Session Description

According to Practice Greenhealth’s Sustainability Benchmark Report, hospitals generate over 30 pounds of waste per bed per day. Once we remove material for donation or recycling, thousands of trucks transport this material for burn or bury. Half of landfill material is made up of food, paper and other compostable material. This material produces Methane, a greenhouse gas, 72 times more potent that carbon dioxide over a 20 year period. The US EPA identifies landfills as contributing 9% of the US carbon emissions through the development of methane. States are starting to take notice and ban food waste from landfills to both reduce methane generation, increase space in crowded landfills and to nourish land for farming and soil amendment.

Join us to hear from the state of Vermont, as a leader in food waste composting with a case study by Fletcher Allen on their food waste composting. Join us to take the next step in climate action by diverting food waste from landfills and nourishing soil.

Learning Objectives

• Understand food wastes role in methane gas production and role in climate change.
• Take away guidance for assessing and implementing a food waste management program.
• Learn how one hospital has taken steps to prevent and compost food waste material.
• Understand what the challenges are in composting in a health care facility and some tips for success.

Presenters

Josh Kelly, Environmental Analyst IV, Solid Waste Management Program, VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Josh Kelly joined the Agency of Natural Resources, Solid Waste Program in July 2013. Previously, while at the at the Institute for Sustainable Communities, Josh has developed sustainability training and networking workshops for local government officials from across the country. He was also formerly the “Close the Loop” Project Manager at the Highfields Center for Composting, where he worked with solid waste districts, state agencies, haulers, composters, schools and businesses to develop community composting programs around Vermont. For the prior 7 years Josh worked for the Trust for Public Land on a variety of land conservation projects throughout Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Josh has a BS in Environmental Studies and Biology from St. Lawrence University.

Barbara Hartman, MS, RD, LD, Chief of Nutrition and Food Service, Martinsburg VA Medical Center

Barbara Hartman, MS, RD, LD, is the Chief of Nutrition and Food Service at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center in West Virginia where she and her staff have redesigned their business practices to include a “Green Kitchen” focus. They have successfully implemented a “Waste Watchers” project that has improved compliance with the EPA’s Food Waste Management hierarchy by implementing source reduction, composting, and food donation programs. They have also worked toward improving the conservation of energy and water, and have increased their service of sustainable foods and beverages.

In April 2010, the Waste Watchers program won the VA Sustainability Award in the waste management category. In October 2010, they won the GreenGov Presidential Award, Good Neighbor category for their Waste Watchers and local food procurement practices. Barbara is presently a Co-Chair of the VA’s national Nutrition and Food Service Green Environmental Management Working Group and a past chair of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (HEN DPG). She served on the 2007 AND Sustainable Food Systems task force and helped author the 2007 AND Sustainable Food Systems Primer. In 2013, Barbara participated in a HEN DPG work group to originate standards of professional performance for registered dietitian nutritionists in sustainable, resilient and healthy food and water systems. She received the Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Leadership Award in October, 2008. Her master’s degree is in Food, Nutrition, and Institution Administration, and her bachelor’s degree is in Business with a concentration in Marketing.

Daria Holcomb, Manager Dining Services, Nutrition Services, Fletcher Allen Health Care

Daria Holcomb is a graduate from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in Business Administration. She has over 35 years’experience managing a variety of food service operations. Her experiences range from casual and fine dining, special event catering and most recently retail in health care. For the past ten years she has been the Manager of Dining Services at Fletcher Allen Health Care responsible for the five retail areas. Her accomplishments include implementing an electronic payment system and creating three new retail operations that are models for the Fletcher Allen Health Care’s commitment to serving healthy, local and sustainable food.

Pricing

Member: $0  Non-member: $0