Search Sustainability101 Blog CATEGORY : ALL Largest Global Study On Commercial Building Waste Reveals Trove of Data, Missed Opportunities In August 2021, Great Forest completed the largest and most comprehensive study to date on waste in commercial buildings. The waste characterization study utilizes data collected through waste audits conducted by Great Forest in 2019 at over 100 buildings across the US and internationally, analyzing over 170,000 pounds of waste. The study delivers one of … Continue reading Largest Global Study On Commercial Building Waste Reveals Trove of Data, Missed Opportunities → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Reduce Contamination in 6 Steps, Maintain The Value Of Your Recycling “…contamination rates have in many ways become the most important metric in the recycling sector.” — Waste Dive Right now, many businesses are being charged higher waste and recycling fees by service providers to deal with the contamination problem. This is in part due to the China import ban and similar moves by other countries … Continue reading Reduce Contamination in 6 Steps, Maintain The Value Of Your Recycling → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Time For A Plastic Audit? This article was originally published by Great Forest on LinkedIn. “Just one word… Plastics. There’s a great future in plastics.” Those famous lines from the 1967 movie The Graduate were pretty accurate. Today, plastic is everywhere. Their usefulness is undeniable. But it may be time for every business (and home) to do a plastic audit … Continue reading Time For A Plastic Audit? → This entry was posted in All and tagged plastic, plastic pollution, plastics. Bookmark the permalink. Case Study: Great Forest Achieves TRUE Zero Waste Certification ZERO WASTE CASE STUDY Project: Great Forest, Inc. Certification Level: Gold Diversion Rate: 91.3% Type of Facility: 5-story Brownstone Facility operations: Office floors In March 2021, Great Forest became TRUE Zero Waste certified to the Gold level, with a diversion rate of 91.3%, as verified by the GBCI (Green Business Certification Inc.), which administers … Continue reading Case Study: Great Forest Achieves TRUE Zero Waste Certification → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. How Businesses Can Respond To “Code Red” Climate Change Report The latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made headlines around the world with its “code red” warning. But at over 4,000 pages long, the report, in which hundreds of scientists analyze some 14,000 studies, can seem overwhelming. The report calls for action. But what should that action look like, … Continue reading How Businesses Can Respond To “Code Red” Climate Change Report → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. How To Restart Right: 12 Reopening Tips For Businesses Businesses across the country are starting to see their offices return to capacity as workers return full-time or on a hybrid schedule. Restarting right not only means making sure everything is in order, in working condition, and functioning at maximum efficiency for reopening, but it also means having processes and procedures in place that ensure … Continue reading How To Restart Right: 12 Reopening Tips For Businesses → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Waste Industry Facing Hiring Challenges – What This Means For Businesses Just as occupancy is rising in office buildings, the waste industry, like the restaurant industry, is dealing with hiring challenges. As a result, we are seeing services being delayed across the country as haulers struggle to expand routes and provide on-time service. Industry watches say to expect potential rate increases as haulers may have to offer … Continue reading Waste Industry Facing Hiring Challenges – What This Means For Businesses → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Great Forest is TRUE Certified to the Gold Level For Zero Waste We are proud to announce that Great Forest. Inc. has been TRUE certified to the Gold level for our Zero Waste efforts, with a diversion rate of 91.3%! This GBCI (Green Business Certification Inc.) certification signifies Great Forest’s continued commitment to, and leadership in, the sustainable waste field, as noted in GCBI’s 2020 year in … Continue reading Great Forest is TRUE Certified to the Gold Level For Zero Waste → This entry was posted in All and tagged TRUE Zero Waste, zero waste. Bookmark the permalink. What Is Your Waste Infrastructure Score? You may already know how much waste your facility generates and how much is being diverted from landfill. That is crucial waste data you need. But now what? Is your building in legal compliance? How do you bring your program to best practice standards? What steps do you need to take to reach your waste … Continue reading What Is Your Waste Infrastructure Score? → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Great Forest Is An EPA Waste Wise Partner Great Forest has joined the EPA’s WasteWise program as an active participant. WasteWise encourages organizations and businesses to achieve sustainability in their practices and reduce waste. It is part of EPA’s sustainable materials management efforts. As a participant, Great Forest annually submits our company’s waste baseline, annual commitment/goal, and the most recent set of annual … Continue reading Great Forest Is An EPA Waste Wise Partner → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Great Forest Responds To EPA’s 50% National Recycling Goal In November 