Bill and Reen,
I am so glad that I had the opportunity to take this course this semester. I have taken sustainability and permaculture courses in the past, as well as read many articles on sustainability issues, but I think that this class did an exceptional job of tying together the importance of community involvement and fostering sustainable behaviors within our communities in a way that no other course or article has done for me. The group and personal projects were wonderful tools for us to learn hands-on about what it takes to engage your community members and implement sustainable changes that will have great impact, both on our personal lives and on the community as a whole.
I thoroughly enjoyed the readings that we used this semester, and feel that they are texts that I will return to again and again in the future. I also grew to like the blogging process that accompanied the readings. I think that there is great value in having to synthesize your thoughts on a topic that you have just read an article about; it continues to amaze me at all of the different directions you can take your thought processes that are spawned from a single topic (my peers' excellent blogs are evidence of this).
Thank you for a great semester!
~Rachel
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Personal Project Final Update: Evaluation of the Recycling Program at Little Tibet
The greening of Anyetsang's Little Tibet continues...
Now that recycling has been going on at Little Tibet for almost a month now (we started just before Thanksgiving), it's time to evaluate how the program is working, and what changes might be made to make it work better.
Overall, the recycling efforts have been quite successful! The waitstaff have been very compliant with the new procedure, and while I do occasionally come into work and see a wine bottle in the garbage can, for the most part people have been recycling as they should. This was honestly not a surprise to me, since most of my waitstaff peers are environmentally conscious and recycle at home as well. Having a convenient recycling program at Little Tibet further confirms the idea that recycling is highly dependant on convenience!
I estimate that our recycling efforts at the restaurant are now diverting upwards of 80 wine bottles from the garbage each month. This is encouraging! According to the Recycling-Revolution organization:
Recycling just one glass bottle saves the same amount of energy that is needed to power a
100-watt light bulb for 4 hours, or a CFL for 20 hours
Glass takes over 4,000 years or longer to decompose in a landfill
Recycling glass causes 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than when new bottles are made from raw materials
With these statistics in mind, it makes our recycling efforts at Little Tibet seem all the more valuable!
What changes need to happen in order to make the recycling program work better?
Overall the recycling program at the restaurant has been a success, but one aspect that is in need of improvement is the transportation of recyclables from the restaurant to the homes of me and the other participating waitstaff (currently two others are helping me take recyclables from the restaurant).
Transporting the recyclables from the restaurant to my home is a bit of challenge since my mode of transportation is by bicycle.
Typically I can take home between six and eight bottles at a time in my backpack (more if I don't have many books with me that day), which is doable, but also highly dependent on the weather (I don't particularly like biking in the rain with a heavy backpack full of glass- it doesn't seem like a safe choice, so I avoid it!) Also, once it starts getting snowy, I don't think that I will be able to transport the bottles via bike. This means that I will need one of my co-workers to drive me home with the recyclables. So far, this has happened twice, actually, and was quite convenient since I live on the way to my coworker's house. However, I would like to have the recycling program be as carbon-neutral as possible, so I inherently dislike the idea of transporting the recyclables via car.
Ultimately, I would like to see all of the Fourth St restaurants collaborating together on recycling, so I am hoping that in the future there will be recycling facilities on Fourth St, which will eliminate the issue of difficulty in transporting the recyclables.
Now that recycling has been going on at Little Tibet for almost a month now (we started just before Thanksgiving), it's time to evaluate how the program is working, and what changes might be made to make it work better.
What's working well?
Overall, the recycling efforts have been quite successful! The waitstaff have been very compliant with the new procedure, and while I do occasionally come into work and see a wine bottle in the garbage can, for the most part people have been recycling as they should. This was honestly not a surprise to me, since most of my waitstaff peers are environmentally conscious and recycle at home as well. Having a convenient recycling program at Little Tibet further confirms the idea that recycling is highly dependant on convenience!I estimate that our recycling efforts at the restaurant are now diverting upwards of 80 wine bottles from the garbage each month. This is encouraging! According to the Recycling-Revolution organization:
Recycling just one glass bottle saves the same amount of energy that is needed to power a 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours, or a CFL for 20 hours
Glass takes over 4,000 years or longer to decompose in a landfill
Recycling glass causes 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than when new bottles are made from raw materialsWith these statistics in mind, it makes our recycling efforts at Little Tibet seem all the more valuable!
What changes need to happen in order to make the recycling program work better?
Overall the recycling program at the restaurant has been a success, but one aspect that is in need of improvement is the transportation of recyclables from the restaurant to the homes of me and the other participating waitstaff (currently two others are helping me take recyclables from the restaurant).
