Atlanta Ei Partner Tours

On June 9 & 10 Elemental Impact Partners traveled from across North America to participate in the Atlanta Ei Partner Tours, hosted by Pratt Industries, Novelis Inc., the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). Ei Partners were treated to two action-packed tour days filled with camaraderie, fun and experiential learning.

Ei Chair Scott Seydel, Holly
& Chris Bradlee (BASF) on
Ann Arbor Tours
Picture courtesy of Scott Lutocka

Ei Partners meet three times per year in a formal setting: twice for Ei Partner Tours and once for the Annual Meeting. On the tours, Host Partners welcome fellow Partners, Strategic Allies, and Advisory Council members to their cities for two-days to share their business operations, practices and expertise. Spontaneous strategy sessions on collaborative work are common during the tours.

The first August, 2012 tours were hosted by Heritage Interactive Services in Indianapolis, IN. As documented in the IMPACT Blog article, Ei Partner Tours Launch in Indy, Interactive set a high standard for others to follow.

Additional past tours include:

• November 2012 NYC Ei Partner Tours hosted by EcoLogic Solutions & Global Enviro
• March 2013 Charlotte Ei Partner Tours hosted by Simon Property Group & HMSHost
• August 2103 Ann Arbor Ei Partner Tours hosted by BASF

Part of the Tours Group in

cardboard rolls storage area

For the first Atlanta tour day, partners met at a Buckhead hotel where they boarded a bus for the Pratt complex in Conyers, GA and the Novelis aluminum recycling plant in Greensboro. GA. Thank you Novelis for providing the comfortable bus for the tours travel. Upon arrival, each tours participant received an info packet and a bag of home baked sweet treats. Time on the bus was well spent with Ei founder Holly Elmore giving a tours overview and facilitating introductions.  

Thanks to Mary Place, Pratt Southeast sales manager, the Pratt campus tour was organized yet relaxed during the groups limited time at the Conyers headquarters. The Pratt team greeted the bus with the appropriate vests and glasses required to tour the cardboard mill. Plant managers took three groups of six participants on a personalized tour of the mill that manufactures cardboard from 100% recycled material. Depending upon the cardboard grade produced, the mill recipe consists of various proportions of mixed paper and OCC - old corrugated cardboard. While walking the mill production line, it was impressive to witness the transformation of mixed paper and OCC into a huge roll of cardboard.

Myles, Holly & Scott Jenkins
during lunch @ Pratt

With the box plant literally next door, the cardboard rolls are transported through a large doorway for storage until used in the corrugating and box cutting machines. With prominent customers like Home Depot, it was fun to see finished boxes that run the gamut from pizza to large transport boxes. Many of brands printed on the boxes were well-known and gave a clue to Pratt's global leadership role in the packaging industry.

Pratt Recycling president Myles Cohen joined the tours lunch to welcome the group and gave a Pratt Industries' overview. As the largest family-owned packaging company, Pratt is an Australian company with North American headquarters at their impressive Conyers campus. Pratt mills use 3,600 tons per day, everyday, of recovered material to produce cardboard made from 100% recycled material for the 44 U.S. box plants. Annually, Pratt recycles 1.5 million tons of material in their mills.

Daniel with Kurt Schmitz of Pratt

Ei Friend Daniel Rickenmann with First Generation Energy joined the tour group at Pratt to share exciting news on his anaerobic digester (AD) plant in the permitting process. With a Conyers site almost contiguous to the Pratt campus, there are abundant synergies at play with Pratt and First Generation. Rumor has it the permit is ready to issue soon!

After lunch the tour group loaded on the bus for the hour drive to the Novelis aluminum recycling plant. Conversation was lively on the bus with Holly updating the partners on the Ei shift-in-process. In 2013 Ei introduced three new platforms: Product Stewardship, Recycling Refinement and Water Use | Toxicity. With the past 18 months spent grounding initiatives within the platforms, Holly often says   

Ei is moving from Sustainability in Strategy to Ei's tagline Sustainability in ACTION. 

Upon arrival at the Novelis plant, the tours group was welcomed by the plant operations lead Chris Moore. After security and safety procedures were addressed, Chris and Brook Beadle - Novelis sustainability lead - gave excellent presentations that introduced aluminum recycling practices along with a Novelis business overview.

