News

 

Replenishing the Earth Radio Podcast

 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/launchnotes/2009/04/30/cathy-ramirez-clarice-hutches-replenishing-the-earth-llc

 

 PBS News Hour

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/local/stl_business/index.html?type=flash
PBS News Hour (audio slideshow posted at the end of April 2009- RTE featured last)
 

Recycling on the Go Solid Waste Report: Best of St. Louis, RFT: Overview

 St. Louis Earth Day (SLED) partnered with Replenishing the Earth (RTE), Riverfront Times (RFT), and the Skybox (SKY) to significantly reduce the environmental impact of the Best of St. Louis party on the Landing. Though the zero waste goal was not achieved, a significant increase in diversion was accomplished with the addition of (1) composting and (2) sourcing compostable disposables. St. Louis Earth Day has compiled the feedback of the four partners below, as well as the data from the event below.

What Worked:

  • The extra dumpster space designated as recycling instead of trash worked great. There was no overflow (SKY).

  • The trash dumpster was filled like a “normal weekend night” thanks to the extra dumpster and increased recycling efforts (SKY).

  • Composting worked well from the staff perspective and did not slow service (SKY); from the organizer perspective, the recycling and compost containers did not negatively impact the party atmosphere (RFT).

  • From a venue perspective, more was recycled than usual from behind the bar; the staff had a heightened awareness of the recycling program that is already in place (SKY).

  • An estimated 90% of recyclables produced made it into the recycling bins (SKY).

  • The collaboration and support of cooperating organizations helped with the success of the program and with the integration of composting (RTE).

  • Pairing of the recycling and compost bins helped gather the most materials.

  • The staff was very supportive of the greening efforts. Without their help busing and sorting, there would have been much more contamination.

Suggestions for the future

  • Use all compostable food service ware (ice cream containers and sample spoons, straws, stirrers, and cups in addition to the plates, napkins, and forks). At this event, non-compostable, and non-recyclable plastic options (except cups that were recyclable) were used instead of compostable options, which contaminated the waste stream and increased landfill waste (RTE).

  • Early access to the restaurant list OR specific communication through RFT would assure that the materials coming into the event are either recyclable or compostable. We had a couple of surprise materials that contaminated the waste stream (SLED).

  • In planning meetings, we discussed using glassware for as long as possible to cut down on the waste generated at the event (reducing BEFORE recycling), but plastic was used far more often that glassware (SLED).

Facilitate more training and meetings with all event staff and host staff, so everyone is knowledgeable of the logistics and the goal of zero waste for the event.

  Above and beyond… 

  • Manpower to monitor the compost, recycling, and trash cans (all lined up together) can greatly improve the appropriate sorting of waste as well as help educate and make event attendees more aware of the zero waste goal. Trashcans (SMALLER than the other containers) next to the compost and recycling containers is important to avoid any contamination, but even better is to use only recyclable and compostable options so a trashcan is not necessary (RTE).

  • Include green janitorial supplies (use 100% recycled paper products such as tissue, hand towels, paper towels, bathroom tissue), collect hand towels in compostable bags and provide a separate waste can for non-hand towels in bathrooms with appropriate signage, Nov. 2008

Data  Solid Waste  Data
 
Item
Measure
Actual/est.
Recycling weight
1000 lbs
Estimate
Recycling volume
8 cu. yds.
Estimate
Oil weight
0
 
Edible food value
0
 
Trash weight
412 lbs
Estimate
Trash volume
3 cu. yds
Estimate
Total diversion by weight
74%
Estimate
Total diversion by volume
79%
Estimate

 

 

 

 

 

 

Center seeks to battle homelessness by helping entrepreneurs

By Shawn Clubb
Suburban Journals, Monday, October 13, 2008 7:09 PM CDT

 Two West County women with a passion for reducing waste decided to go into business together.

Their business, Replenishing the Earth, works on "cradle-to-cradle concepts for managing waste."

They hate waste. But before they started, they found a partner that also hates waste - wasting the potential of good people. The partner for Clarice Hutchens and Cathy Ramirez is the BEGIN New Venture Center, a small business incubator started by St. Patrick Center. Replenishing the Earth is one of the first client businesses to locate downtown at the center.

"Our whole focus is that there is no waste," said Hutchens, who lives in Ballwin. "St. Patrick Center's focus is no waste, but with people."

Jan DeYoung, director of the BEGIN Center, said the incubator for start-up and early stage companies and non-profit organizations wants clients who are sensitive to the mission of St. Patrick Center.

St. Patrick Center combats homelessness in St. Louis; the businesses in the incubator should either plan to employ St. Patrick Center clients or train them for employment.

Replenishing the Earth is a distributor for biodegradable plates, bowls, cups, flatware and toiletries. It could find employment for St. Patrick Center clients at a warehousing operation.

The waste management business also plans to start work in building deconstruction - using crews to remove everything from furniture to lighting and shrubbery from buildings that are being demolished. Rather than going into a landfill, the items would be reused. The business would develop a deconstruction training course for St. Patrick Center clients that would provide workers for their businesses, but also prepare them for future work in construction trades.

"They'll work for us and then move on," said Ramirez, who lives in Chesterfield.

DeYoung said the "grand slam" would be for a St. Patrick Center client to gain employment through job training and then open a business through the BEGIN Center incubator. The center already has a candidate to be the first.

Janese Jordan is graduating from the Sherwin-Williams job training program at the center. She hopes to start her own painting contracting company and hire other St. Patrick Center clients. DeYoung said the center is working with Jordan on developing a business plan.

The incubator provides office space to resident clients for $156 in monthly rent. It provides workspace for affiliate clients for between $25 and $100 per month. The staff provides assessments, help in developing action plans, expert business counseling and mentoring. It also provides access to consulting services, access to capital through loan programs, business training services, conference rooms, mail services, copiers and fax machines and other shared services useful to small businesses.

DeYoung said St. Patrick Center is the first place in the country to take this approach to battling homelessness and impoverishment.

"This population is growing with the economic times we're in," he said. "There are fewer and fewer jobs for people to get. People are being laid off from jobs. Self-employment becomes their most viable employment option.

DeYoung said the BEGIN Center can be a "stepping stool to self-sufficiency." He said St. Patrick Center helps its clients get housing, get healthy and become employment-ready and then they can come to the BEGIN Center. Sherwin-Williams, Aramark food services and Brickman landscaping design already have committed to do job training through the center.

Tough economic times also provide opportunities for business incubators, DeYoung said. While four of every five new businesses started on their own fail, four of every five businesses started in an incubator succeed and are still in business after five years, he said. People are eager to try it.

"We're talking with a dozen businesses right now," DeYoung said. "The phone is ringing off the hook with people. People are entrepreneurial."