Here's a toast to the Michigan Winter Beer Festival, which attracted a sell-out crowd this past weekend at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park -- and surprisingly took care not to generate a mountain of trash from the event.
Event organizers were aggressive and suggestive in the way they strategically positioned trash receptacles to capture trash from the more than 5,000 people attending. I'll let you imagine the number of plastic cups, token baggies, plates, napkins that can add up throughout the course of a day.
I have a great respect for organizers of events like the beer festival who do their homework and plan ahead to make sure none of us has to carve a path through a mound of litter to enjoy the show.
It can be downright depressing to let that small group of slobs who think nothing of dropping their food wrappings, plastic straws and cups on the ground to wreck an otherwise perfect event with their boorish behavior.
But it is equally depressing these days to attend an event with just one trash option that is at most times overflowing with items that could have been diverted from the landfill.
When the Rothbury Festival debuted in this area in 2008, I had the chance to see up close, as did many others who attended, the power of being aggressive about the appropriate way to deal with your trash.
They tackled it beautifully by placing one volunteer at each waste station where three distinct receptacles were available: Compostable, Recyclable and finally Landfill.
It gave pause to everyone who approached these brightly painted stations, and a festival volunteer was always there to assist them with their choices should they need help.
As we learn from the Michigan Winter Beer Festival and the Rothbury Festival, let's also tackle another area that needs addressing at our events and beyond: Styrofoam. I doubt there is anyone now who feels happy about having to deal with this item while trying to support a local business.
It may appear that there aren't any real good alternatives to the white clamshell boxes and coffee receptacles that both retain heat and resist breakdown by ordinary natural means, but there are. Places like the Wealthy Street Bakery have found a to-go carton that keeps food fresh, but doesn't create a negative impact on our West Michigan environment.
While I know there are plenty of groups and other businesses who have addressed this issue (and I would love to hear from you), I want to do a shout-out to the city of Grand Rapids for placing more and more units for recyclables near Rosa Parks Circle and to Grand Valley State University for beginning a bold new initiative by taking pre and post -consumer waste and diverting it from the landfill to "circle of life" rich compost fields.
These are all great examples of ideas that are worth talking up within your community. They are key indicators of a community that is serious about its imprint on our eco-system. And most of all, why this region of the state continues to generate more good environmental press and interest from those all over the world.
So the next time you visit a show, a favorite eatery, or a local business, before disposing of your trash, politely ask them where their recyclables go.
The Future Needs All of Us (to think bigger, but make smaller footprints.)
Tommy Allen, Lifestyle Editor
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