Page 37 - Sonoma County Gazette June 2019

New ZERO Waste Sub-Committee Reducing SEB’s Environmental Footprint
Let me start this article by saying May was a very unusual month. Do you remember the old adage that says, “April showers bring May flowers”? Well, someone needs to create a new saying for us because, although some people deny we are having climate change, it rained more this May then ever before. Let’s hope it brings an abundance to our gardens and orchards.
City Council Members and Staff have joined local businesses, citizens, youth, and our garbage hauler to reduce waste, ZERO being the ultimate goal. The group has already focused on requiring permitted events to go green, for example, by not using single-use food ware.
For those of us who live in Windsor we know it’s an awesome place to live, but its official—Windsor is also a great town to work in! The Town of Windsor was voted the Best Business Friendly City by North Bay Biz magazine.
“This spring, Analy Band’s fundraiser dinner was a Zero Waste event!
” enthuses Sunny Galbraith. Sunny coordinates volunteer efforts at the Farmer’s Market where vendors and patrons appreciate the compostable and reusable service ware. Judy Morgan has surveyed restaurants to learn who allows diners to bring their own containers for drinks and take-out, who gives patrons discounts for this effort, and who uses reusables and/or compostables for eat-in-or-out.
Windsor has a bunch of new businesses opening ranging from wine bars such as Baldassari Family Wines and Corks & Taps, to kid friendly places like as Two Dog Night Creamery, and Fruity Moto juice bar coming in June.
One leader is Danielle Connor of Retrograde Coffee Roasters on S. Main Street who offers 25 cents off to customers bringing a cup or to-go container, and $1 off for their own container for coffee beans. Danielle explains other ways to reach ZW, “Our shop compost is donated to a local farmer who grows bamboo and fruit...roasting waste to Meandering Farms to use as ‘litter’ in the chicken coops... burlap coffee bags to True Grass Farms to use as organic weed suppressant...We have some food waste in deli meat that we freeze and donate to the Humane Society to use as dog treats.” Retrograde is working towards its Green Business Certification; INFO: wwwretrograderoasters.com.
As we roll into summer, we look forward to our 18th Annual Summer Nights on the Green concerts presented by the Town of Windsor and the Windsor Certified Farmers Market townofwindsor.com/342/Summer-Nights-on-the- Green
Individual action matters, too, per Vice Mayor Patrick Slayter, “I’ve found that, with just a little bit of awareness, making proactive choices towards reducing waste is quite easy. Seemingly insignificant individual actions, when taken by many people, add up to a big change for our planet.”
No concert the first week of July
Cynthia Albers realized that her usual routines resulted in the purchase of a lot of single-use plastic packaging that, she worried, was ending up in the ocean, so she studied ZW behaviors on line. Changing her shopping habits, she’s brought her household waste to almost zero.
With these AMAZING concerts come locals and tourists who enjoy our lovely town to visit our food & beverage vendors at the Windsor Farmers Market. For 18 years this is where friends meet friends to dance, picnic and have fun on the Windsor Town Green.
Watch for developments from this Sub-Committee on the City’s website and Facebook page, in the Community Newsletter, and in the local papers. Also, contact the Sub-Com’s Members, Vice Mayor Slayter and me, with your input.
This year Windsor is taking a big step forward with a program called the Waste Less Windsor program. The goal of this program is to try and reduce the waste sent to the landfills from the 2019 Summer Concert Series by focusing on sustainable service ware, education and volunteer recruitment.
Here is the lineup for the month of June: June 6- Kingsborough
June 13- Atta Kid
June 20- The Boys of Summer
June 27- Danny Click and the Hell Yeahs!
Public Hearing on SEB’s DRAFT Budget for FY 19-20 Delayed to
As you might imagine our concerts often have 5,000 people or more. And with these people comes plastic cups, plates, forks, spoons and knives. Most of which goes directly to the landfill.
June Meetings: The City Council will review next year’s Draft Budget on June 4 and/or 18, perhaps even at an additional meeting before the State’s June 30 deadline. The situation is unprecedented because this Council, with less than two years’ experience together, has not adopted Goals and Objectives,
Starting with the May 30th concert Waste Less Windsor will be encouraging everyone to bring their own cups and silverware to the concerts. The Old Down Town
an action started last January and not yet completed under Mayor Hinton. Check the City website for the actual meeting dates and speak up about what’s important to you. ci.sebastopol.ca.us/City-Government/City-Council
2019 Peacetown Summer Concert Series Starts Wednesday
Merchants Association and the Windsor Chamber of Commerce, who will be pouring beer and wine in the middle kiosk, will be selling a cool stainless-steel cup. Additionally, we will be officering a $1 discount when reusing a cup. The goal is to eliminate single use items whenever possible.
June 12 at IVES Park 5pm: Jim Corbett, aka Mr. Music, has lined up 13 evening concerts. Some new acts and some returning headliners. As before, there will be great food available, served on compostable/recyclable ware, and, of course, plenty of beer and wine in reusable cups provided by Sudbusters,
The Windsor Chamber of Commerce has offered to be a drop off point if people have flatware (no plastic please) they would like to donate for others to use. The goal is to have reusable silverware available each week. At the end of the evening just put them in a pick-up station so they can be washed and reused the following weeks.
a local business owned by Michael Siminitus. Plus Peacetown t-shirts and hoodies. In keeping with ZERO waste, there will be three-bin collection.
Jim invites everyone to become a Citizen of Peacetown. He encourages us to —Be Kind. Create Beauty. Build Community. Love Your Neighbor. Choose Love over Fear. Make Laughter Your Drug. Sing, Dance, Play and Make
Art. Meditate and/or Pray Every Day. Love Yourself as a Divine Being. See Others as Divine Beings. Be Grateful.
The folks from the Waste Less Windsor program will also have 14 recycling stations around the Town Green. Would you like to be part of the Waste Less Windsor program? Please sign up as a volunteer at bit.ly/30xl05O. We need your help!
Fireworks as Usual This Year — What will happen in 2020?
Another way you to support our Summer Night Concerts is to take the Windsor Hopper Shuttle rather than driving your car. The Shuttle is free, safe and you can visit our many restaurants, tasting bars and breweries around town after the concert.
Three organizations will sell fireworks for individual use again this year, June 28 through July 4: Gravenstein Lions Club, Sebastopol Sea Serpents, and V.F.W. Post #3919. Fire Chief Bill Braga, who has analyzed California’s Fire Behavior and Fire Conditions, recommends that the City ban all sales and use of fireworks starting in 2020. His report will be discussed at Council, including the opportunity for public participation [meeting date TBD]. The Chief’s advance notice of the possible end to fireworks in town gives each group time to plan other, less hazardous ways to raise money.
Help keep Windsor a wonderful place to live, work and play.
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Waste Less Windsor: facebook.com/WasteLessWindsor/