“Shades of Green” Environmental Talk Radio on KOOP 91.7 FM (Austin’s Partnership with the EPA on Food Waste & Diversion)

This Thursday from 1-2 PM, please join us for another edition of "Shades of Green", Austin's only live environmental talk radio program, on KOOP 91.7 FM and streaming at www.koop.org!

This week we will talk about statewide efforts to divert food waste from landfills! Thomas Vinson, founder of the Zero Waste Network at the University of Texas at Arlington will join us to talk about the school's recent receipt of an EPA grant that will be used to engage all levels of the Austin area community to reduce waste in the hospitality industry, with an emphasis on food waste, partnership building and achieving measurable environmental outcomes based on source reduction implementation by area businesses.  

The Official Project Charter Signing Ceremony is to take place on Thursday, September 18^th, 11 am to 3 pm at the Long Center. Attendees will include Regional EPA representatives, City of Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, City of Austin Council Members, non-profits organizations, the Austin Restaurant Association, media, and prominent stakeholders in the food service industry. 

We will also speak with Joseph de Leon of Keep Austin Fed, a nonprofit founded in 2004 that utilizes volunteer efforts to collect and distribute surplus foods to those in need. Today, the group rescues thousands of meals each month, feeding hundreds of neighbors living with food insecurity. In addition, they are starting to put a dent in the approximately 30 percent of food in the U.S. that ends up in a landfill and produces methane gas.

Our last guest will be Molly Costigan, Program Coordinator for the Sustainable Food Center's The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre®. The SFC cultivates a healthy community by strengthening the local food system and improving access to nutritious, affordable food. SFC envisions a food-secure community where all children and adults grow, share, and prepare healthy, local food.

You can find podcasts of previous shows on our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter!