Local Businesses Shift to Sustainability
Local businesses have upped their sustainability game when it comes to planning events. Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center feeds about 100,000 people a year. Chef James Lyons said a lot of their products come from local farms. Chef Lyons selects food that is environmentally friendly including eggs.
“You’ll see the yoke on a farm bag is fairly yellow, where ours are orange which is a more natural color. So it has to do with the feed, the exercise that birds get instead of just being in the cage,” Lyons said.
The venue also switched from plastic to paper goods that easily break down in the environment. Lyons also highlighted a significant reduction in waste because the center has been cooking “smarter” by using and ordering only what is needed.
Sustainablity at Tech Dump in Golden Valley
Meanwhile in Golden Valley, Tech Dump, an electronics recycling company also joined the growing sustainability trend. Tech Dump creates jobs by taking in used electronics and refurbishing them before re-selling them in their adjacent Tech Discounts store. To raise money, Tech Dump hosted a “Thank You for Not Coming” event. Those who participated did not need to physically be at the November gala. Instead participants received a video to watch right in the comfort of their own home. About 120 tickets were sold.
“One of our partners, EcoTon did some calculations for us and just by not having swag bags for attendees we saved the equivalent of electricity of planting 19 trees,” explained Tech Dump CEO Amanda LaGrange. The event raised $18,000 dollars. Funds will be used for job training and environmental missions. Tech Dump plans to repeat it in the future.