Group ready for Novelis plant tour

Novelis is the world's largest aluminum recycler with a commitment to reach 80% recycled content in Novelis Aluminum as well as zero waste-to-landfill in operations by 2020. An increase from the current 33% recycled content to 80% will remove 10 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually from the aluminum value chain.

In primary aluminum production, aluminum is refined from the raw material bauxite - for every ton of aluminum refined from bauxite, two tons of red mud waste are produced. As recycling reduces the use of primary aluminum, Novelis' use of scrap instead of primary prevented 2.5 million metric tons of red mud waste from being generated in the past year. When the 80% recycled content is achieved, Novelis Aluminum will prevent a stupendous amount of red mud waste and GHG emissions production along with significant other by-product impacts. 

Touring an aluminum recycling plant is an eye-opening experience! Safety is first and foremost as the process includes melting the aluminum at high temperatures. Beyond goggles and hats, guests touring the plant wear protective long coats. Guests are formally educated about safety practices prior to entering the plant area.

Ei Ptrs Tom Lembo (CleanRiver),
Louis & Matt Hupp (Keter) @ dinner
Photo courtesy of Melissa Selem

The return bus trip to Atlanta was a grand time! Louis Herrera with Hilex Poly was in-charge of the beer selection and the perfect host for the festive bus ride. In addition to the tours group, several Atlanta Ei pals joined the group for a lovely dinner at Basil's, a quaint locally owned Mediterranean restaurant. Thank you to Pratt for providing the excellent hors d'oeuvres and wine upon arrival.  

On the second day Tim Trefzer, GWCC director of sustainability, welcomed the group to the GWCC - home to the nation's fourth largest convention center, the Georgia Dome where the Atlanta Falcons play, and 20-acre Olympic Centennial Park. After introductions Holly gave further details on work-in-progress along with updates on the powerful Ei cyberspace network built.

Ei Ptrs filled the GWCC
Executive Board Room

Tim gave an excellent presentation on the GWCC sustainability successes along with current projects and future plans. As the Georgia Dome is the SFCI Event Venue Pilot, Tim has a standard slide of recent work with the SFCI Team on post-consumer food waste collection for compost. Throughout his presentation, the close Ei | GWCC working relationship was evident along with its significant impact on existing and under-development programs.

In 2013 the Georgia Dome hosted the Final Four with great success on zero waste, community involvement and overall sustainability fronts. Ei served on the Final Four sustainability committee; it was exciting to witness the lasting impact a major sporting event may have on a facility and the community. 

ATL Ei Partner Tours group
picture on the stadium field

The ZWA Blog article, Final Four green footprints continue after the games, includes a summary of the Final Four's substantial impact before, during and after the games. For in-depth details, the Final Four Sustainability Report is available for download on the Ei Resources page under the Event Recycling section. 

After the formal presentations and discussions, the group toured the GA Dome Club Level food court, intended site for a 2014 season post-consumer food waste collection pilot. In addition, the group toured the GA Dome and GWCC back-of-the-house operations to witness recycling and pre-consumer food waste collection practices in-place. As an added treat, the tours group visited the GA Dome field where the Falcons play.

Michael with Clark Seydel (Chemol

& representing Ei Chair Scott Seydel)

Lunch was provided by SFCI co-chair Doug Kunnemann with NatureWorks across the street at the CNN Center Taco Mac. During lunch, Scott Jenkins - New Falcons Stadium general manager - gave a preview of the stadium plans and how it is designed for sustainability success. The intention is for the New Falcons Stadium to continue as the SFCI Event Pilot when in opens for the 2018 season. Scott, Tim, Doug and Holly meet often to maximize synergies and potentials with the new stadium.

ATL Airport director of asset management & sustainability Michael Cheyne presented to the tours group on the airport sustainability successes, challenges and future directions. As the ATL Airport - the busiest airport in the world - serves as the SFCI Airport Pilot, Ei has a close working relationship with Michael and his team. Liza Milagro joined the airport sustainability department in early 2013 as senior sustainability planner and is a powerful driver for project implementation.

