Conservation 101: the Compete to Conserve Blog

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

Cyclists and pedestrians take to Sunday Streets SF.

Yesterday, San Francisco hosted its first Sunday Streets event, providing Bay Area residents and visitors nearly five miles of car-free road to bike, walk, and play. Stretching from Portsmouth Square, which borders Chinatown and the Financial District, to the Embarcadero, down through South of Market and the Bayview, streets normally choked with automobiles were filled with cyclists, baby strollers, and lots of leisurely pedestrians.

Next Sunday Streets SF Is September 14

A second Sunday Streets SF event is planned for Sunday, September 14, 2008. City organizers say that if the event proves popular and doesn’t negatively impact businesses, they would like to continue and expand the program. They hope it will bring more people to the city, enhance life for residents, get people out of their cars, and promote physical fitness.

It’s also a fabulous opportunity to people watch. I saw people riding unicycles, old-fashioned high-wheel bikes, tandem bikes, and more. I also saw one pedicab driver smoking on his break and thought that it might not be the best habit for a pedicab driver.

Some Merchants Worried about Business

Despite the event’s apparent success, Sunday Streets SF isn’t without critics. I heard more than one toddler beg to be carried as we continued along the route. The parking lots that charge $15-30 to park for the day sat empty, and I’m guessing their owners were not happy.

Fisherman’s Wharf merchants, especially, were worried that street closures would hamper business. Funny, I thought only selling Alcatraz shot-glasses and “I Got Crabs at Fisherman’s Wharf” t-shirts might be bad for business, but we’ll have to wait and see until Sunday’s sales figures come in.

Many Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, and North Beach merchants similarly opposed the demolition of the Embarcadero Freeway after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The controversial freeway, which blocked beautiful views of the bay and turned the area into a pedestrian no-man’s-land in the 1950s, was reviled by many city residents. Now that retail and dining business is booming along the waterfront and the area hosts wide sidewalks and bike lanes, you’ll find few people who want the massive old freeway back.

In my own walking-induced euphoria this Sunday, I paid $8.50 for a small Icee and cotton candy, so hopefully that will help put skeptical merchants in the black. My family also bought lunch at the Ferry Building, which was packed with hungry diners and shoppers.

Popular Car-Free Events Spreading Worldwide

Modeled on Bogotá, Colombia’s 25-year-old Ciclovía events that close 70 miles of city streets every Sunday and major holiday, Sunday Streets SF is just one of a growing global phenomenon. Worldwide, Guadalajara, Mexico; Santiago, Chile; Ottowa, Canada; Tokyo; Paris; and Kiev have hosted similar car-free events. This summer, New York City and Portland, Oregon, also freed up roads for cyclists and pedestrians.

More resources:

Videos of Ciclovía and other Sunday city street closures:
http://www.sundaystreetssf.com/PortlandSundayParkways.html

“Thousands Enjoy SF’s Sunday Streets Event,” September 1, 2008, San Francisco Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/01/BAC212M16J.DTL

“Ciclovia New York City” on the WashCycle blog:
http://washcycle.typepad.com/home/2008/07/ciclovia-new-yo.html

“Ciclovia Comes to North America,” on CommuterPageBlog: http://www.commuterpageblog.com/2008/06/cyclovia-comes.html