Transporting the recyclables from the restaurant to my home is a bit of challenge since my mode of transportation is by bicycle.
Typically I can take home between six and eight bottles at a time in my backpack (more if I don't have many books with me that day), which is doable, but also highly dependent on the weather (I don't particularly like biking in the rain with a heavy backpack full of glass- it doesn't seem like a safe choice, so I avoid it!) Also, once it starts getting snowy, I don't think that I will be able to transport the bottles via bike. This means that I will need one of my co-workers to drive me home with the recyclables. So far, this has happened twice, actually, and was quite convenient since I live on the way to my coworker's house. However, I would like to have the recycling program be as carbon-neutral as possible, so I inherently dislike the idea of transporting the recyclables via car.
Ultimately, I would like to see all of the Fourth St restaurants collaborating together on recycling, so I am hoping that in the future there will be recycling facilities on Fourth St, which will eliminate the issue of difficulty in transporting the recyclables.
Personal Project: From Intent to Action
The greening of Anyetsang's Little Tibet continues...Now that a free, feasible option for a recycling program has been determined (and approved by the owners!) at Little Tibet, it's time to move beyond words into action.
Here's the process of how the recycling program is going to be implemented:
1) Organize and rearrange the mid-front of house area to make room for two milk crates. - Two milk crates should be sufficient (at least initially) for the number of glass wine bottles that are generated on a biweekly basis at the restaurant. However, during the summer when sales of wine tend to be higher, more than two milk crates may be needed- we will cross this hurdle next summer; for the time being, two crates will suffice.
- Discuss new recycling setup at the next waitstaff meeting. Explain that all recyclables from waitstaff operations will now be able to be recycled.
- Garner volunteers for helping me to take recyclables back to our homes, where curbside recycling is free of charge.
- Put up "Recycle!" reminder signs around the waitstaff prep area so that people won't forget and fall back on old habits.
Note: This blog post is late in coming, the recycling at Anyetsang's Little Tibet has now been ongoing since November 22, 2011, just prior to Thanksgiving.
Personal Project: Alternative Solutions- Overcoming the Barriers to Recycling
The greening of Anyetsang's Little Tibet continues...
In my previous post I examined the four main barriers to recycling at Anyetsang's Little Tibet, which include:
1) Funding
2) Space
3) Convenience
4) Attitude
Despite these barriers, I am confident that solutions do exist. Here's why:
1) Funding: Funding is only needed if the restaurant decides to contract with a company to pick up its recyclables. Since the owners are unwilling to budge on their decision to not fund recycling pick up, this means whatever solution is found must be free or have minimal costs that could potentially be covered by the restaurant's sustainability fund. With this in mind, I think that a possible solution would be for an employee(s) to take the recycling from the restaurant to their home, where curbside recycling is offered free of charge by the City of Bloomington.
2) Space: True, space is indeed a huge issue in the kitchen, but what about space in the mid-front area of the restaurant where waitstaff does intermediary prep work (making salads, drinks, managing the phones, etc...)? With a little bit of rearrangement of the waitstaff table, and reorganization of materials to use the existing space more efficiently, I believe that it would be possible to have a bin for recyclables.
While it is more common for restaurants that recycle to do so in the kitchen, according to a 2011 report issued by the National Restaurant Association, 43% of restaurants that recycle use front of house recycling programs. (Note: Unfortunately, the owner did not agree to photos being taken of the prep area for me to show the current set up and its potential role in a recycling program at Little Tibet.)
3) Convenience: If recycling containers are able to be placed in the mid-front prep area, convenience for recycling is no longer an issue! Waitstaff currently throw recyclables away because we don't have a recycling program, but if bins are installed it will be just as convenient to put recyclables into the recycling bins as it would be to throw them in the trash- barrier eliminated!
4) Attitude: As mentioned in my previous post, no one working at the restaurant is opposed to recycling. With a convenient option available to them and encouragement to participate, I think that waitstaff will be more than willing to cooperate with the recycling efforts. Furthermore, since waitstaff would be entirely responsible for the recycling program, the owner of the restaurant is far more likely to be supportive of the recycling effort- another barrier eliminated!
So, what does this all mean? The barriers to recycling at Little Tibet are surmountable!
A recycling program (run by waitstaff out of the mid-front prep area of the restaurant) is a free, feasible option!!!
In my previous post I examined the four main barriers to recycling at Anyetsang's Little Tibet, which include:
1) Funding
2) Space
3) Convenience
4) Attitude
Despite these barriers, I am confident that solutions do exist. Here's why:
2) Space: True, space is indeed a huge issue in the kitchen, but what about space in the mid-front area of the restaurant where waitstaff does intermediary prep work (making salads, drinks, managing the phones, etc...)? With a little bit of rearrangement of the waitstaff table, and reorganization of materials to use the existing space more efficiently, I believe that it would be possible to have a bin for recyclables.
