The unlikely beginning:
small chance encounters can sometimes generate large and
positive results. I was nursing an expensive and way-off-diet latte in a local
caffeine emporium this past March when my friend Ron Baker, and his colleague,
Lisa Sinclair, stopped by to say hello.
Ron and Lisa are both serious
distance runners and, as such, are an active part of the Fort Collins running
community. They are both ardent environmentalists as well.
As we chatted, the
two expressed concerns that two upcoming marathons would be generating a good
deal of discarded trash – more methane producing waste for our already crowded
landfill. Their more immediate concern was for the Horsetooth Half Marathon, to
be run on April 17th. The Colorado Marathon was set for May 1 and
would need serious attention when the time came.
The two said that they intended to
recycle and compost as much race-generated trash as possible. They also
expressed a strong desire to see racecourses left clean after a race. Lisa had
been exploring positive solutions for quite some time and Ron had signed on to
help in the quest.
As they discussed the need for a
strong complement of volunteer trash enthusiasts, an idea came to mind: why not
partner with the Poudre Canyon Group of Sierra Club and let us provide the
volunteers? As soon as this somewhat random thought was expressed, we had the
makings of a deal, the beginnings of a hopefully workable
system.
A bit like the trite cliché of the
third leg of the milking stool, a third partner was deemed essential. No problem
– Lisa and Ron were already working with Gallegos Sanitation, Inc., (GSI), a
family-owned sanitation company headquartered in Fort Collins. GSI had expert
recyclers and composters on their staff, folks who really knew the ins and outs
of Zero Waste objectives and how to achieve them.
Can we pull this off? PCG had committed to
participating in what for us was something new and entirely different. No
worries, however, we would make up in enthusiasm for any deficits of knowledge
or experience. Over the next several weeks, there were multiple meetings with
Lisa and Ron, meetings with GSI, and meetings of the Executive Committee and
volunteers of PCG.
And we learned about trash and
about recycling and about composting. Turned out that few of us had a really
comprehensive understanding of the subtle nuances of garbage. The folks at GSI
were immensely helpful – keeping us on the right path and providing a seminar
mainly focused on how to correctly and quickly separate out what can be
composted or recycled from the trash otherwise bound for the landfill.
We learned that Zero Waste is more of a path than a destination – the
objective is to reduce landfill trash, the reality is that our society is not
yet geared for 100% success. We became acquainted with the Zero Waste collection
apparatus – brightly colored metal stations that allowed quick sorting of all
discarded matter. We readied ourselves for the big day...
------------------------------------------
It was a dark
and stormy night…So much for drama; actually it was a
cloudless and mild morning at Hughes Stadium parking lot where the race was to
begin. Four of us from PCG ran the two collection stations at that location. Ron
and Lisa gave us last minute instructions and then headed off to oversee other
parts of the race.
Predictably, most of the several
hundred runners were highly energized and focused on the beginning of the race.
When they realized our mission, however, the majority of them took time to work
with us. Then bang – and the
runners were off. Dot, Cordelia and Phil, part of our crew, followed the runners
and swept the entire racecourse from their bicycles. The four of us Zero Waste
operatives remaining tided up our waste stations for pickup by GSI. We also
policed the entire parking lot, picking up the odd bits of trash that had been
left behind.
Having done our bit at the
beginning of the race, our focus shifted to the finish line – the beer garden at
New Belgium Brewery in downtown Fort Collins. There were hundreds of runners in
the Half Marathon and hundreds of encouraging fans as well. GSI had set up five
Zero Waste stations in the garden and we had one or two volunteers at each of
them.
The crowd was wonderfully raucous
and, initially, many folks ignored our collection efforts. Over a short while,
however, things improved dramatically. If you politely ask someone to lift her
or his foot off of an orange peel so that you can pick it up with your
mechanical “grabber,” a less-than-subtle point has been made. When you patrol
the grounds retrieving discarded drinking cups, people become aware that the
ground is not the preferred dumping place. By the end of the event, people were
lining up at the Zero Waste stations and helping us separate the recyclables,
compostables, and landfill-bound trash. This was probably the most rewarding
part of our overall effort – given a bit of direction and encouragement, people
really do want to do the right thing.
Coming up roses – Some thoughts, a recap of
sorts, from a member of PCG who was involved in this Zero Waste
effort:
- This was a new kind of venture for us. We believed that
it could be successful; we also knew that success would involve careful
planning, lots of energy, and a buy-in from PCG members who would serve as
volunteers.
- Our partners in this
venture were excellent. The running community, through Lisa and Ron, was
wonderfully supportive and provided great leadership. Gallegos Sanitation, Inc.
did everything possible to ensure overall success – their knowledge of recycling
and composting was essential; they did everything necessary to keep the mass at
the Zero Waste stations collected and continually ready for the steady stream of
material generated by the event.
- Based on prior experience, GSI hoped to see 15% or
hopefully less of the total discarded matter going to the landfill. We held that
figure to just under 10%, a better statistic than they had ever seen before.
They have invited us to work with them on future events.
- PCG and Sierra Club benefited from very positive
publicity about our role in the event. Our interactions with the general public
generated much good will for our group.
- We garnered income that will help us with our
environmental mission – the race presenters gave us a nice honorarium and New
Belgium Brewery, impressed with the success of our effort, turned over the
significant proceeds they had received in tip jars at the beverage
booths.
- The Executive Committee of PCG feels that this
experience could serve as a beneficial model for other groups, in Colorado or
beyond. Please contact us for more information.
