Festival to partner with GreenBlue to compost at annual event

CHARLOTTESVILLE,VA – Local environmental nonprofit GreenBlue has teamed up with the Tom Tom Founders Festival to start a composting program at the annual Fall Block Party on Friday, September 25th. GreenBlue will be running compost stations and educating festival attendees about which materials are compostable and how composting works.

Composting food scraps and compostable packaging is important because it keeps these materials out of the landfill, where they produce methane, an important greenhouse gas. Recycling these organics not only extends the life of the landfill, but it also produces a valuable soil amendment that can reduce erosion, mitigate drought, and promote plant growth. Healthy soil means healthy plants, which means healthy people.

“With such a large event, it’s important to look at all the results, including those on the environment,” Lucas Czarnecki, Marketing Manager at Tom Tom Founders Fest said. “By composting at this year’s Fall Block Party, Tom Tom is taking steps towards a greener Charlottesville.

“We are so excited to be composting at Tom Tom,” said Ryan Cooper, GreenBlue project associate. “Composting helps fight climate change, help fertilize food crops, and benefits the local economy.”

This is not the first time GreenBlue has promoted composting in the city. GreenBlue is leading a composting pilot program at the Charlottesville City Market, where market goers bring their kitchen scraps every Saturday. So far, the program has collected more than 4,000 pounds of food waste from people’s homes.

ABOUT GREENBLUE

GreenBlue is an environmental nonprofit dedicated to the sustainable use of materials in society. Our mission is to promote the principles of sustainable materials management — use wisely, eliminate toxicity, and recover more. Through our projects, we achieve our goal by influencing the debate, enhancing supply chain collaboration, and creating action. For more information please visit www.greenblue.org and follow GreenBlue on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

ABOUT TOM TOM FOUNDERS FESTIVAL

Tom Tom Founders Festival is a 501c3 nonprofit that hosts nearly one hundred free events every year in Charlottesville, VA. Its mission is to catalyze the formation of new creative, civic, and entrepreneurial ventures. In Spring 2015, Tom Tom had attendance of over 26,000 and showcased 381 community organizations.

Contact

GreenBlue
Anne Elsea
Communications Associate
434.202.4847