While it is more common for restaurants that recycle to do so in the kitchen, according to a 2011 report issued by the National Restaurant Association, 43% of restaurants that recycle use front of house recycling programs. (Note: Unfortunately, the owner did not agree to photos being taken of the prep area for me to show the current set up and its potential role in a recycling program at Little Tibet.)
3) Convenience: If recycling containers are able to be placed in the mid-front prep area, convenience for recycling is no longer an issue! Waitstaff currently throw recyclables away because we don't have a recycling program, but if bins are installed it will be just as convenient to put recyclables into the recycling bins as it would be to throw them in the trash- barrier eliminated!4) Attitude: As mentioned in my previous post, no one working at the restaurant is opposed to recycling. With a convenient option available to them and encouragement to participate, I think that waitstaff will be more than willing to cooperate with the recycling efforts. Furthermore, since waitstaff would be entirely responsible for the recycling program, the owner of the restaurant is far more likely to be supportive of the recycling effort- another barrier eliminated!
So, what does this all mean? The barriers to recycling at Little Tibet are surmountable!
A recycling program (run by waitstaff out of the mid-front prep area of the restaurant) is a free, feasible option!!!
Personal Project: Barriers to Recycling at Little Tibet
The greening of Anyetsang's Little Tibet continues...
Before being able to move forward in developing a recycling program at the restaurant, it was essential to first identify the specific factors that are the main deterrents to recycling at the restaurant. Below is a summary of what I found to be the primary barriers, assembled from my personal observations, as well as from direct communication with the owners.
1) Funding ($$$)
2) Small Business Grants: Apply for a small business grant to obtain funding for a recycling program. (Note: there are many grants available for recycling in other states such as this one in Colorado, however, in the past several years Gov. Daniels has effectively eliminated such grant opportunities in Indiana; I was unable to find any grants that would be applicable to this project).
2) Space
4) Attitude
Before being able to move forward in developing a recycling program at the restaurant, it was essential to first identify the specific factors that are the main deterrents to recycling at the restaurant. Below is a summary of what I found to be the primary barriers, assembled from my personal observations, as well as from direct communication with the owners.
Barriers to Recycling at Little Tibet
- The financial situation at Little Tibet is like that of many small businesses (especially small, family-owned restaurants) in that money is tight.
- The owners are unwilling to pay any extra for recycling (recycling pick up is usually $40-$50 per pick-up), and when I suggested that there might be a way to find funding from somewhere else in the existing budget, I was informed that there actually isn't an official budget for the restaurant (This is an entirely different problem in and of itself! I honestly don't know how a business can NOT have a written, planned budget and still make money!)
- So, working without any funding from the restaurant is a huge barrier, however, it is not impossible to overcome. Suggestions that I put forth for alternative funding include the following two options:
2) Small Business Grants: Apply for a small business grant to obtain funding for a recycling program. (Note: there are many grants available for recycling in other states such as this one in Colorado, however, in the past several years Gov. Daniels has effectively eliminated such grant opportunities in Indiana; I was unable to find any grants that would be applicable to this project).
2) Space
 |
| Representative kitchen space |
- The kitchen is VERY tiny, with no extra floor or wall space for a recycling bin to be placed. I wish that I could post photos of the kitchen to clearly show how crowded it is, but unfortunately, the owner did not agree to photos being taken of the kitchen ("Secret recipes!" was his reasoning behind this?) Anyways, the photo to the right is a depiction of a fairly similar kitchen set up. However, at Little Tibet there is even less space between the stoves and the washing area because there is a rack that holds all of the serving plates, rice pots, etc... In fact, the trash can in the kitchen at the restaurant is in the middle of the walkway between the rack and dish washing area simply because there is no other space for it (this makes it a bit hazardous during the busy dinner rush!)
- If recycling is going to happen, it HAS to be convenient for the waitstaff and other employees. This means that we must find a way to have recycling bins inside and easily accessible for employees to deposit recyclables in, otherwise they will continue to use the trash cans.
- The owner is not against recycling per se, but he is very set in his ways. Whenever I make suggestions regarding the restaurant, whether it be about the setup, flow, recycling etc... the owner is very resistant to hearing me out. However, I have found that by incrementally bringing up topics and speaking about them over a long period of time, he is typically more receptive!
- The waitstaff also is not against recycling, we simply have never had a system before, which is why they currently throw recyclables in the trash cans.
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