. Thank you HLB Gross Collins for providing the perfect venue for the meeting and reception.

 Meeting moderator Suzanne Burnes with Collective Wisdom Group opened the meeting with a logistics overview. From travels in India, Ei Chair Scott Seydel welcomed the Ei Family via video including a reminder the meeting follows the Chatham House Rule. After introductions, Ei founder Holly Elmore gave the Annual Ei Year in Review presentation. In her opening slide, Holly summarized the past and current years as follows:
2012: Year of Accomplishments | Completions - in late 2012 the Zero Waste Zones (ZWZ) were sold to the National Restaurant Association catapulting Ei into a major metamorphosis.The ZWA Blog article, The NRA Acquires ZWZ, announces the monumental acquisition.
2013: Year of Transitions | Introductions - until fall 2013 Ei flowed within the metamorphosis stage. As the year drew to a close, the three-platforms approach for Ei initiatives emerged. The IMPACT Blog, Ei Emerges Strong from Metamorphosis, introduced the three platforms: Product Stewardship, Recycling Refinement and Water Use | Toxicity.
2014: Year of Foundations | Evolutions - in 2014 the platforms were grounded with initiative launches and supporting taglines.
2015: Year of ACTION - in 2015 Ei lived up to its tagline: Sustainability in ACTION!
Within her presentation, Holly gave an overview of each platform, action within the platform and future plans. The IMPACT Blog article, Ei 2014: A Year of Evolution, gives an in-depth history of each platform foundation and serves as the 2014 Annual Ei Partner Meeting overview.

 In addition, Holly's presentation gave a road map of the action-packed meeting agenda. 

Arthur during his presentation
First on the program was Green Seal (GS) CEO & President Arthur Weissman who gave a GS overview, with a focus on the hospitality programs launched in Chicago & Los Angeles. In Chicago, the GS program is restaurant-oriented while the Los Angeles program is hotel-oriented. The final slide was Holly's favorite: Green Hospitality in Atlanta! 

 The audience was enthusiastic with many questions about the GS Hospitality Standards and how the GS program could augment Atlanta's strong zero waste history. There are several GS Certified Hotels in Atlanta to serve as leaders. 

 In addition, Ted's Montana Grill, the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) Georgia Tech (GT) and Affairs to Remember Caterers - all ZWZ Pioneers - associates at the meeting were enthusiastic to once again enter the sustainability frontier, as they did with the 2009 ZWZ Launch. City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Sustainability Zero Waste Manager Boyd Leake was impressed and eager to explore the City's role in a potential Atlanta GS Hospitality Program.

 Throughout the day, Arthur was an active meeting participant sharing his vast wisdom and expertise to vibrant dialogue on many subjects. As an Ei Strategic Ally, GS brings in-depth expertise from their 26 years certifying green products | services to the recent Ei Water Use | Toxicity Initiative announcements.

Cooling tower
Next on the agenda Ei Supporter Jim Harrell, Renaissance Technology president, announced the Ei Cooling Tower Blowdown Initiative, grounded in Water Conservation Technology International (WCTI) systems. In his presentation, Jim explained the cooling tower blowdown process and its tremendous water usage along with toxic chemical agents.

 Cooling towers water must be treated to prevent corrosion, scale and bio-fouling. Standard industry practices use toxic chemicals to treat the cooling tower water. Due to evaporation, the chemical balance becomes too concentrated and the remaining water is released into the sewer system via the blowdown process. 

 The Water Conservation Technology International system uses "nature's way" by removing all of the hardness in source water. Eliminating hardness prevents scale. As the water cycles up, sodium silicate naturally forms and the high pH creates a biostatic condition in the tower water. 

 RESULTS: no scale build-up along with effective control of corrosion and biological growth.Thus, the use of chemical additives and "blowdown" are eliminated, tremendous water is saved and water laden with toxic chemical additives is no longer released into the sewer system.

 Introduced in 2004, WCTI has a proven track record with prominent clients including Apple, Verizon, Microsoft, Boeing and Universal Studios.The ROI (return on investment) generally runs between six months to two years.

Via an Ei introduction, ATL is in the WCTI assessment process for the 2017 FY Budget, beginning July 1, 2016. If installed, ATL is staged to save an estimated 7 - 10 million gallons of water annually. The intent is for ATL to serve as a Lead Pioneer in the Ei Cooling Tower Blowdown Initiative along with formal City of Atlanta Office of Sustainability support.

