Page 16 - The HandPrint_September-October

OVER 3,000 POUNDS OF WASTE COMPOSTED

AT THE EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION LUNCHEON

By Beth Beddow, SWOW Engagement Team Co-Leader, Learning &
Development

Hopefully you were able to join us for the 2018 GOJO Employee Appreciation
Luncheon! It was a time of celebration and food...lots of food! This year, the
SWOW Engagement Team lead an initiative to compost all of the compostable
waste at the Employee Appreciation Luncheon. This initiative served two
functions: 1) To dispose of our waste in a more environmentally and socially
sustainable way, and 2) To generate awareness about composting and
educate GOJO team members on how to compost.

In the spirit of collaboration, we partnered with Rust Belt Riders, a grassroots
organization in Northeast Ohio that provides organizations, like us, with a clean
and timely alternative to landfills for their food waste. Specializing in zero-waste events, Rust Belt Riders was able to
provide coaching to our SWOW Engagement team members and volunteers to source and haul all of our compostable
materials. As a result of our composting efforts at the Employee Appreciation Luncheon, we were able to divert
over 3,000 pounds of compostable waste from landfills!

WHY COMPOSTING MATTERS:
Most people don't realize how much food they throw away every day — from uneaten leftovers to spoiled produce. An
average family throws away out $2,500 worth of food in a year, while the average person throws out around 20 pounds of
1
food in a month . According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 94 percent of the food we throw away
2
ends up in landfills or combustion facilities . When food goes into a landfill, the nutrients in the food never return to the soil
3
and the wasted food rots and produces methane gas —contributing to a variety of environmental issues, including climate
change.

Thank you to the many volunteers who helped make this initiative possible! Next year we’re looking forward to making
composing an even bigger initiative as we move towards zero-waste to landfill events!

1. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Reducing Wasted Food At Home
2. National Geographic. How Much Food Do We Waste?
3. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Sustainable Management of Food Basics

Contact Us The HandPrint Team
Send us your comments, suggestions, and story ideas! Beth Beddow, Kim Bogucki,
E-mail: handprint@GOJO.com Jenn Baumann, Kyle DeRemer, 16
myGOJO.com: Company Information>The HandPrint Jessica DeSantis, Richard Serva, RECYCLE to help support
Jerry’s Place: The HandPrint Mailbox and Sarah Thomas
GOJO SWOW efforts
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