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a national goal of increasing the U.S. recycling rate to 50% by 2030. As part of this process, Great Forest submitted comments to the EPA on recycling rate measurement methodology, drawing on our extensive work over 30 years of waste data collection and analysis. “Overall, we … Continue reading Great Forest Responds To EPA’s 50% National Recycling Goal → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Watch The Earth Day Webinar; Schedule Your Complimentary Consultation THANK YOU to the 100+ people who spent part of their Earth Day with us at our webinar and Q&A. We learned so much together about how COVID-19 has impacted your waste management programs and policies, and what your successes and challenges have been. Let’s keep the conversation going: If you were a registered participant, … Continue reading Watch The Earth Day Webinar; Schedule Your Complimentary Consultation → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Things You Can Learn From Your Annual Waste Report By now, many Great Forest clients would have received their annual waste report with data and details about their sustainable waste management performance over the past year. Here are 3 things every business should look out for in their reports, and what to do. #1 Understand How COVID Impacted Your Waste Data Due to COVID-19 … Continue reading 3 Things You Can Learn From Your Annual Waste Report → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Your 2021 Checklist + Regulatory Compliance Guide What does the future hold? If you have a plan, you can conquer whatever comes your way. Here’s a checklist to help you achieve all your 2021 sustainable waste management goals. #1 Study Your Data Look at your data from last year. Did you hit your waste reduction goals? How did 2020 and its many COVID-related challenges … Continue reading Your 2021 Checklist + Regulatory Compliance Guide → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Calculate Your GHG From Waste; Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Click here to calculate your GHG from waste now Did you know: Landfill and waste services are leading contributors to GHG emissions? Waste is the next BIG frontier in fighting carbon emissions, but many property managers and building owners are missing this significant opportunity to reduce their building’s carbon footprint by focusing solely on energy use, and ignoring waste-related GHG (greenhouse gas) … Continue reading Calculate Your GHG From Waste; Reduce Your Carbon Footprint → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Video Helps Train “Invisible” Cleaning Staff Once a building empties out for the night, cleaning staff move in to begin their work transporting waste to central collection points. Many people do not see cleaning staff at work but what they do is essential. Because cleaning staff are often “invisible,” they are sometimes forgotten. To ensure your waste program runs effectively, education is key, not only … Continue reading Video Helps Train “Invisible” Cleaning Staff → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. How to Succeed In Recycling (In 3 Steps) In order to reap the many benefits of recycling, you must succeed in recycling. Here’s how to win in recycling, in 3 steps: #1 Reduce Contamination, Maintain Value When items like liquids, non-recyclable materials, and soiled recyclables are placed in recycling bins, entire loads of recycling may become contaminated and will be treated as trash. When … Continue reading How to Succeed In Recycling (In 3 Steps) → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Waste Audits Are Back, With Added COVID Protections Great Forest has returned to performing comprehensive waste audits by planning carefully and safely. Our first waste audit since March, and the first of the COVID-19 era, was conducted in July at the Folsom Corporate Center in Northern California, supporting LEED certification coordinated by Envision Realty Services. The results of the audit will be used to generate … Continue reading Waste Audits Are Back, With Added COVID Protections → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. What The Pandemic Has Not Changed For Waste Management Even though much of the way we do business has changed since the onset of COVID-19, our zero waste and sustainability goals have not changed. No matter what business you’re in, here’s what you should continue to focus on, and why: 1) RECYCLING The pandemic has made it clear that recycling is here to stay. … Continue reading What The Pandemic Has Not Changed For Waste Management → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Construction & Demolition Waste: Opportunity for Big Impact on Zero Waste and Corporate Sustainability Goals Construction, demolition and renovation projects are resuming around the country, and so is the flow of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. With many commercial office spaces still under capacity and regular business operations restricted, C&D waste may currently be a businesses’ largest waste output, and thus the biggest opportunity available to impact zero waste efforts and other corporate … Continue reading Construction & Demolition Waste: Opportunity for Big Impact on Zero Waste and Corporate Sustainability Goals → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Post-Lockdown Waste Has Changed. Businesses Need Waste Audits To Provide Insight “Every business that is reopening should conduct a waste audit to determine how their waste has