AKG accumulation in kitchen
exhaust system ducts
Keeping within the Water | Use Toxicity Platform, Ei Sustainer Jordan Salpietra with Grease Lock Filters (GLF), announced the Ei Airborne Kitchen Grease (AKG) Initiative with a formal action plan. At prior Annual Ei Partner Meetings, the GLF system was introduced along with the campus-wide ATL installation approval. Ei Partner HMSHost approved a national GLF contract for their prominent airport and turnpike service center network.

With foodservice operator cost-savings well established, Jordan's presentation focused on how the current reactive kitchen exhaust system cleaning practices cause the accumulated grease to flow into the sewer system. A typical cleaning uses 350 - 500 gallons of water along with toxic cleaning agents to remove the grease. The greasy, toxic water is flushed down a kitchen drain, exceeding the grease interceptor | grease trap velocity flow by 12 times. Thus, the water flows directly into the sewer system where it congeals causing expensive maintenance.

 In his presentation closing, Jordan outlines the Ei AKG Initiative action plan's four stages:
Stage 1 is complete; the current focus is on building a city-wide AKG template. With Atlanta slated to serve as the Ei AKG Initiative Pilot City, the City of Atlanta Office of Sustainability issued the following Statement of Support:
The City of Atlanta, Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is pleased to support the Elemental Impact Airborne Kitchen Grease Initiative. Grease that is flushed into Atlanta’s sewer system creates significant harm to the City’s sewer pipes, wastewater system and treatment facilities, potentially leading to millions of dollars in equipment damage. In addition, airborne kitchen grease contributes significantly to the number of calls that the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department responds to each year.
The Zero Waste in ACTION (ZWA) Blog article, Ei Airborne Kitchen Grease Initiative, announces the initiative along with an overview of the four-stage plan.

Closing the morning session, ATL Facilities Director John Means presented on the sustainability initiatives at the busiest airport in the world. To give the Ei Partners a perspective on the magnitude of ATL's impact, John shared the following facts:
John during his presentation
  • Buildings - 8,500,000 sq. ft. valued at over $4.6 billion
  • Land - Over 4,700 acres
  • 2,500 flights per day
  • 9 miles of runways
  • 37 miles of sewer pipes
  • 30,000 parking spaces
  • 96 Million passengers/year
  • 63,000 employees
  • 650,000 tons of cargo
  • $32.5 Million impact on City of Atlanta
In 2014, ATL replaced all runway lights with LED Light resulting in $15,750 per month savings or 45.6% (177,670 kwh/mth vs. 389,400 kwh/mth) and less maintenance. Within a couple months of the LED implementation, Georgia Power visited ATL to research the dramatic electricity usage drop.

 John included the Ei AKG Initiative within the ATL Sustainability Successes. Once the GLF installations are complete, ATL will save an estimated 1.1 million gallons of water and prevent 45,000 pounds of grease from flowing into their sewer system. In addition, the Ei AKG Initiative prevents expensive roof damage and significantly increases fire safety.

Chef Donald 
As Chef Donald Stone of Chef D Cuisine set the amazing lunch buffet, Holly explained the contents of the homemade sweet 'n savory gift bags: dessert box with Holly's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookie, cranberry port oatmeal bar & triple ginger sparkler cookie, mini pumpkin bread loaf, small bag of spiced pecans, and mint pesto. An added bonus was a sampling of Holly's first printed photo note cards from her nature photography. ... and the note card paper is GS certified!


After lunch the program resumed with a series of industry updates as call outs and presentations. Mercedes-Benz Stadium General Manager and Green Sports Alliance (GSA) Chair Scott Jenkins gave a dual presentation. Starting with an update on the stadium's journey to Platinum LEED certification, Scott finished with the GSA's impressive growth and impact. The GSA boasts 300 professional | collegiate teams & venues members from 20 leagues in 14 countries.

In her presentation, U.S. Zero Business Council (USZWBC) Executive Director Stephanie Barger updated on their Zero Waste Business Facility Certification (ZWBFC) success since its March 2013 launch. The ZWA Blog article, Third Party Certification Edges Industry Towards a Zero Waste Economy, introduces the certification program along with detailed parameters; the Zero Waste: breaking down myths & establishing standards article features the ZWBFCs imperative industry role.

