The winner of this year's Athens School Recycling Challenge was BEACON SCHOOL!   Second place this year went to WEST ELEMENTARY!  Beacon School received a trophy made out of scrap metal by students from Tri-County Career Center which is already proudly displayed in their trophy case.  And, both schools were treated to a healthy dessert bar featuring local food products from Rural Action's Farm to School Program including: fresh berries from the Chesterhill Produce Auction that were processed by students in Hocking College's Culinary Arts program, yogurt from Snowville Creamery and granola from Crumbs Bakery. 

Athens Food Rescue Launches to Bring Food to Those in Need
At the end of every closing shift, many restaurants throw all of the uneaten food into the dumpster.  Seeing the potential to feed the hungry with the perfectly good food that has been going to waste, Athens resident Teresa Curtiss took the initiative to try to solve both the problem of food waste and hunger simultaneously.  

 

Athens Food Rescue (AFR) is a new non-profit operating in Athens County that picks up excess food from restaurants, and redistributes it to local charities to feed those in need.  Achieving their non-profit status this past July, AFR has already rescued over 5,000 lbs of food. 

 

Teresa Curtiss worked closely together with AFR Board Vice Chair Adele Hanson, Treasurer Susan Jago, and Secretary Nanda Filkin, as well as Athens Hocking Zero Waste Action Plan partner, John Glazer to establish their non-profit status which brings credibility to their organization, particularly when gaining new donors.  AFR primarily relies on grant funding, charitable donations, and food from restaurants and farms. 

 

With the help of only a handful of volunteers, food is collected and then redistributed to many different charities in Athens County such as Timothy House, UCM, and My Sister's Place  According to Teresa, these organizations are at the heart of her work, "so that I could help reduce the amount of food going to waste, but more importantly, to put food on the plates of those in need."   Her work also tackles action steps included in the Athens Hocking Zero Waste Action Plan, which includes reducing organics entering the landfill.

 

Click here  to donate or volunteer with Athens Food Rescue.

Zero Waste Pledges

We are pleased  to announce four new local businesses that have taken the Zero Waste Pledge and are committed to  reducing waste for a healthy environment, a healthy economy, and healthy lives.

Zero Waste Celebration Recap

On October 10th, Rural Action and our partners joined together to celebrate all the progress that has been made since the creation of the Athens Hocking Zero Waste Action Plan in 2013. Over 25 significant steps have been taken to further the completion of the Action Plan. 

Gathered at Robbin's Crossing in Nelsonville, attendees were treated to dinner and invited to join in engaging discussion with one another on a multitude of different topics and pervasive issues affecting Athens and Hocking Counties. 

From illegal dumping and burning to business and economic development, our friends and partners contributed many ideas, which will be incorporated into an updated version of the Plan. Links to the opening speech, the panel response, and all our accomplishments can be found here.