changed, not only in the type of materials being collected, but also how they are being discarded. Workers have been away for some time and may have forgotten how a building’s waste diversion program works.” Facility Management Journal (FMJ) magazine recently … Continue reading Post-Lockdown Waste Has Changed. Businesses Need Waste Audits To Provide Insight → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Waste Audits: Everything A Facility Manager Needs To Know, With Hard Data and Case Studies Download the FMJ article In its latest issue, FMJ magazine worked with Great Forest to offer a deep dive into waste audits. The report, Getting to the Bottom of Waste, uses data and case studies pulled from hundreds of Great Forest waste audit investigations conducted around the world each year. It summarizes everything a facility manager or sustainability officer needs to … Continue reading Waste Audits: Everything A Facility Manager Needs To Know, With Hard Data and Case Studies → This entry was posted in All and tagged FMJ, waste audit, waste audits. Bookmark the permalink. Regulations Alert: New York State Plastic Bag Ban Begins Enforcement After delays, New York State’s Bag Waste Reduction Law is now being enforced. Violations will be met with civil penalties imposed under New York State law. Any retailer that is required to collect New York State sales tax will no longer be able to provide plastic carryout bags. In New York City, all businesses covered by … Continue reading Regulations Alert: New York State Plastic Bag Ban Begins Enforcement → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Recycling During Coronavirus. Why Your Toilet Paper (and Other Essentials) Might Depend On it While recycling has slowed down during this COVID-19 health crisis, it is actually more integral than ever as many supply chains across the country depend on recycled materials. Toilet paper manufacturers, for example, rely on a supply of recycled office paper. This EPA video explains why you need to continue recycling during this health crisis: With many … Continue reading Recycling During Coronavirus. Why Your Toilet Paper (and Other Essentials) Might Depend On it → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Reopening Offices? You Need To Think About Safe PPE Disposal As businesses reopen or prepare to reopen offices, buildings, and retail outlets, they need to also prepare to address the influx of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) waste and plan for safe PPE disposal. By now, many of you would have seen photos of discarded PPE tossed on streets across the country, and you probably have seen some scattered in … Continue reading Reopening Offices? You Need To Think About Safe PPE Disposal → This entry was posted in All and tagged PPE. Bookmark the permalink. 10 Ways To Celebrate Earth Day During A Global Crisis Updated March 2021 In 1970, 20 million people took to the streets for the very first Earth Day. Today, over 50 years later, the earth still needs our support, perhaps even more than ever. We have less time to deal with climate change, we’re still striving to conserve resources by reducing waste and being more … Continue reading 10 Ways To Celebrate Earth Day During A Global Crisis → This entry was posted in All and tagged Earth Day. Bookmark the permalink. WATCH Now: Earth “Action” Day Webinar. Learn How To Take Climate Action At Home THANK YOU for joining us for our Earth Action Day webinar on April 24, 2020, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, and to learn how to take climate action at home, even as we quarantine to beat COVID-19. Our Earth “Action” Day webinar includes zero waste-inspired steps to climate action, insights and tips … Continue reading WATCH Now: Earth “Action” Day Webinar. Learn How To Take Climate Action At Home → This entry was posted in All and tagged Earth Day. Bookmark the permalink. Managing Waste During Coronavirus – Challenges and Opportunities CHALLENGES Businesses everywhere are adjusting to the ongoing crisis. The challenge to managing waste during coronavirus is to maintain gains made in waste reduction, diversion and sustainability, while taking advantage of opportunities. If this is done right, businesses will prevent a backward slide and will be ready to go once things begin to return to normal. Keeping the … Continue reading Managing Waste During Coronavirus – Challenges and Opportunities → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. We’ll Get Through This Together – A Message From Great Forest About Covid-19 As we all grapple with the new reality brought on by the covid-19 pandemic, we pledge to be here to help you adjust to the new challenges we all face — as individuals, communities, and businesses. We will get through this together. Great Forest will continue to field inquiries and provide educational resources as usual. … Continue reading We’ll Get Through This Together – A Message From Great Forest About Covid-19 → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Plastic Bag Bans, Facts and More Plastic Bag Bans Starting March 1, 2020, New York State’s ban on single-use plastic bags goes into effect. To date, eight states have such a ban. New York joins California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon and Vermont. In addition to state level bans, cities such as Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Seattle, WA; Boulder, CO; Portland, … Continue reading Plastic Bag Bans, Facts and More → This entry was posted in All and tagged plastic bags. Bookmark the