Stephanie during her
presentation
Stephanie emphasized the powerful USZWBC | Ei partnership; Ei is the National Zero Waste Business Conference (NZWBC) Official Media Sponsor and serves as the USZWBC Media Partner.The ZWA Blog article, Zero Waste Makes Good Business Sense, is an overview of Ei's prominent role at the 2015 NZWBC hosted in downtown Los Angeles.

 As the USZWBC Media Partner, Ei published 17 ZWA Blog articles to date. A true partner, the USZWBC actively promotes article readership within their network. With two exceptions, each article exceeds the blog average 680 pageviews; 7 articles exceed 1,000 pageviews!

 The 5th Annual NZWBC - Tuning Into Zero Waste - is June 1 - 4 hosted in Austin, Texas.

 Ei Partner Rick Lombardo with NaturBag gave the SMAT - Sustainable Materials ACTION Team - update. At the request of GWCC Director of Sustainability Tim Trefzer, SMAT members crafted a two-hour Compostable Food & Beverage Packaging Education Session for Levy Restaurants. Note Levy Restaurants has the foodservice contracts for the GWCC, Georgia Dome, Centennial Olympic Park, Philips Arena and the under-construction Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The ZWA Blog article, Compostable Packaging: integral to zero waste programs and soil rebuilding, recaps the well-attended session.

 In late summer, the World Chefs Association invited Ei to prepare the Waste | Recycling curriculum for their new Sustainability Course designed for international culinary schools. SMAT members researched and prepared the 50+ slide PPT presentation along with talking points, instructor notes and a glossary. The Sustainability Course pilot is set for first quarter 2016 with an international roll-out in the second or third quarter.

 SMAT provided support for the zero food waste journeys at RayDay and Afternoon in the Country annual events. A late afternoon session covers the journeys in detail. Rick represented SMAT at the 2015 NZWBC in May on the Source-Separation Maximizes Material Value panel moderated by Holly. Tim also presented on the panel.

Kim & Tim @ reception
As a sub-grantee under the EPA Scaling Up Composting in Charlotte, NC Grant to Ei Strategic Ally GreenBlue | Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), Ei traveled to Charlotte three times in 2015 for grant-related work. SMAT members were the support arm for Ei's grant work.

 Kim Charick with EPA Region 4 gave an excellent synopsis of the SPC EPA Grant with an emphasis on Ei's contributions. Within her presentation, Kim included many photos from the five 2014 | 2015 Charlotte visits. The following ZWA Blog articles chronicle the grant work | successes:


Next Tim presented on Positioning for Zero Waste: Source-Separated Materials & Sustainable Packaging featuring the GWCC | Ei close, long-term relationship. In his presentation, Tim reviewed work with Ei over the past several years leading up to their post-consumer food waste pilot at the Georgia Dome Club Level. For various reasons, the Source-Separate Materials Recycling Template Pilot is in a holding pattern with intentions to reignite work in mid-to-late 2016.

 Tim emphasized the importance of the Compostable Food & Beverage Packaging Education Session to creating a clean post-consumer food waste stream. Southern Roots, the new GWCC zero waste restaurant, is doing well and uses a three-bin waste station: recycling, food waste & landfill. Key to GWCC success is viewing waste as a resource.

Paula Owens
As an informal callout, Paula Owens, TMG purchasing and sustainability manager, gave an overview of the TMG Sustainability Commitment, with an emphasis on water conservation. Water-efficient toilets and waterless urinals in TMG restaurants save more than 40,000 gallons of water each year. Dining tables are covered with recycled brown butcher paper, which reduces detergent water waste in commercial laundry operations.

To complement the in-house water-saving practices, TMG partnered with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) via  investment in Water Restoration Certificates® (WRC). Through the WRC purchases, TMG helped restore 5+ million gallons of water to critically dewatered Colorado Basin tributaries. Additionally, the water restoration directly supported the local recreation-based economy and the needs of fish and wildlife during severe drought.