New Ei Partners Ken Fraser &

Sarah Martinez of Eco-Products

The 2011 ZWA Blog article, Atlanta Airport Makes a Bold Sustainable Statement, announced the groundbreaking contract provision requiring airport food vendors to use compostable serviceware and consumer-facing packaging under the then new concessionaire contract. With Brenda Platt of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance at the helm, the SFCI Team worked closely with the ATL Airport on the contract provision language and supporting documentation.

The Atlanta Airport Compostable Foodservice Ware Packet published to provide clear, concise information to airport food vendors on the contract provision along with guidance on how to meet the requirements. The ZWA Blog post, Compostable Packaging Info Packet, announces the packet while the Exemptions | Exclusions Added to Atlanta Airport Info Packet is an overview of a packet revision.

Liza Milagro (ATL) &

Joe Salpietra (Ellis Fibre)

A true pioneer, Michael is taking an industry leadership role in a proactive approach to Airborne Kitchen Grease (AKG), a costly by-product of cooking. Approvals are in-process for a campus-wide installation of Grease Lock Filters (GLF)  in airport concessionaires. The proactive AKG approach is staged to reduce airport water usage by an estimated 1.1 million gallons per year while concessionaires save approximately $7,300 annually per location. GLF is an Ei Partner under the Ellis Fibre umbrella.

The ZWA Blog article, Atlanta Airport Presents a Proactive Approach to Airborne Kitchen Grease, announces the American Association of Airport Executives' February | March publication Airport Magazine article, AIRBORNE KITCHEN GREASE: A New Frontier in Sustainability, A simple solution saves tremendous water use, labor and dollars, co-written by Michael and Holly.

Ei Program Administrator Melissa

Selem with Tim 

In addition to specific on-campus initiatives, Michael spoke of the ATL Airport's community commitment. The airport understands their tremendous global presence may segue into substantial local influence and contribution.

After Michael's inspiring talk, Holly gave closing remarks and planted fertile seeds for the Fall Ei Partner Tours. It was a powerful two days and partners left filled with enthusiasm for Ei's shift into ACTION mode. With the Falcons' first pre-season game on Friday, August 8 the action plan is in motion with much to accomplish over the next weeks.

The ATL Ei Partner Tours agenda, participant list along with the Novelis and GWCC PPT presentations are available for download on the Ei Partner Tours page. For the tours pictorial recap, visit the Ei FB Album, Atlanta Ei Partner Tours.

... and onward to Ei's tagline, Sustainability in ACTION!

Ann Arbor Ei Partner Tours

Elemental Impact Partner BASF hosted the Ann Arbor Ei Partner Tours in early August. Fellow partners were treated to two action-packed tour days filled with camaraderie, fun and experiential learning. Time will reveal the business seeds planted among partners.

Indy Ei Partner Tours group

For the past two years Ei Partners welcomed Ei Partners, Strategic Allies, and Advisory Council members to their cities for two-days to share first-hand their business practices and expertise. The first tours were hosted by Heritage Interactive Services in Indianapolis, IN.  As documented in the IMPACT Blog post, Ei Partner Tours Launch in Indy, Interactive set a high standard for others to follow.

The second Ei Partner Tours was held in New York City days after Hurricane Sandy hit the Eastern Seaboard. A small group continued with the tours of Global Enviro's on-site food waste digester installation and EcoLogic Solutions' Brooklyn operations. The IMPACT Blog post, NYC Ei Partner Tours, is a tours overview and the Zero Waste in ACTION Blog post, Food Waste: Too Valuable for the Landfill, is a recap of Global Enviro's installation along with commentary.

In March 2013, HMSHost and Simon Property Group hosted their fellow partners to the Charlotte Ei Partner Tours at Concord Mills, a Simon mall where HMSHost operates the food court operations. Concord Mills is the Sustainable Food Court Initiative Shopping Mall Pilot. The IMPACT Blog post, Charlotte Ei Partner Tours, is a tours overview and the ZWA Blog post, Bring the Possible out of Impossible, details the many successful Charlotte programs.

