IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:
The biggest talking point at restaurants this year is not what is on the menu, but what meals are being served with. Foodservice ware has become more of a focus in 2018 with companies choosing to take a stand against plastic straws and cities and states taking a stand against food waste. Just because regulations are forcing companies to make decisions, doesn’t mean every business is well prepared to implement a plan. This webinar will outline options for alternate foodservice ware as well as food scraps. The presentation will also speak to best practices for managing consumers, back-of-house staff and landlords before implementing organic waste programs. Finally, listeners will take away tips on additional considerations franchisees and restaurant owners must consider such as space issues and government mandates.
In this webinar, attendees will be presented with these takeaways:
Ryan M. Cooper - Waste Diversion Manager and Organics Recycling Lead, Rubicon Global
Ryan M. Cooper, LEED GA, Waste Diversion Manager and Organics Recycling Lead at Rubicon Global joined the company in October 2015. Prior to designing, implementing and managing organics recycling programs at Rubicon, Ryan worked at GreenBlue, where he was a Project Associate for the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC). In this role, he administered an EPA sustainable materials management grant project called Scaling Up Composting in the Charlotte Region. He worked with the Carolina Panthers, Mecklenburg County Jails, YMCA, and others to begin organics recycling programs. In addition to working on this project, he also worked with the City of Charlottesville, VA, to develop a pilot residential composting program. Ryan also provided advisory services to the SPC regarding a compostable packaging label.
Prior to joining GreenBlue, Ryan received his Master of Science in Regenerative Studies at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where his thesis focused on municipal anaerobic digestion and composting. He worked with the City of Asheville, NC, on a feasibility study for curbside organics collection. He has established a state permitted compost facility near Asheville, NC, and has written for BioCycle Magazine. Ryan holds a position on the Membership Committee of the US Composting Council. He received a BA in Globalization from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, and is passionate about organic agriculture, renewable energy, permaculture design, urban and regional planning, and sustainable development.
Olga Kachook - Sustainability Manager, World Centric
Olga Kachook is a Sustainability Manager at World Centric, where she works to close the loop on compostable food serviceware by collaborating with waste generators, haulers, and composting facilities. She also manages partnerships with organizations building zero waste initiatives, such as the Post Landfill Action Network. Prior to World Centric, Olgaworked at Etsy on USGBC zero waste facility certification and at Cascadia Consulting on a variety of sustainability programs, including green business programs and recycling and composting efforts for multifamily properties. Olga has a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Washington, Foster School of Business. She is a LEED Green Associate and a TRUE Zero Waste Advisor.
Rhodes Yepsen - Executive Director, Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI)
Rhodes Yepsen is Executive Director of the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), North America’s leading certifier of compostable products and packaging in North America. A nonprofit, the BPI’s goal is the scalable diversion of organic waste to composting, by verifying that products and packaging will completely break down in a professionally managed composting facility, without harming the quality of the compost. Yepsen co-chairs the Compostable Products Task Force at the US Composting Council, where he formerly served on the Board of Directors.
Thank you for your interest in this special Sustainable Brands webinar. Recorded webinars are always available after the live webinar in SB Library.