Travis with his camera @ AITC
ATR Director of Communications Travis Taylor shared the stellar ATR sustainability success story. As the first ZWZ Off-Premise Caterer, ATR surpassed the million pounds of material diverted from the landfill milestone in 2014. The ZWA Blog article, ... and the journey began with a delicious divorce from the landfill!, announces the City of Atlanta's proclamation of November 11, 2014 as "Affairs to Remember Day" in recognition of the material diversion milestone and gives an overview of ATR's sustainability platform.

Sustainable best operating practices make good business sense for ATR. In addition to cost-savings, over $400,000 of revenue is a direct result of the ATR sustainability platform, formally named Legacy Green.

 Cindy Jackson, GT Waste | Recycling Director, is an industry powerhouse who never succumbed to single-stream recycling on the prominent university campus. WHY? According to Cindy, her award-winning recycling program improves the GT bottom line and maintains a culture of respecting valuable material. As always, Cindy asked pertinent questions during presentations and added valuable insight to discussions. Holly refers to Cindy as " The AMAZING Cindy Jackson!" - a truthful statement!

 With state permits in-place, First Generation is ready to break ground on an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Conyers, just over 20 miles from downtown Atlanta. By late summer 2016, the AD plant will serve as a food waste destination for metro Atlanta. Approximately 50% of the capacity is pre-committed by commercial food plants. Ei Partner M-PASS Environmental will fill the remaining capacity with foodservice industry food waste collection. M-PASS Technical Services Manager Chris Cummings, along with Holly, gave the First Generation update.

Andrew Lantz
Keter Environmental Services Regional Manager Andrew Lantz gave a quick overview of Keter's impressive expansion of mall recycling | waste management contracts. With plastic film recycling and food waste diversion Keter's two top priorities, Keter uses their sustainability commitment as a competitive advantage when pursuing new clients. Keter manages two Atlanta malls with TMG restaurants; Andrew and Paula were happy to connect!  

In the afternoon, Holly presented on the Ei PetroWax-Free Box Initiative on behalf of Chemol President Fred Wellons. PetroWax boxes are TRASH and expensive - an estimated $63 mil annually is spent on landfill tipping fees, instead of earning an estimated $180 mil in cardboard recycling revenue. It is cost-neutral for box manufacturers to switch to a petrowax alternative coating; no equipment changes are necessary either!

Simple economics support the shift to alternative coatings.

Holly pointing out the PetroWax-Free
Box economics
The ZWA Blog's second most popular article with 4800 pageviews, Waxed Cardboard = Landfill = $$ Lost, gives a synopsis of the industry dilemma along with an overview of a 2012 NRA Show educational session. In August of 2013, Ei led a trip to Indianapolis to observe petrowaxed box utilization at Piazza Produce, a strong regional produce distributor who boasts TMG as a loyal customer. Paula joined the Ei Team in Indy for the powerful visit.

With the Ei Pioneers ready for action, the Ei PetroWax-Free Box Initiative will launch in early to mid 2016.

 Following the afternoon break, Sustainable Food Court Initiative Co-Chair Doug Kunnemann of NatureWorks led the 45 minute session on Zero Food Waste Journeys with Ken Fraser of Eco-Products and Holly playing supporting roles. 

 In June 2015, Ei and the Les Dames d'Escoffier International (LDEI) Atlanta Chapter agreed to partner on a zero waste food journey for their prestigious November 8, Afternoon in the Country (AITC) fundraising event hosted within the Serenbe community. Event Producer Sue Anne Morgan, ideaLand owner, was excited to learn how to orchestrate zero food waste events along with keys to successes. The ZWA Blog article, Afternoon in the Country embarks on a zero food waste journey, announces the Ei | LDEI partnership for zero food waste at AITC.

 A zero food waste plan breaks down into three main categories, each equally important for an effective plan:
  • Food & Beverage (F&B) Serviceware - ensure 100% BPI-certified compostable products are used for all F&B served at the event and prepackaged beverages are in recyclable containers. 
  • Food Waste Collection - a three-bin waste | recycling supported by clear signage & Waste Ambassadors assisting guests separate their material.
  • Food Waste Destination - a food donation program and composting site are key to close the zero food waste loop.
Serenbe site visit
Ei Partner Eco-Products stepped forward as a key in-kind event sponsor and played a vital role in education support. Compostable bags were provided by Ei Partner NaturBag. In August, SMAT members provided a two-hour Compostable F&B Packaging Education, modified for the AITC, to the LDEI Sustainability Task Force.

