Slow Food Nation Aims for Zero Waste
Slow Food Nation '08 in San Francisco.
Slow Food Nation ’08 came to a close in San Francisco yesterday, leaving, organizers hope, very little waste.
Festivals, fairs, amusement parks, and sporting events are notorious for the amount of garbage left in their wake. Along with porta-potties and drunken dudes, trash is an unfortunate reality associated with otherwise joyous county fairs and street fairs. That’s what made Slow Food Nation’s commitment to zero waste such a welcome relief. (”Zero waste” strives to eliminate waste, regarding trash as a resource that can be reused or re-purposed.)
Bins, Staff Made Zero Waste Easy
The weekend-long festival was like Disneyland for foodies with a conscience. Featuring a farmers’ market, a bevy of speakers, a large “Victory Garden” of fruits and vegetables growing outside City Hall, and lots of “slow food” from local restaurants, Slow Food Nation also sported plenty of easy-to-find bins for separating waste into three categories: recyclables, compostables, and landfill. Vendors were careful to offer only items that could be composted or recycled.
The festival also hired a helpful, energetic, friendly staff to help festival-goers place the right items in the right bins. Contamination continues to be the bugaboo of recyclers, so adding a human element no doubt aided organizers’ efforts.
Who Else Is Moving Toward Zero Waste?
Of course, while Slow Food Nation as an organization goes to great pains to not be elitist, the festival was clearly populated by people who already have an interest in sustainability and zero waste practices. More interesting, and maybe even more valuable, would be seeing these efforts in practice at events like the Sonoma County Fair or a 49ers’ game, where larger and more diverse population segments come together.
The Sonoma County Fair did host a “sustainability pavilion” this year, but the fair’s sustainable efforts seemed to end there. When I attended, garbage bins were overflowing with heaps of non-biodegradable utensils and food scraps and food-soiled papers that could have easily been reclaimed and composted.
Still, bit by bit, various festival organizers across the country and trying to make love for a good party compatible with zero waste. Alameda County, across the Bay, employed zero waste practices in its last county fair. Walworth County, Wisconsin, published a case study on their efforts to encourage less waste. And this year’s Silver Lake street fair in Los Angeles worked to get vendors to switch to biodegradable carryout containers and to get people to “think before you toss.”
More resources:
Slow Food Nation ‘08:
http://slowfoodnation.org/
Case Study: Walworth County Fair, Wisconsin:
http://www.besmart.org/publicplacerecycling/Case-studies/Walworth-County-Fair/wc-fair.html
“‘Wasted’ at the County Fair,” on Mom Goes Green:
http://www.momgoesgreen.com/%E2%80%9Cwasted%E2%80%9D-at-the-county-fair/
“The Greening of a Los Angeles Street Festival,” August 24, 2008, The Los Angeles Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-sunsetjunction24-2008aug24,0,1134965.story
“Slow Food Brings Many Issues to the Table,” August 29, 2008, San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/29/MNKQ12K54L.DTL
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Well, what did they do with all the food that was left over? My wife and I went to the event at Fort Mason on Sunday night, and it was a total ripoff. What did they do with all the Gelato that was left when they closed the Gelato Pavilion a few minutes before closing time? How about the coffee from the Coffee Pavilion, that was closed a few minutes earlier? I mean, what kind of jerk wants coffee and ice-cream at the end of a food-tasting event? Oh, that’s right, the kind of jerk like me who pays $120 to spend all night standing in line at a 3.5-hour-long infomercial.
September 4th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Yes, you are right that it was a truly sloooow food event. I stood in line for about 45 minutes for my noodle dish. But I attended the free event at Civic Center and talked to the strangers next to me in line, who gave me some good composting tips, so I was happy. I would be bitter about long lines after spending $120, too. Clearly, organizers have some kinks to work out. Besides, if slow food as a concept is not supposed to be elitist, should they be charging $120 for a ticket?