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Jun 10, 2009 4:20 pm US/Eastern
Arts Festival: "Green Today. Green Tomorrow"
By KDKA Website Intern Elizabeth Murphy
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
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The environmental educators man blocks of compost, recycling and trash bins throughout the Three River Arts Festival. It's the second year in a row in which the festival has employed the "Zero-Waste Initiative."
KDKA
They're the few, the proud, the environmental educators.
While visitors of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Arts Festival meander through the artist booths, bop their heads to the live music and buy far-too-large quantities of fried food, the environmental educators guard the garbage.
That's right – they sit with the compostable, recyclable and trash cans to ensure all of the waste from the 2009 festival is not squandered. There are about 15 of them who routinely babysit the trash from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., everyday of the 10-day festival.
The event went green last year, employing environmentally-friendly food and drink containers and covering the grounds with the bins. The "Zero-Waste Initiative" diverted 50 tons of trash from landfills in 2008, and officials expect even more to be redirected this year.
Phoebe Handler, a Wellesley student and Pittsburgh native, is one of the brave. She sat with about eight bins at lunchtime on Tuesday in the Point State Park area of the festival. Sometimes when people throw the wrong trash in the wrong bin, or just don't listen, she has to "dig it out." But it's not as bad as it sounds, she said.
"Sometimes people say 'Really? Even this?'" Handler said. "And I say 'Actually, that's made out of potatoes.'"
Handler said the job of the environmental educator is to "maintain the integrity of the compost," which is sent to local composting company AgRecycle at the end of the event.
An environmental studies major, Handler said she is "interested in how a large function like this can go green."
"I like learning what kind of labor behind the scenes it takes to make it happen," she said.
Eric Tans, of Penn Hills, was working with Handler Tuesday, pointing to the appropriate bins for nearby visitors.
"Generally people are very willing to follow instructions," he said. "The festival is limited in what it can do but human interaction seems to get the best results."
Jake Matta, of Mt. Lebanon, spoke with Handler and Tans before throwing his plastic cup in the compost bin. In fact, his "plastic" cup was actually made with corn.
"You can really see the impact at an event like this," Matta said. "It would be good to see this all the time everywhere across the U.S."
The Arts Festival contracted the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) to take the lead with the trash this year. Dave Mazza, PRC Western Regional Director, called the marriage a "good fit all around."
"People seem engaged by what's going on," Mazza said. "Pittsburgh has really shown leadership around greening and environmental initiatives."
Last year, 86 percent of the festival's waste was reused, according to its Web site. The environmental educators hope to increase that high number this year.
And if all else fails, at least the weather is nice.
"Our mission is to help people understand why composting is important," Handler said. "And I can get a tan… or a sunburn," Handler said, a baseball hat fitting tightly on her head.
For more information, visit the Three Rivers Arts Festival Zero-Waste Initiative and the Pennsylvania Resources Council.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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