Traveling in comfort
photo courtesy of Scott Lutocka

Chris Bradlee of BASF was the ultimate host for his fellow partners. For those who arrived the day prior, Chris arranged for a round of golf on the hotel's nine hole course followed by a lively dinner. The pre-tours activities set a fantastic tone for the two following action packed days.

Ensuring his guests traveled in comfort, Chris arranged for a mini-bus to transport folks to the various tour sites. The tours began at the BASF corporate offices with Ei founder welcoming the group along with an Ei update. Chris gave an impressive overview of BASF: The world's leading chemical company with 2012 sales €72.1 billion, 380 production facilities, and 110,000 employees.

The first tour was at the Wyandotte TPU plant, one of the 380 productions facilities. It was intriguing to learn how the plastic pellets are made, the foundation of so many products. Ei integrates within BASF mainly in their biopolymers division - the Ei Partners loved learning first-hand about the diversity within BASF's manufacturing portfolio.

Tour group on Detroit  River

dock @ Portofino's

After the tour, Chris treated the partners to a lovely lunch a few miles down the Detroit River at Portofino's on the River. Though the rain prohibited al fresco dining, the group enjoyed the casual time to explore respective synergies among their organizations. With three roving photographers - Ei Chair Scott Seydel, Ei founder Holly Elmore and Scott Lutocka of Piazza Produce, the river provided ample opportunity to capture the tour energy.

Next on the agenda was the Big House at Michigan State University where Alison Richardson with the Waste Reduction & Recycling Department greeted the group. With 100,000 plus fans filling the stadium on game day, the opportunities and challenges are abundant. Thank you Alison for your patience with the inquisitive group and sharing the current recycling practices at the Big House.

Scott sprinting thru the gate

Oops, the tour almost lost one of the roving photographers within the locked stadium. Luckily, Scott Lutocka is in shape to sprint through the closing gates to cheers!

For a pictorial recap of the Tours Day 1, visit the Ei FB album, Ann Arbor Ei Partners Tours - Day One.

Chris followed Ei tradition by ensuring the group dined in local fashion at one of Ann Arbors eclectic spots. Half the group opted for a practical early evening while the other half enjoyed late night beer, coffee and dessert.

The second day was an early departure for the Ann Arbor RecCommunities MRF - materials recovery facility.  It was inspiring to witness the true community spirit at the MRF. Within the conference room, there was fun evidence the facility doubled as a recycling education vehicle for Ann Arbor's youth and residents.

An artful perspective of

baled aluminum cans

After an impressive Recommunities presentation on the overall company and their Ann Arbor facility, the partners separated into two groups for the MRF tour. As seasoned MRF visitors, the ReCommuntiies facilities impressed the group with its separation process into "clean" material, especially with the glass fragments.

.... but wait, it seemed half the group were MRF Virgins!  How could this happen? Even Zero Waste Warrior Scott Lutocka was on his inaugural MRF tour! A first MRF tour is an eye-opening experience of how much energy is expended to sort single-stream into baled valuable material ready for sale in the commodity market.

The Ei FB album, Ann Arbor Ei Partner Tours - Day Two, includes a pictorial recap of the impressive Recommunities MRF tour.

Rain followed the group keeping the We Care Organics tour confined within the bus. One of the managers came onto the bus to educate on the composting program successes and challenges and answer questions.

Due to the weather the tour adjourned a tad early with most folks departing Ann Arbor around noon. It was an impressive and educational two days with many fertile seeds planted among Ei Partners for further exploration.

Tour host & hero

Chris Bradlee with BASF

At the invitation of Ei Advisory Council member Steve Mojo, Biodegradble Products Institute executive director, NSF International joined the group on the second day to understand the role compostable packaging plays in successful zero waste

Thank you Ei Partners BASF, Chemol, CleanRiver Recycling Solutions, Ellis Fibre, Heritage Interactive Services, Hilix Poly, Piazza Produce and Tomra | Orwak for attending the tours and validating their importance to future business interactions and programs.

Charlotte Ei Partner Tours

Ei Ptrs @ Hilex Poly Plant
Ei Chair & Chief FUN Advisor
Scott Seydel on ground

Elemental Impact Partner tours launched in July, 2012 when Heritage Interactive Services and Hilex Poly hosted their fellow partners in Indianapolis for two dynamic days of sharing, strategizing, bonding and FUN. The IMPACT Blog post, Ei Partner Tours Launch in Indy, gives an overview of the inaugural tours while the Ei FB album, July, 2012 Ei Partner Tours in Indy, is the pictorial recap.