In the meantime, Sue Anne confirmed Serenbe was open to adding post-consumer food waste & compostable packaging to their farm waste compost pile. Holly & Boyd Leake, with his Community Environmental Management hat on, secured a Letter of Interpretation from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division stating the AITC food waste falls into Category I of the permit regulations; thus, a formal composting permit is not required within the regulations.

Ei contracted with Ei Supporter Let Us Compost to orchestrate the on-site food waste compost operations at AITC along with post-event follow-up. A Serenbe site inspection was essential to understand the circumstances and develop a rapport with the farm personnel.

The ZWA Blog article, Atlanta Food Waste Heroes: the journey continues ..., details the extensive planning implemented in the months leading up to the AITC event day.

Kristen educating Scott
at compost pile
As the Event Producer for October 11 RayDay hosted at Serenbe, Sue Anne secured the zero food waste commitment from the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. With the team in-place, Ei quickly pulled together an effective plan for the third annual RayDay.

Ken presented on the RayDay zero food waste success with 1200 pounds of food waste composted on-site. The Food Movement brought their prep waste to the event, resulting in a literal zero food waste event. Added Bonus: Ei Chair Scott Seydel attended the event as a guest! The ZWA Blog article, Simple, easy, proven steps culminate in zero food waste success, recaps the RayDay zero food waste success.

While a perfect scenario came together for RayDay: great, dry weather, paid Waste Ambassadors and one caterer, AITC was riddled with extraordinary challenges on event day. A rainy event day, coupled with prior ten days straight of rain, greeted event organizers, participants and guests with tremendous mud during set-up and throughout the event. 

AITC mud-drenched seating area
photo courtesy Doug
Of the 20 committed volunteers, only four showed up ready-to-work in the extreme conditions. And work they did! Cardboard waste | recycling bins disintegrated into the mud. The promised farm tractor at 11:00 a.m. was finally delivered at 4:00 p.m. as the event closed. Note the tractor was necessary for the compost pile construction. ... and there were 90+ chefs | restaurants participating at AITC!

The Ei Team - Doug, his lovely wife Rebecca, Kim, Ken, Holly, Boyd and Sarah Martell with Innovia Films - rolled up their sleeves to pinch hit within the challenges and created success amidst abundant lessons learned. 

Thanks to SuperHero Kristen Baskin, Let Us Compost owner, along with her associate Corey Helms, 1800 pounds of clean food waste was included in the on-farm compost pile. Throughout the day, Kristen kept the volunteers efficient weighing food waste bags as they arrived at the compost area, cleansing the food waste of contaminants and sorting flatware for grinding before added to the pile. Boyd was instrumental to building the compost pile, using his extensive composting experience.

Suzanne closing meeting
The Ei FB album, Afternoon in the Country, a zero food waste journey, is pictorial recap of the pre-event planning and the event day challenges and successes.

Suzanne closed the 2015 Annual Ei Partner Meeting with a quick recap of Ei's major accomplishments since inception. During the ZWZ launch and program building, Suzanne was the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Sustainability Division deputy director and a strong ally in the early Ei days. Thank you Suzanne for volunteering your time to moderate the 2015 Annual Ei Partner Meeting!

The wine reception following the formal meeting was an excellent time for Partners to chat in a relaxed atmosphere and continue discussions started during the meeting. Partners were treated to Holly's homemade gravlax with mustard dill sauce and her goat cheese cheesecake with grape compote. Chef Donald completed the reception with his excellent cheese & light hors d'oeuvres platters.

Following tradition, the meeting festivities ended with a lovely dinner at Portofino. Superb food and wine brought forth the magic intertwined within the powerful presentations and dialogue throughout the day.

Partners enjoying pre-dinner
conversation
A big THANK YOU to recent University of Georgia grads (& newlyweds!) Tiffany Eberhard & Ridwan Bhuiyan for helping out with the meeting administration. 

 The Ei FB album, 2015 Ei Annual Meeting, is a pictorial recap of the monumental day. PPT presentations are soon available for download on the Annual Ei Partner Meetings page.

 With the Year of ACTION coming to a close, the Ei Team is excited to enter the Year of Accomplishments! Stay tuned ...

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