Go Green Wilmette recently assisted members of the Avoca School District in their efforts to reduce waste and compost food scraps at their annual International Dinner. The popular event drew 500 guests.
An Avoca parent who heads the District’s PTO Environment Awareness Committee started working months before the event to get everything in place for success, asking Go Green Wilmette for help.
GGW was delighted to be able to contribute to the effort, offering advice and providing volunteers, including two New Trier High School students. The volunteers helped all the guests compost their food scraps, napkins, compostable plates, and bamboo forks. They even helped bus tables. The event organizers’ “one plate, one fork” policy also made a very big difference. Avoca contracted with Collective Resources of Evanston to pick up the compostables which filled two large toters. GGW also helped recycle all clean aluminum food pans.
The most important impact was introducing the concept of food scrap collection and composting to many of the participants (including the Avoca leadership) and helping to make waste reduction a permanent part of the event going forward.
Contact GGW if you would like more information about how you can do this at your school or event.