An Ei Partner Program benefit, tours are excellent vehicles for partners to explore their tremendous synergies and potential business relationships. Action points are always an outcome as partners bid each other farewell until their next encounter.

A second tour was scheduled in NYC for early November to tag-team with Global Green's CoRR Food Waste Conference. With Hurricane Sandy ravaging the Eastern Seaboard days prior to the tours, the group reduced to those residing in the NYC area or participating at the CoRR conference. Even with fewer folks, the tours were powerful.  

The IMPACT Blog post, NYC Ei Partner Tours, is an overall tour synopsis with details on the EcoLogic Solutions facility tour. The ZWA Blog post, Food Waste: Too Valuable for the Landfill, is a tour recap of Global Enviro's on-site food waste digester NYC installations. For a pictorial recount, see the Ei FB albums, 11-05-12 Global Enviro System Tour and 11-06-12 EcoLogic Solutions Tour.

In early March, Ei Partners converged on Charlotte, NC for the third Ei Partner Tours. Hosted by HMSHost and Simon Property Group, Concord Mills was the destination for DAY 1, filled with presentations and tours. Concord Mills, a Simon mall, is the Sustainable Food Court Shopping Mall Pilot with the food court operated by HMSHost.

The tour tone was set by a professional package designed and printed by CleanRiver Recycling Solutions, a featured tour partner. Ei founder Holly Elmore (me!) baked dessert bundles for each partner. A perfect host, Brian Shetron, Concord Mills HMSHost, kept the group with plenty of excellent food & beverage throughout the day, all done in zero waste style!

During the day presentations alternated with mall tours for first-hand observation of programs in action mode. Overall the tour focus was on food waste collection for composting, wasted food donation and plastic film recycling. CleanRiver and Orwak presented and later demonstrated how their equipment was at the foundation of pilot success.

Linda Dunn with HMSHost gave an overview of their impressive sustainability commitment grounded in sound business principles. Brian and Ray Soporowski, CM GM, presented on the SFCI Pilot action items along with anecdotes from the journey. EcoLogic Solutions and Ellis Fibre | Grease Lock rounded out the sustainability balance with their product & service presentations. 

Ei Ptrs enjoying dinner @ AZN
see Ei FB album for names

Ei is known for augmenting important business with excellent food and wine - the first day ended at AZN Azian Cuizine for a fabulous dinner along with lively, productive, FUN conversation. A perfect way to end DAY 1 and get ready for DAY 2. 

The Ei FB album, 03-04-13 Charlotte Ei Partner Tours - Day One, gives the pictorial recap of the first tour day. Ei Partner PPT presentations are available for download on the Ei Partner Tours website page.

Day 2 tours began at SouthPark Mall, a sister Simon Mall to Concord Mills. Ray and Brian joined the group at SouthPark to validate the support provided by Ei and the SFCI Team. Following the tour, the partners convened in the mall offices for a strategy session. Success: the group left with action points! 

Jim Lanier & Ei Chair Scott Seydel
during SouthPark tour

Next the Ei Partners traveled to Stanley, NC where Earth Farms owner Jim Lanier treated the group to a lovely lunch at Northstar Seafood Restaurant.  At lunch Jim educated enthusiastic partners about Earth Farm's origins and future plans. A fantastic tour of Earth Farm's composting facility followed lunch. The Ei FB album, 03-05-13 Charlotte Ei Partner Tours - Day Two, includes a pictorial recap of the Earth Farms' tour.

The final presentation and tour was at the Charlotte Airport where HMSHost operates the food & beverage outlets. Bob Lucas with the airport gave the partners a formal presentation on the recently opened recycling center. Due to permit status, the group was not allowed to tour the center. With many partners traveling from across the North America, the airport was a convenient last stop on the tours.

It was a busy, productive and fun two days. Stay tuned for the next Ei Partner tour in the planning stages for late summer.

