The Erie County Department of Environment and Planning (“DEP”) and partners have announced an upcoming workshop, “They’re Demanding Less Waste”, to be held on Monday March 4 from 2:00 – 3:30 PM at the Tabernacle @ Sweet_ness 7 Café. This free workshop will bring together local experts to discuss the strategies they use to maximize customer experiences at restaurants, festivals, special events and tourist attractions while minimizing waste, including single use plastics and food. Participants will have an opportunity to share their experiences about food waste and plastic reduction and network with a diverse audience including restaurateurs, event planners, and fundraisers.

“The restaurant industry provides excellent examples of individuals and business owners who have acted in an environmentally-friendly way to reduce the waste generated by their establishments, both food waste and plastic waste. The impact this has on the environment is considerable, and this workshop will provide an opportunity for others to learn about how to do it as well,” said Commissioner of Environment and Planning Tom Hersey. “More and more customers and businesses are looking for ways to be more environmentally-conscious and less wasteful, so we encourage any restaurant owner or event planner who is interested in reducing their own waste to attend and be a part of a growing movement.”

The Alliance for the Great Lakes, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper are partnering with DEP for this presentation.  Nate Drag, Water Project Manager for the Alliance for the Great Lakes, will provide a brief introduction about how plastic pollution is impacting the Great Lakes.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Brian Smith, Associate Executive Director of the Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment.  Panelists will include Debbie Friedel of Delaware North, Prish Moran of Sweet_ness 7 Café, Jennifer Brazill of the Borderland Festival, and Nicole Wurstner of Service Systems Associates, which operate dining, catering and retail at zoos, museums and aquariums.

For more information and to register, visit http://www2.erie.gov/recycling/ .

The Tabernacle @ Sweet_ness 7 Café is located at 211Lafayette Avenue, Buffalo NY 14213.  There are three parking lots and plenty of available on-street parking nearby.

For more information:

On the Department of Environment and Planning, visit http://www2.erie.gov/environment/

On Erie County’s recycling and compost programs, visit http://www2.erie.gov/recycling/ 

On the issue of food waste, click here  

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