WNC Climate Action Coalition
Confronting our local climate challenges
Across the US, communities are relying on mutual aid as a safegaurd against extreme weather
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
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August 2021 Report
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Goals/Efforts:
1) Reduce Plastic
We currently have a plastic vs. reusable bag display that was first shown at the annual Grace Episcopal Church in the Mountains Fair, where it drew families and individuals to learn from CAC volunteers about the massive problem that bags pose to our health and quality of life.
The display goes to the Waynesville Public Library, 678 S. Haywood St, Waynesville. It will also be displayed at First United Methodist Church, Haywood Street, Waynesville, starting 8/22; Western North Carolina University in Cullowhee on 8/24; and the Canton Food Lion, 1 New Clyde Highway, Canton on 8/28.
Volunteers are needed explain the demonstration for these outdoor displays.
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2) Reduce//Composting
Efforts are underway to establish composting as a habit amongst individuals and a priority for Haywood County businesses and government.
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3) Recycling
Efforts continue to work with Haywood County Solid Waste to encourage more effective recycling by the public and to ensure that non-recyclable items are not sent to recycling.
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March 2021 Report
1) Reduce.
This is elimination of single use plastic, most notably bags, and, over the year of our existence, initially meant (and ongoing efforts continue) personal outreach, in person and email contact, with local and other businesses but is tending toward statewide legal remedies and, therefore, involvement with other environmental groups, ie MountainTrue, Asheville GreenWorks, NC Plastic Waste Coalition.
Who are needed are committee extenders to keep in contact with the activities of other groups and (potentially and post-Covid) local businesses.
2) Reuse.
We have concentrated on composting promoting, so far through instructional videos and a single gathering at the composting efforts ongoing at Grace Church, individual efforts/backyard composting while investigating, through contacts with a countywide pilot program in Henderson County and a multi-state private composting business in Buncombe County, larger residential and/or, aspirationally, countywide composting. The larger project is very early stage.
Who we need are, again, post-Covid, preachers/teachers, investigators, grant finders and writers.
3) Recycle.
We have worked with county government and its solid waste division to improve correct recycling efforts getting placed at convenience centers large “correct recycling” instructional banners and the results will take a while to evaluate and we’ll continue from there.
Who are needed are, possibly, on the spot (convenience centers) educators.