We are back in person again for our December Sustainable Breakfast Series meeting! Join us in the Starting Block Café for a panel conversation on our food scraps program and future opportunities in that space for our region. There will also be an opportunity for community input for the future of our food scrap programming.
The Spark Building, Starting Block Café (3rd Floor)
821 E Washington Ave, Madison, WI 53703
Tuesday, December 13, 8:30AM—9:30AM
Agenda
Networking & Breakfast 8:00—8:30AM
Program 8:30—9:30AM
Networking 9:30—10:00AM
Through the Farmers’ Market Food Scrap Collection program, Sustain Dane aims to make composting more accessible to the Madison community. This past summer we coordinated education, food scrap collection, and food waste hauling to Neighborhood Food Solutions’ nearby urban farm.
According to the WI DNR, our landfills consist of 14.5% food that would be traditionally edible, and 6% “food scraps” (like peels). This makes food the largest component of our waste stream. Bringing your food scraps to market collection sites is one way to positively impact the environment. The land and soil, community members and agricultural system as a whole can benefit from the nutrient recycling and food waste reduction of food scraps collection and composting.
The program collected 10,765 total lbs. food waste, which is equivalent to 20,453 lbs. of CO2-e, greenhouse gas emissions from 23,028 miles driven by an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle.
Join us to review the lessons learned from the program and give your input on future opportunities for food scrap collection in our region.
Audience members will also have an opportunity for Q&A.
Contact us with questions: hello@sustaindane.org
Scholarships
Is the ticket cost a barrier for you? Full or partial scholarships are available. Please contact lorenza@sustaindane.org to learn more.
Access
Doors to the building open at 8 AM, enter the building through the breezeway / main entrance (it’s on the SE side).
Parking
Paid parking is available in the South Livingston Parking Garage attached to the Arts + Literature Lab building. 111 S Livingston St, Madison, WI 53703. Free street parking is generally available nearby.
Sujata works as the Sustainability Engagement Coordinator at Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables. She coordinated the creation of their Trash Lab, a mobile exhibit designed to educate and motivate us to create less trash and rethink our relationship with waste. She is determined to be part of the generation that creates a paradigm shift toward regenerative and respectful material use in our society.
Sujata will be moderating the panel conversation.
Bryan is the Recycling Coordinator and Public Information Officer for the City of Madison Streets Division. His job is a balance of keeping the city’s recycling on track and acting as a public information officer for the Streets Division, including answering residents’ questions about accepted recyclables and when their streets will be plowed. He co-created the award-winning Master Recycler program with Sustain Dane, and advises on the food waste programs.
Robert Pierce (he/him) is the manager of Madison’s South Side Farmer’s Market and Executive Director of Neighborhood Food Solutions, which offers several impactful programs to connect people with employment opportunities through agricultural training. Mr. Pierce is a respected authority on urban farming, and was featured on PBS Wisconsin’s Race Matters series on Black farming and land ownership. Robert’s farm accepted the food scraps collected through the program and uses them in compost for soil regeneration.
Jeanne (she/her) discovered the connection between the health of an ecosystem and the equity and wellbeing of the community during her time in the Peace Corps as a forestry volunteer in Mali, West Africa. She is a systems thinker who enjoys working together at the intersection of health and the environment, and seeks local opportunities to make a positive and sustainable impact. Jeanne has a B.S. in Natural Resources from Michigan State and a Masters in Public Health Education/Outreach from University of Hawaii, Manoa. She believes each person’s story adds value to the wellbeing of the whole community. Jeanne finds renewal by singing in harmony with others, listening to nature, and appreciating the abundant gifts the Great Lakes Region has to offer.
As the Development & Partnerships Manager at Sustain Dane, Lucia (she/her) leads membership outreach and engagement, grants, community partnerships, and program sponsorship. Previously, Lucia worked with REAP Food Group to promote a more equitable and interconnected local food system in South Central Wisconsin. Before that, she worked as a project manager for Epic Systems. Lucia holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Macalester College, and she is passionate about analyzing and engaging with the layered systems and actors that play into urban sustainability. Reach out to Lucia with questions related to membership, donations, or sponsorships.