Ei Partner Tours Launch in Indy

In February Elemental Impact announced the sponsorship program evolved into a partnership program.  National and global leaders join Ei to work in unison on creating scenarios where sustainable best operating practices are standard practices as they make sound business sense.  
Ei is a creator and incubator for developing programs within the corporate, government and educational communities.  A common phrase in Ei founder Holly Elmore's speaking engagements summarizes the overall driving force in Ei iniatives:

Ei determines what could be done, that is not being done, and gets it done.  Ei brings the possible out of impossible.

The mini-bus was perfect to
maximize time together

With few to no competitors among the Ei Partners, the synergies are tremendous along with an openness to share internal operations and programs.  An added benefit of Ei Partner participation is the strong business potential among partners.  Selling is not permitted within Ei introductions yet relationship development that segues naturally into business transactions is highly encouraged.

In July Heritage Interactive Services hosted fellow Ei Partners in Indianapolis for the first in a series of Ei Partner Tours.  To facilitate transportation, Interactive hired a mini-bus with flexible seating and tables for the group as two of the tour sites were over an hour from Indy. Thanks to Interactive foresight and hospitality, transportation time was filled with productive business including introductions, networking and bonding.

First on the agenda was the Hilex Poly Plastic Film Recycling Plant in North Vernon, the nation's only plastic film-dedicated recycling plant. Located next to one of their bag manufacturing plants, a significant portion of the post-consumer recycled plastic resin pellets have a zero carbon footprint back into the production process.

For an overview of the plastic film recycling process, see the Ei FB album, 07-01-11 Hilex Poly Tour, that supports the ZWA Blog post, Getting a Handle on Plastic Film Recycling.  Last July Ei Partner Simon Property Group toured the plant in preparation of launching a plastic film recycling program for their malls.  The ZWA Blog post, ACTION - Theme for SFCI Shopping Mall Pilot, announces the plastic film recycling pilot at Concord Mills in Charlotte.

Dinner atThe Mesh on Mass

Interactive hosted a fabulous dinner for their Indy guests at The Mesh on Mass in a perfect atmosphere for new friends to further explore their relationship potentials.

The second day started at the Interactive offices where the group once again loaded into the mini-bus for travel to the Subaru of Indiana Automotive plant in Lafayette, about an hour north of Indy. Working in partnership with Interactive, the Subaru plant achieved 99.9% zero waste in their manufacturing facility. Absolutely amazing, impressive are understatements for the systems developed and implemented.  Even the dust in the welding areas is filtered so valuable metal particles may be sold. 

Entrance to Heritage Environmental
Services offices

After a lovely lunch at a local restaurant the group returned to the Interactive offices.  Bob Zetty, Interactive President, gave a tour of their innovative offices.  It was nice to see the well-used recycling bins in their offices and know Interactive walks their talk behind the scenes.  Creativity is integral to Interactive success - a large corner room with window walls along with comfortable chairs and couches serves at the "think tank room" for strategy sessions.

Last on the formal agenda was a tour of Heritage Research Group's Research & Development Lab. Located in an industrial office park, the lab serves as the backbone to The Heritage Group of 27 companies, 2 IPO's and approximately 4,000 employees. Chief Scientist Sibel Selcuk gave the group an in-depth tour of the outstanding facility. Integrity is woven within the foundation of The Heritage Group. The R&D Lab exemplifies the Heritage commitment of resources to ensure services and operations are substantiated with truth down to the molecular level.

The Heritage Team 

With the formal tours complete, the Ei Partners departed Indy impressed and inspired to cultivate the fertile seeds planted throughout the two-days spent together. To keep the momentum building on the first tour series, a sequel  two-day Ei Partner Tour is slated for New York City in October.  

Bob & Amy outside the
mini-bus

THANK YOU to Bob Zetty for the Interactive investment in hosting your fellow partners for two days in your hometown.  THANK YOU Amy Moreland, Interactive Director of Business & Supplier Development, and Ann Germann for your excellent organizational and planning skills - the entire two activity-filled days flowed with ease, grace and FUN!

For a pictorial recap of the Indy Ei Partner Tour, visit the Ei FB album, July, 2012 Ei Partner Tours in Indy,