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Albertsons, Area Restaurants Sign Up for Food Waste Program
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Harrison Industries' Nan Drake is with, from left: Rick Crandall of Albertsons, Carpinteria Assistant City Manager Kevin Silk, Carpinteria Albertsons Manager Ahned A. Jahadhmy and Donald Sealund, Harrison's field representative for the food waste program.
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Albertsons supermarket stores in Ventura, Camarillo and Carpinteria along with a number of local restaurants have signed up for a pilot program with Whisenhunt Communications client Harrison Industries that will all but eliminate food waste.
Previously, food scraps from Albertsons' meat, produce, deli, dairy, bakery and floral departments ended up in the trash. Since April, Harrison has delivered special barrels to all departments at the Ventura and Camarillo stores that its employees will fill with everything from meat fat and bones to pineapple tops and corn husks. Same goes for liquid food waste, bread and baked goods, and eggs and dairy products.
Most of the local restaurants now recycling their food scraps are in Ventura Harbor Village: Andria's Seafood, Brophy Bros., the Greek, Milano Italian, Spinnaker Seafood, Christy's Café, Le Petit Café, Margarita Villa, Harbor Sushi, Black Beard's Barbecue and Surf-N-Taco. Wood Ranch restaurant in Ventura also joined the program as did the Ventura Beach Marriott.
Harrison trucks collect the food waste at the establishments and deliver it to the company's strategic partner Agromin. Employing a Covered Aerated Static Pile System, Agromin mixes the food waste with yard waste that Harrison collects from its residential and commercial customers to create an enriched compost and alternative fuel. |
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Ventura Water Unveils New Green, Energy-Efficient Technology to Disinfect Wastewater
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Ventura Deputy Mayor Cheryl Heitmann talks about the Pasteurization Technology Pilot Project at the Ventura site.
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Ventura Water announced at a June 19 press conference the initial results of its pilot project using a non-chemical, energy-efficient technology to potentially replace the current chlorine-based disinfection process in use at the Ventura Water Reclamation Facility.
The project was conducted in partnership with the Pasteurization Technology Group (PTG) whose pioneering technology uses heat, generated by renewable energy, to kill harmful organisms, the final step in the wastewater cleaning process.
The new technology uses natural gas combined with digester gas (a natural by-product of wastewater treatment) as fuel to drive a turbine (or turbines) to generate electricity. The hot exhaust air from the turbine (energy that is typically wasted) is then passed through a series of heat exchangers that increase the temperature of the wastewater to a level that disinfects the wastewater stream. The disinfected water is then cooled to a safe level by transferring the heat to the incoming water - reusing the energy over and over.
The system has the potential through its full-scale design to generate enough electricity to power the entire facility, which currently costs approximately $900,000 per year. It is estimated that the required amount of natural gas to run the system would cost about half this amount, saving approximately $450,000 annually. Additionally, other operating savings are expected from eliminated chemical costs, $250,000 per year, as well as significant reductions in staff time, currently required for risk management and handling of hazardous chemicals.
Ventura Water's 10-year capital improvement plan includes $9 million for the design and construction of a disinfection system. This cost is included in the recently approved wastewater rates effective July 4.
Read more about this project at www.cityofventura.net.
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'Heels & Wheels' Ride on July 15 to Benefit CMH's Breast Center
 Ventura Harley-Davidson and The Breast Center at Community Memorial Hospital are calling on all women motorcyclists to take part in the seventh annual "Heels & Wheels" benefit ride on Sunday, July 15.
Check-in begins at 9 a.m., with kickstands up at 10 a.m. The 60-mile ride begins at Ventura Harley Davidson, located at 1326 Del Notre Road in Camarillo, and will end at about 3 p.m. at the Limoneira Ranch in Santa Paula. A pre-ride reception will be held Saturday, July 14, at 6 p.m. at the dealership.
Registration is $25, with $5 from each entry going to The Breast Center at CMH, which provides uninsured or underinsured women with mammograms, ultrasounds, and biopsies for the early detection and prevention of breast cancer. Participants receive a pink "Heels & Wheels" T-shirt and lunch.
Info: 981-9904.