permalink. What Are your Corporate Values? Can They Save The World? As we enter a new year and decade, it may be time to ask if your corporate values align with people and the planet. The landscape for doing business is changing and corporate culture is just beginning to catch up. In August 2019, nearly 200 chief executives of the Business Roundtable, representing some of the … Continue reading What Are your Corporate Values? Can They Save The World? → This entry was posted in All and tagged Corporate Values, CSR, Values. Bookmark the permalink. Zero Waste Event Planning Guide: 10-Step Checklist Need help planning a zero waste event? This guide will put you on the right path in just 10 simple steps. Use this checklist to help you plan large or small events, including office parties, conferences, meetings, galas, or even festivals. It is especially useful to reduce waste during the holiday season, when Americans generate 25% more … Continue reading Zero Waste Event Planning Guide: 10-Step Checklist → This entry was posted in All and tagged zero waste. Bookmark the permalink. Food Waste Audits Help Restaurants Fight Waste and Hunger This article originally appeared in QSR magazine, Nov. 2019. With the holiday season fast approaching, businesses, especially restaurants, will likely begin experiencing more food waste. Did you know the largest component of most commercial waste streams is organics? A large chunk of that is wasted food. A nationwide survey of over 100 commercial waste audits conducted by … Continue reading Food Waste Audits Help Restaurants Fight Waste and Hunger → This entry was posted in All and tagged food waste, waste audit. Bookmark the permalink. Waste Audit Reveals What’s In Your Waste Stream – 77% of “Trash” Is NOT Trash At All This article originally appeared in the NYSAR3 Fall 2019 Newsletter. Have you looked in your trash lately? Understanding what is in your waste stream is key to helping you reduce, reuse and recycle effectively. A waste audit may reveal some surprises. In a survey of 100 waste audits conducted nationwide, Great Forest found that 77% of … Continue reading Waste Audit Reveals What’s In Your Waste Stream – 77% of “Trash” Is NOT Trash At All → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Case Study: What A Food Waste Audit At A National Restaurant Chain Revealed Photo: Dan Gold, Unsplash Client: A fast casual national chain with locations across the country. Summary: Great Forest conducted food waste audits at 3 locations of a national restaurant chain, revealing that the chain could rescue an average of 26.7% of its daily food waste. The audit helped the restaurant brand determine how much of their … Continue reading Case Study: What A Food Waste Audit At A National Restaurant Chain Revealed → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Avoid Recycling Horrors Every Halloween When the trick and treating is all done, what you have left are mountains of candy wrappers, decorations, costumes, and food. Around 600 million pounds of candy are bought for Halloween, and about 12,500 tons of Halloween costumes are sent to landfills every year, according to Real Simple magazine. Here’s a quick guide to what you can do … Continue reading Avoid Recycling Horrors Every Halloween → This entry was posted in All and tagged Halloween. Bookmark the permalink. Q&A: Your Waste and Recycling Scorecard. How to Read It, and Use It Have you received your Waste and Recycling Scorecard? Wondering how to read it, and use it to help you achieve your goals? Here are some answers: What is the Waste and Recycling Scorecard? Your Great Forest Waste and Recycling Scorecard gives you crucial insight into where your business currently stands in regards to waste management. While … Continue reading Q&A: Your Waste and Recycling Scorecard. How to Read It, and Use It → This entry was posted in All and tagged Scorecard. Bookmark the permalink. Listen: “Data is everything right now” – Great Forest on Waste 360 Podcast This year’s Waste Expo included a terrific discussion on the importance of data, featuring Great Forest’s director of national accounts Joe Romuno and three other industry colleagues (shout out to Chris Ronson, Re-TRAC; Steve Steven, Rehrig Pacific; and Emily Covan, Recyclist.) If you missed it, listen to Joe now on “New Data – Who Dis? What Data Collection Can Do for You” … Continue reading Listen: “Data is everything right now” – Great Forest on Waste 360 Podcast → This entry was posted in All and tagged data, waste audits. Bookmark the permalink. Zero Waste Campus: How Schools Can Reduce Waste and Costs Originally published Sept. 2019. It’s back to school season. The start (or end) of another academic year is the perfect time for schools, colleges and universities to think about setting up a Zero Waste campus. According to Dump and Run, Inc., the average college student produces 640 pounds of solid waste each year, including 500 … Continue reading Zero Waste Campus: How Schools Can Reduce Waste and Costs → This entry was posted in All and tagged campus, zero waste. Bookmark the permalink. Going Zero Waste – How Small Steps Add Up At The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco Going Zero Waste does not mean that you have to stop producing waste immediately. Many businesses achieve their Zero Waste goals by adopting a series of small steps that steadily reduce waste. Here’s an example. “The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco is working towards creating a culture of caring about waste. A zero waste mindset