We currently have 3 campaigns.
We promote Sustainable Transportation policy,
Zero Waste and a circular economy, address climate change from the energy demand perspective,
and teach and empower the next generation of Advocates.
Zero Waste Zero Hunger
We are currently using 50% more natural resources per year than the earth can replenish
in 1 year and materials consumption and management accounts for over 35% of energy consumption and Greenhouse Gas emissions in the US. We advocate for a circular economy that supports waste reduction, materials reuse, recycling, composting and products designed to avoid the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources and not burn or bury them. Food waste alone has the 3rd largest Greenhouse Gas emissions after the emissions of the U.S. and China. In the U.S., we waste more than 40% of the food we purchase while the hunger rate in the U.S. affects 1 in 6 people. We support reducing our food waste, recovering still edible food and redistributing it to feed the hungry and phasing unusable food out of landfills and into composting.
Current Goals:
This video explains what a circular economy is and why we value Zero Waste
Our Zero Waste Projects
We advocate for a circular economy that supports waste reduction, materials reuse, recycling, composting and products designed to avoid the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources and not burn or bury them. Food waste alone, has the 3rd largest Greenhouse Gas emissions after the emissions of the United States and China. In the U.S. we waste more than 40% of the food we purchase while the hunger rate in the US affects 1 in 6 people.
In our Zero Waste; Zero Hunger campaign, we support reducing our food waste, recovering still edible food and redistributing it to feed the hungry and phasing unusable food out of landfills and into composting.
Currently, we are recruiting businesses and institutions in Illinois, Wisconsin and the region to voluntarily commit to reduce their food waste. We will track their progress, offer support and develop case studies and best practices to empower others to reduce their food waste.
For World Cleanup Day, in September of 2018, over 16 million volunteers from 150 countries will stand up against the global trash problem and clean up waste, making it the biggest positive civic action the world has seen!
“Let’s Do It! has never been only about cleaning up waste. They also aim to unite the global community, raise awareness and implement true change to achieve their final goal– a clean and healthy planet.”
We will be a local partner in this effort recruiting, training and coordinating volunteers and organizations in Lake County to participate in this awesome effort.
To learn more about the worldwide event: https://www.letsdoitworld.org/
If you’d like to volunteer to help organize this event or if your organization would like to join the effort, please contact Barbara: Barbara@midwestsustainability.org or 847-986-6900.
We are currently using 50% more natural resources than the earth can replenish and materials consumption and management accounts for between 35 – 42% of energy consumption and Greenhouse Gas emissions in the US. We advocate for a circular economy that supports waste reduction, materials reuse, recycling, composting and products designed to avoid the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources and not burn or bury them.
As a result of our successful 2008 campaign to keep incinerators out of the Lake County 5-year Solid Waste Plan and redouble our efforts in waste diversion, the County set a goal to divert 60% of our waste by the year 2020. (http://www.swalco.org/195/60-Recycling-Taskforce) We are on track to meet that goal and now lead the State of Illinois in waste diversion rates.
We would now like take planning in Lake County to the next level. The current plan largely focuses on what to do with discards. Reduce, reuse and recycle is a hierarchy. In the most current 5-year Solid Waste Plan, we were able to insert language agreeing to consider a Zero Waste Plan and we are advocating to move forward with that plan. We ask Lake County to form a Zero Waste Task Force, similar to the Recycling task force they formed in 2009, to craft a Zero Waste Plan for Lake County that would reduce the volume of waste and materials, promote reuse and support the use of materials with recycled or composted content.
Keep Lake County, Illinois and the United States Incinerator-Free in favor of more sustainable, affordable and Zero Waste materials management solutions.
