GreenUP! banner
Summer 2011 Contents
Green Biz Highlight - Delicious! Catering
Green Up Your Lunch Break
The Freedom to Eat Real Food
Growing Food and Training the Homeless
Bob Brown's Impact on San Rafael

Green Biz Highlight
Delicious! Catering
Located: 26 Medway Road. #7

                 San Rafael

Joined Chamber:  August 2008
Certified Green: April 2006

Delicious! Catering

When they first decided to become green certified, the folks at Delicious! Catering stopped using Styrofoam plates, put their computers on energy-saving mode and switched to recycled paper and paper towels.

 

But what they found really satisfying was joining Marin Organic, a nonprofit that supports sustainably and locally produced food. Because of the caterer's small school lunch service, they were eligible to take part in Marin Organic's School Lunch and Gleaning Program.

 

Marin Organic staff, volunteers - and sometimes school children - help harvest thousands of pounds of potatoes, spinach, strawberries and other produce that would otherwise go to waste. Delicious! Catering is proud to include the rescued produce in the healthy lunches they produce.

 

 



Who is the Green Business Committee?

Interested in finding out about the Chamber's Green Biz Committee? Contact any of our active members:

 

Co-chair Mike Bates, Ad-Infin-Item 

 

Co-chair Caran Cuneo, Workforce Investment Board of Marin County   

 

Jan Goldberg, Delicious! Catering

 

Kiki La Porta, descom studios  


Lisa Max, GoSolar Marin 

 

Bonnie Ayers Namkung, SEO Copywriting Services 

 

Devi Peri, Marin Sanitary Service 

 

Chris Yalonis, Sustainametrics 

 

Cecilia Zamora, Latino Council of Marin 

 

 

   Make a Conscious Choice
Delicious! Catering

 

Call Marin's first and only

Green Certified  

catering company. 

 

Featuring fresh,
l
ocally sourced ingredients, Delicious! Catering

sets the stage
for a successful event.

 

 

Delicious! Catering 

26 Medway Rd., #7

San Rafael

(415) 453-3710

 

 


 
Attend a Green Event 


Environmental Forum of Marin
Explore basic principles of sustainability and environmental protection through field trips and presentations by experts
Series starts 8/30
Some scholarships available
Email Gina Marr or call
(415) 925-2060 x14  


EcoFair Marin
San Rafael's first sustainability festival --
featuring local organizations: demonstrations, expert speakers, live music, food and more...
Sunday, 9/4
10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Tickets - $5  Free entry for children 17 and under
Marin County Fairgrounds
See exhibitors, sponsors and event schedules.

Green Drinks
Casual networking event
9/13, 5:30-8:00 p.m.
Jason's Restaurant
300 Drakes Landing
Greenbrae

California Coastal Cleanup Day  
Saturday, 9/17
9 a.m.-noon
Find a location near you.

Washed Ashore Exhibit & Panel Discussion on Single-Use Plastics

Sponsored by Marin Sanitary Service

  

Saturday, 10/1
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Light refreshments
The Marine Mammal Center
2000 Bunker Road
Sausalito
Contact Devi Peri at (415) 458-5539 for more details.


Green Festival  

10th Anniversary Event
11/12-11/13/11
S.F. Concourse Exhibition Ctr.
635 8th Street (at Brannan)

 

 


 
Sponsor an issue of  GreenUp!

Your ad here will reach
nearly 900 Chamber
members and influential
business people -- for as
low as $95. We have a limited number of slots, so get in touch with the GreenUp editor now to reserve your space.

 

Join the New  Resilient Businesses Program to Reduce Waste and Save

The Chamber, the City of San Rafael and Dominican University's Green MBA program has collaborated to create a sustainability program to benefit up to 36 local small businesses.  

 

Save resources and cash 

Consultants will help participating companies reduce energy use, eliminate waste and green their supply chain. In the course of the 4-month program, each business develops an action plan and tracks their financial and carbon savings.

 

Two sets of eight small firms will come together to form Sustainability Circles, and meet one full day a month for four months.  

 

In the alternative program, 20 small businesses will invest a total of four half-days in a workshop setting, also led by a sustainability consultant.    


Subsidized by a grant 

Professional sustainability consulting is valuable, but typically beyond the reach of small businesses. In this case, a $100,000 grant from the Marin Community Foundation will fund a substantial portion of this Resilient Businesses program, allowing small companies to benefit.   

 

As recently retired San Rafael Community Development Director Bob Brown notes, "The benefits are not only cost savings and environmental benefits, but also the dynamic sharing of experiences among the participating businesses."  

 

Learn how to join 

Slots in the program are limited and the consulting sessions are scheduled to start in early fall.  

 

Learn more about how your firm can benefit from the joining the Resilient Businesses program. Contact Chamber CEO Rick Wells or Bob Brown.

 

 


 

The Food Issue -- Eat Healthier and Support Sustainable Food Growing
Tips from the Chamber's Green Business Committee
 

 

In the six minutes it takes to read this issue, you can find out how to:

 

  • create less food waste at the office 
  • choose to eat healthier, local foods  
  • support a Marin food program and job training for the homeless 

 


Green Up Your Lunch Break

By Devi Peri,  Marin Sanitary Service


In Marin County, about a third of the garbage that ends up in the landfill is uneaten food. In the US, almost 30 million tons of food are thrown out each year. A new program by Marin Sanitary Service (MSS) is working to reduce the amount of food going to the landfill.

