Greenwich Raises $12,600 for Food Scrap Recycling Pilot
Willimantic, CT (02/19/2020) — The Greenwich Recycling Advisory Board (GRAB) and Waste Free Greenwich are thrilled to announce full funding to implement a voluntary food scrap recycling pilot in Greenwich. The effort successfully raised $12,600 from a crowdfunding campaign supported by private donors, demonstrating broad support from residents, businesses and other organizations throughout the community.
Sustainable CT, an initiative run by the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University, matched each dollar donated by the community, doubling funds available for the project.
Waste Free Greenwich, in coordination with the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Conservation Commission, are preparing educational and outreach programming, developing operational procedures and procuring materials to implement the pilot, which is scheduled to launch in April 2020.
"This voluntary drop-off program diverts food scraps from our waste stream, converting the material into a valuable resource - compost - and complements broader sustainability goals for the Town of Greenwich to reduce waste," said Julie DesChamps, founder of Waste Free Greenwich.
About Sustainable CT and Community Match Fund
Sustainable CT is funded by the Hampshire Foundation, Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation and Connecticut Green Bank. The Sustainable CT Community Match Fund is an innovative funding resource that provides a dollar-for-dollar match to all donations raised from the community, doubling local investment. The program is helping to bring projects across the state to life by providing fast, accessible funding as well as fundraising coaching and support to residents and organizations with great ideas to make their communities more sustainable.
Anyone in a Sustainable CT-registered municipality (more than 50 percent of the state) is eligible to receive this funding, meaning that schools, nonprofits, community groups and individual residents can all propose projects and access the matching funds.
To start a Community Match Fund project, visit ioby.org/sustainablect or contact Sustainable CT's Abe Hilding-Salorio at hildingsalorioa@easternct.edu or 860-465-0256.
"Through the Community Match Fund, we aim to put residents at the forefront of creating positive, impactful change," said Hilding-Salorio, community outreach manager for Sustainable CT. "Match Fund projects are community led and community funded, demonstrating the power of people working together to make change in their communities."
Sustainable CT, an initiative by the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University, provides a roadmap of sustainability best practices for towns, technical assistance, funding and recognition through certification. Forty-seven towns and cities across Connecticut have earned the prestigious Sustainable CT certification, demonstrating accomplishments in nine impact categories including inclusive and equitable communities, cleaner transportation, vibrant arts and culture, natural resource stewardship and affordable housing. Find more information at www.sustainablect.org.
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving 5,000 students annually at its Willimantic campus and satellite locations. In addition to attracting students from 162 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 34 other states and 19 countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 65 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in an array of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 30 public universities in the North Region by U.S. News and World Report in its 2019 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 10 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.