28 Jul Tackling Food Waste – developing the Food Surplus and Salvage Working Group plan

On Monday the Sustainable Food Policy Board voted to create my proposed Food Surplus and Salvage Working Group. That was my last meeting as an official Board Member, for now. Going forward I'll be doing the leg work on this working group to eliminate the concept and practice of food waste. William McDonough, explains that Waste=Food to business and industry folks. So it's totally contrary to treat any food as waste when it's 100 percent valuable resource!

I want to help set up the systems that will deliver as much food to people as possible that is safe for human consumption. The next grade of less presentable but still edible food can be fed to farm animals. The rest can be composted to create rich soil.

Hre's what was proposed and adopted as the missions and target dates for the Food Surplus & Salvage Working Group:

   * Assess the universe of local, state & national laws, regulations, ordinances, health codes, and conditions that currently exist in the food waste/disposal mgmt/recovery/transportation ecosystem. (by Oct 2011 board meeting)
   * Participate in meetings sponsored by the Universal Recycling Ordinance Meeting and relevant Solid Waste Advisory Commission meetings to help learn about and shape rules as they pertain to food waste/composting and identify salvage opportunities.(Through December 2011)
   * Catalog and map the local businesses and services that relate to food donations, surplus food, farms that want scraps and what type, composting operations and their capacity.
   * Identify working models, best practices, programs and regulations from other locations that facilitate the highest and best use of surplus food and food scraps. (by Oct 2011 board meeting)
   * Make recommendations for national, state county, cIty and state policy changes that would facilitate more surplus food recovery. (Spring 2012)
   * Develop communication tools (survey and educational information) for contacting all Austin area food businesses to assess their current practices as they relate to surplus/scrap/spoiled food and educate them about the alternatives. Find organization and/or interns and/or City or County staff to implement. (Summer 2012)
   * Create a surplus food map that identifies businesses that are willing to release their surplus food and under what conditions. (Fall 2012)
   * Support the funding of vehicles with temperature-controlled chambers that can safely transport food in recovery and delivery efforts and find an entity to carry out such pick-ups. (Winter 2012)

Members (so far):
Brandi Clark Burton – Austin EcoNetwork
Marla Camp – Edible Austin, SFPB
Melanie McAfee – Barr Mansion, SFPB
Mark McKim  – citizen
James Jolly Clark – citizen
Tod Wickersham – citizen
Laura Tankersley – citizen
Erin Hickok – Go Local
Ruthie Redmond  – citizen
Stacy Guidry – TCE/CTZWA/Austin Zero Waste Alliance
Debrah Dubay – Shades of Green
Allen Schroeder – Food Recovery
Sayuri – citizen

Others?  We need someone from Capital Area Food Bank.

I'm laying the groundwork for an action-packed next two months with this working group. I'm submitting a proposal for a really compelling presentation at the SXSWEco Conference in early October that will visually convey the relationship of a community and its food and the possibilites for really addressing the social, environmental and economic aspects of this sustainability issue.

Brainstorm session for the panel discussion (proposal is due tomorrow 7/29) is 8am tomorrow morning at Pacha on Burnet Road. Bring or send your ideas, especially if you have good viusals.