 

MSS has launched curbside food waste collection for all single-family homes in its service area. In addition to the steps you take at home to help Marin reach its goal of zero waste, here are some ways to reduce food and packaging waste during your lunch break at work:

 

  • Brown bag lunches - instead of disposable brown paper and plastic bags, use a reusable lunch box and reusable containers for a waste-free lunch.   
  • Buying lunch out - consider dining in the restaurant instead of ordering takeout. You will get away from the office and not have to eat out of disposable packaging.    
  • Restaurant leftovers - bring in your own container instead of using the restaurant's disposable boxes or bags.    
  • Ordering takeout - request no paper napkins or plastic utensils be added to your to-go order. Keep washable utensils and napkins back at the workplace.    
  • Donate extra reusables - bring in the dishware, silverware and glasses that are taking up space in your house and encourage your co-workers to use them.   
  • Use cloth - invest in cloth towels, tablecloths and napkins to reduce paper waste.   
  • Coffee filters - get reusable filters or the unbleached disposable ones.   
  • Lead the way - encourage your supervisor and coworkers to adopt these and other low-waste practices around the office.

Also, you can take advantage of the convenient curbside service by taking food scraps home and placing them in your green cart for collection.

 

You can learn more at www.marinsanitary.com/


The Freedom to Eat Real Food

By Tara Smith, Tara Firma Farms 

 

 

Tara Smith
Tara Smith

Most people in the world want to live here and I believe it has to do with our freedoms. The perception is that we have choice and in my opinion we do. But it is more complex than that. Let's take food for instance...

 

Eating organic, pasture-raised, local food meets so many levels of "being green" and it requires a well-informed purchaser to be able to pull it off. Unhealthy food has hardcore marketing behind it, and overcoming the lies in our food system is one of the most trying and frustrating things I have done in the last three years.

 

Here are my recommendations for understanding what real food is and what it is not:

 

1. Sierra Club - see the 15-minute video of The True Cost of Food and get additional sources for learning more.

 

2. Food, Inc. - rent the DVD - this Academy Award nominee fills in the back-story of "The True Cost of Food."

 

3. Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan - there are two versions of the book, and I recommend the young reader's edition.

 

4. The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Lunatic Farmer by Joel Salatin - this is a fabulous perspective on how one man models a healthy, sustainable practice. He builds a food system that in turn builds soil which in turn grows grass that photosynthesizes CO2 back into the ground. This book is a hoot and gives hope and solutions you can tackle without becoming a farmer.

 

And second, I grow and raise my own food and food for you. Come and visit the farm and see where real food comes from. We host free educational tours on weekend days, from 10 to 3, on the hour - no reservations necessary. 

 


Green Programs Benefit the Homeless  
By Mary Kay Sweeney, Executive Director, Homeward Bound of Marin


Fresh Start student Sam

 

As Marin County's chief provider of shelter and residential services for homeless families and individuals, Homeward Bound of Marin serves 1,400 people per year.

 

Green practices are at the heart of our programs, especially in the social enterprise job training component, Fresh Starts Culinary Academy and Catering. The program includes gardening and culinary activities with many sustainable features.

 

Edible landscaping

A recent project replaced our thirsty courtyard lawn with edible landscaping - from strawberries and blueberries to cucumbers and herbs of all kinds. The new garden, "Tanem Greene," is named after two amazing people, Bob Tanem and Marion Greene, who envisioned the end of lawns and the beginning of sustainability. 

 

Tanem Greene complements the long-established 23-row pesticide-free garden that produces bountiful tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, peppers, kale, artichokes, sunflowers and more. It is the basis for nutritious meals for residents at Homeward Bound and Fresh Starts catering customers.  


The worms and the bees

We compost everything from coffee grounds to eggshells to create rich garden soil (with the help of a lot of worms!). The most recent addition to the garden is 30,000 bees that are as busy as the saying goes, pollinating and creating honey all day long.

 

Our garden and our social enterprise businesses are models of the services we provide to homeless people, who desperately need the nurturing that nature and good food provide.

 

Good food that helps end homelessness
Our Fresh Starts Catering staff serves a wide range of customer needs, from simple boxed lunches delivered to the workplace to wedding receptions. Customers enjoy using Fresh Starts because of the deliciously prepared food, and the opportunity to support job training for people moving out of homelessness.

 

Next green step

Because of recent recommendations by students at Dominican University's Green MBA program, Fresh Starts Catering has applied for certification by the Bay Area Green Business Program.

 

Get more information: 

Homeward Bound of Marin 

Paul Fordham at (415) 382-3363 ext. 211

 


Bob Brown Made a Big Difference in the City of San Rafael   
By Kiki La Porta, Past President, Sustainable San Rafael


Bob Brown, the city's just-retired Bob Brown
community development director, has had a hand in every long-range plan and major building approval in San Rafael during his 13 years on the job. He was instrumental in plans for transportation station areas, Canal Front cultural design, the Dominican University master plan and St. Vincent Silveira recommendations, as well as planning at Rafael Town Center, Northgate Mall and the Corporate Center.

During his tenure, he instituted innovations such as over-the-counter residential and commercial plan approval, and developed stringent new green building ordinances for the City, going on to coordinate their county-wide adoption.

Tireless advocate for green initiatives
Feeling the urgency for climate change planning, he worked with Mayor Al Boro's Green Ribbon Committee and Green Teams to develop the City's Climate Change Action Plan. He also wrote the new Sustainability Element for the City General Plan as well as the City's greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan.

Bob Brown's work with leading grassroots organizations like Sustainable San Rafael helped advance the City's Climate Change agenda. His willingness to study, collaborate and lead important sustainability work for the city and the broader community earned him the respect and affection of his peers, his bosses and the public. His achievements demonstrate the progress that is necessary, and possible. Thank you, Bob Brown.


Questions or suggestions?
Contact GreenUp! editor
Bonnie Ayers Namkung.

 
Design courtesy of Hilary Crawford,
Renaissance Graphic Design.