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Green proposal for Brookside Kcmo 6-6-2018

I’m thrilled  to talk with you today about brookside's new potential in recycling and composting. First I’m going to tell you why I’m here, why now is the time for brookside to begin its journey to sustainability  and then ill hand it over to Cassandra who will go into better detail on logistics for a sustainable future. 
My name's Olivia English and I was lucky to be raised in brookside. I’m lucky to also work at Bella Napoli which is an Italian family restaurant that has made brookside its home for the last 17 years. 
Bella Napoli strives in authentic Italian experience. 
This experience comes from Italy, and in Italy, restaurants such as ours not only care about what goes on inside the restaurant but what happens outside regarding waste... especially food waste.
In Milan, excess food is used to feed less fortunate, composting to feed farmers soil, and recycling to feed a circle economy and reduce landfill methane production.
 I'm a traveler and I direct my focus on witnessing the daily infrastructure of trash In communities rich and poor, new and advanced,  and each time I come home to brookside my biggest question is .. Why are we NOT the leaders in sustainability?Has anybody asked?
Is it something you’ve thought about?
In Peru, education is scarce where the plastic is thick. In the downtown of Hong Kong, theres no room to innovate and improve.  I see our grand potential, myself and a great group of women created LivegreenKC which is a platform for education, inspiration, and ACTION. 
What would be your ideal situation…?
Designed to engage this community as a whole. 
I’m here today because I believe We are ready to begin our journey - to become a role model for Kansas City and the greater midwest to improve practices through out personal and business life. 
Are you looking for solutions?
Brookside Kansas City is a educated, wealthy,  and beautiful neighborhood. With such amazing local shops filled with smart and passionate people I believe we have an opportunity to be ahead of the curve in a commitment to sustainability. 
In a basic evaluation, a majority of our waste is 
  1.  Preventable (excess packaging, over ordering, single use plastics, throw away items.)
  2. compostable (ie. paper towels, napkins, food waste) 
  3. recyclable (ie packaging, cans, bottles, boxes).. 
Over the years we have recycled cardboard and glass but as family I feel we must venture further. 

  • Brookside real-estate is managed by a national company who has just recently brought to their table a discussion and active support of projects that aim at reducing waste and improving green practices.  Anna and Sean are the coordinators for Brookside. They are onboard in getting the message in front of the right people.
  • Here we have Cassandra from Bridging the Gap (an environmental non profit here in Kansas City that generates diverse projects ranging from tree planting and recycling centers, to green consulting for local businesses and schools). Cassandra is the main consultant for businesses in education and implementation of more sustainable practices in the work place. 

Our goal is to educate local people and businesses about waste. We will break it down in parts
  • The current system of trash and how it's impacting our environment, 
  • The businesses that offer solutions from organic waste, recycling, and learning what materials they accept. 
  • Initial pricing of new systems, and implementation by displaying proper signs and strategically placing the bins for each type of material.

We will continue this discussion and bring the focus to education and understanding of a greener lifestyle.



 

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