is … Continue reading Going Zero Waste – How Small Steps Add Up At The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco → This entry was posted in All and tagged hotels, San Francisco, zero waste. Bookmark the permalink. How To Lower Energy Costs In Record Summer Heat The record heat this summer (and for many summers to come) mean higher energy costs for most businesses. Here is what you can do to control and lower your energy costs, while still beating the heat. Shield the sun: Shield your office from direct sunlight by closing blinds/shades in windows facing the sun. This can … Continue reading How To Lower Energy Costs In Record Summer Heat → This entry was posted in All, How To Guides. Bookmark the permalink. Zero Waste: What is it? What Does It Mean? A lack of clarity about what Zero Waste really means may be keeping some businesses from reaping the benefits of going zero waste. So let’s dispel the misconceptions. What Is Zero Waste? Exact definitions may vary, but to put it simply… Zero Waste means working towards producing less waste in the first place through prioritizing … Continue reading Zero Waste: What is it? What Does It Mean? → This entry was posted in All and tagged zero waste. Bookmark the permalink. Climate Mobilization Act: How NYC Buildings Can Avoid Fines, Comply With New Standards By now most of you will have heard of the Climate Mobilization Act (CMA), signed in May 2019 in NYC, also known as Intro 1253 or Local Law 97 of 2019. While NYC is one of the first cities in the world to put emissions limits on large buildings over 25,000 square feet, it likely won’t be … Continue reading Climate Mobilization Act: How NYC Buildings Can Avoid Fines, Comply With New Standards → This entry was posted in All and tagged Climate Mobilization Act, energy efficiency. Bookmark the permalink. Food Waste: Facts and Solutions Businesses Get High Returns For Addressing Organics Around the world, businesses are increasingly being pressured by rising waste costs, public opinion, or by law to take action on food waste. Rather than seeing it as a problem, businesses should seize the opportunity to invest in food waste reduction efforts because the returns can be high. On average, businesses save $7 for every … Continue reading Food Waste: Facts and Solutions Businesses Get High Returns For Addressing Organics → This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Listen: Waste360s Nothing Wasted Podcast Talks To Great Forest’s Sarah Womer About Pedaling Her Way to Composting/Recycling Success From Waste 360: May 6, 2019 | Sarah Womer, Founder of Zero to Go & Sustainability Consultant at Great Forest Sarah saw a recycling problem in her hometown, which propelled her to take action, turning her biggest passion into a grassroots recycling business “Zero to Go”. Waste360 chats with Sarah about how she navigated through the … Continue reading Listen: Waste360s Nothing Wasted Podcast Talks To Great Forest’s Sarah Womer About Pedaling Her Way to Composting/Recycling Success → This entry was posted in All and tagged recycling. Bookmark the permalink. VIDEO: Introduction to zero waste, understanding your waste stream Want a primer on zero waste and understanding your waste stream? Watch these two videos below with your kids. Both are great introductions to the topic. We’d like to thank Planet Bonehead for these fun lessons in sustainability, which are distributed to schools across the country. Understanding zero waste and the waste stream What if we … Continue reading VIDEO: Introduction to zero waste, understanding your waste stream → This entry was posted in All, Videos and tagged zero waste. Bookmark the permalink. Earth Hour: What Can Businesses Do? Earth Hour 2019 is on 30 March 2019, 8:30 pm. Earth Hour, which began as a lights out event in 2007, has grown to become an international movement encouraging individuals and businesses alike to raise the conversation and spark action about ways to protect the planet, with events planned in hundreds of countries. Over the years, many … Continue reading Earth Hour: What Can Businesses Do? → This entry was posted in All and tagged Earth Hour. Bookmark the permalink. The Glass Recycling Problem: What’s Behind It, and What to do Glass is infinitely recyclable without loss in quality. Recycling glass has many proven environmental benefits–it reduces emissions, saves energy, and reduces consumption of raw materials. And as a common household item, recycling the material maintains much public support. In fact, 93% of residents and consumers expect to be able to recycle glass, reports the Glass Recycling Coalition. … Continue reading The Glass Recycling Problem: What’s Behind It, and What to do → This entry was posted in All and tagged glass. Bookmark the permalink. Businesses Waste – What 100 Waste Audits Reveal, And How To Reduce Waste Missed us at Swanapalooza? See our poster below, or click for a pdf. Related: Over 100 Waste Audits Reveal 77% Of Commercial Trash Is Not Trash At All! This entry was posted in All. Bookmark the permalink. Waste Costs Expected To Keep Rising Waste costs have been rising and seem slated to continue its ascend. Depending on where your business is located, the forecast over a five-year period is an increase of between 4.8% to 10.7% in MSW tipping fees. Take a look at the table below from nrra.net to see the increases you may face. What is causing prices to … Continue reading Waste Costs Expected To Keep Rising → This entry was posted in All. 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