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Ventura Port District's New Newsletter Hits the Streets-
and the Web
 Earlier this month, the Ventura Port District - with writing and layout help from Stan Whisenhunt, Amy Bentley and Cindy Daly of Whisenhunt Communications- successfully launched its new newsletter, called Harbor Views, online, following a limited print distribution around the Ventura Harbor and at selected local areas.
An electronic version of the newsletter was e-mailed to stakeholders, businesses and others who might be interested to learn what's going on at the Ventura Harbor and with the Port District. And, there's quite a lot going on.
The inaugural issue included up-to-date stories about a new 21-acre waterfront development at the Harbor; how the Port District financially supports lifeguards at Harbor Cove Beach after the city of Ventura stopped funding them; and about the plans for a new restaurant and other improvements from Sam Sadove, a new leaseholder. Another article discusses the Port District's efforts to seek federal funds for dredging after a proposed funding cut. Click HERE to read the newsletter.
Stay tuned for the next issue, which will include an article about Andria's Seafood's 30th anniversary.
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Graduates Celebrated by
VCOE This Month
 The Ventura County Office of Education celebrates the county's high school graduates this month with the recent release of the Focus on Education newsletter in the Ventura County Star.
Featuring more than a dozen graduating seniors, each with something different to distinguish them by, this issue of Focus on Education highlights the diversity of programs and opportunities available to public school students. It's become the most popular issue every year because of the look into what the county's students achieve.
The Focus on Education is available by a PDF download from VCOE's home page at www.vcoe.org. Whisenhunt Communications has produced this three-times-a year newsletter for VCOE for more than a decade. |
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School District Produces Spanish-language Brochures for Schools
 Recognizing the language diversity of its population, the Moorpark Unified School District has hired Whisenhunt Communications to help produce individual elementary school brochures in Spanish, using federal grant funding.
The district has transitioned all six of its elementary campuses into "schools of choice" where residents can enroll their children at any campus, regardless of which neighborhood they live in. Several of Moorpark's elementary schools are magnet schools, and others follow specialized or specific educational approaches to teaching their curriculum.
By producing each school's brochure in Spanish, the district brings a greater awareness to Moorpark's entire population of the diverse offerings its public schools provide to students.
Each school site already has informational brochures available in English and the Spanish version should be available before the start of school in August.
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Marketing Tips
from a Child's Lemonade Stand
We came across this cute little story and wanted to pass it on, because the marketing tips are sound. Here's an edited version of the column written by marketing consultant Jim Lodico:
"The other day my daughter, Sophia, announced that she wanted to set up a lemonade stand. We sat down with a pad of paper and started writing the business plan. She grew frustrated and said, "But Daddy, our neighbors are so nice, I just want to give them the lemonade."
So we put away the business plan, she made a sign and my wife helped her mix a pitcher of lemonade. She added mint to make the lemonade extra special. Within a few minutes, a neighbor came over with 50 cents to buy a glass of lemonade- twice what my daughter was planning to charge.
"But it's free" Sophia told her. The neighbor insisted on paying. By day's end, Sophia had earned $8 at her "free" lemonade stand."
Here's what Jim said he learned:
1. Give people something for free and they will feel obligated to return the favor. This builds trust and helps develop relationships with potential clients.
2. Give potential customers a taste of your offerings. Just be sure to make it good. When users are excited about the base product, they are much more likely to upgrade.
3. Make it "extra special" - clients will notice.
4. Tell your neighbors - network! Don't be afraid to tell friends and colleagues about your services.
5. Do what you need to do to be seen. A sign wasn't enough. My daughter's advertising consisted of jumping up and down screaming "free lemonade" at passing cars. How are you "screaming" about your business?
6. Be persistent.
7. Build anticipation. Don't just launch your new website, let people know it's coming.
8. Find good partners. My daughter's friend from down the street was out there with her jumping up and down screaming, doubling their advertising efforts.
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Check Out WC's
Website
Visit Whisenhunt Communications' Website www.whizcomm.biz.
Read about the company and its team of media and graphics experts.
Founded in 1990, Whisenhunt Communications specializes in helping businesses, school districts, governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations reach targeted audiences.
The firm's many diverse clients make enormous contributions to the community and the public relations firm has been instrumental in helping them accomplish their goals.
All Whisenhunt associates have extensive experience with print and digital media.
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