 Like so many industries, the most progressive in the clean energy industry have recently started assessing and putting plans in place to increase diversity and inclusion and address systemic racism. The solar industry is disproportionately male- and white-dominated, as is the environmental movement in general as this article outlines, and we’re sad to say that Sugar Hollow follows this trend as well. But we're hoping to change that and have laid out a path to start making changes right here at home by:
WHAT IS A JUST TRANSITION? It’s incredibly important that all people, especially marginalized communities, benefit from the clean energy economy (this is the Just Transition philosophy) and Sugar Hollow wants to find partners in western NC to bring this philosophy to the local clean energy revolution. The Sierra Club describes a Just Transition as ‘moving our economy off of fossil fuels, and towards clean energy while providing just pathways for workers to transition to high-quality work with integrity.’ This set of principles, practices, and processes specifically aims to involve communities that have been left out of other economies and/or harmed by fossil fuels. SO WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? At Sugar Hollow, management and staff have formed an Inclusivity team to create a JEDI plan including the hiring of a consultant (with a focus on paying people of color for this work) to help us understand our unconscious biases and make changes thoughtfully and without causing additional harm. We’re also working with an Asheville program, Inclusive Hiring Partners, to be connected with a more diverse workforce and continue our education as a company. We’ve long supported Asheville GreenWorks and their community initiatives and were enthusiastic to hear that they too are working to bring JEDI into their organization and programming. For us, this alignment has made us want to be in an even closer partnership with these good folks as we continue to learn (and unlearn) together. We are a proud sponsor of GreenWorks’ Urban Forestry initiative, which aims to address the inequities experienced by under-resourced communities and communities of color -- fewer trees are planted and preserved in these communities, which make those living there much more susceptible to the negative impacts of climate change and the urban heat island effect. We’re donating $100 to Asheville GreenWorks for every referral we receive who goes solar. Feel free to recommend solar to friends and family and help us send money their way. (There’s a referral bonus for the person who refers as well which could be sent to Asheville GreenWorks too!) For more info, visit https://www.sugarhollowsolar.com/introduce-a-friend. Clary Franko Marketing Manager Sugar Hollow Solar    Written by GreenWorks staff with help from Curbside Management Asheville GreenWorks mission is to inspire, equip, and mobilize individuals and communities to take care of the places we love to live. That includes recycling education! Though our organization is not a recycling facility, we do host our Hard 2 Recycle collection events 4 times per year in Buncombe County and twice in Henderson County. And we strive to educate the general public about recycling in our area. We receive A LOT of questions about recycling - what can be recycled?, what can't be recycled and why?, where can it be recycled? We want you to know everything that we know, so here are the top items that GreenWorks receives questions about. We know that recycling can be hard to keep up with. Reach out to us if you have other questions at [email protected] or 828-254-1776. Thanks for doing your part to recycle right! BONUS Tips
WHERE TO RECYCLE...* Please note that "landfill" does not refer to throwing these items away but refers to recycling programs at the Buncombe County Landfill Old electronics - including cords, appliances, and computer accessories
 Styrofoam
TV/Computer monitors
 Plastics
Shredded Paper
 WNC Big Sweep is going virtual! Asheville GreenWorks will be sharing a mix of educational videos and activities, action steps and petitions, and hands-on service opportunities to highlight the 33rd WNC Big Sweep. Connecting with our streams and rivers is vital during these difficult times. Join us on social media from September 14th-20th to learn about our waterways, create positive environmental change, and help clean up our community by participating in a self-guided river or roadside cleanup any day that week. Post your cleanup photos using the hashtag #WNCBigSweep2020 for a chance to win some awesome prizes! How to Do a CleanupHas it been a while since you've participated in a roadside, river, or creek cleanup? Never fear! Watch the following video for a quick refresher on the basics. Do you have your own boat and want to get out on the water with your family or friends? We've put together a River Cleanup Guide with safety reminders, river public access points, and things to keep in mind to have a safe and enjoyable river cleanup. How to get cleanup suppliesIf you have a group of 3 people or less, we suggest picking up supplies from one of our 6 Cleanup Supply Stations. These stations are stocked with gloves, safety vests, and trash bags.
1) AGW Office @ 2 Sulphur Spring Road 2) AGW Office @ 318 Riverside Drive 3) The HOP @ 640 Merrimon Ave #103 4) Sutton / Dezio Law @ 70 Pisgah Hwy (on their back porch) 5) Buncombe County Sports [email protected] 24 Apac Circle (near the GreenWorks nursery entrance) 6) Sun Soo Martial Arts @ 800 Fairview Road 7) Mast General Store @ 15 Biltmore Avenue (out front) If you have a group of 4 or more or would like any special cleanup supplies, please contact [email protected] to arrange a pickup from our Riverside Office. By Finn Digman, Waste Reduction Education Coordinator for Asheville Greenworks If you haven’t seen our 5-minute reader, COVID-19 and Sanitation Workers: What You Can Do To Help, use this link to the short post, where you can read a quick summary of actions you can take to protect our community’s sanitation employees. This post will discuss ways local sanitation agencies and Asheville GreenWorks are working together to safeguard our sanitation workers. While the COVID-19 pandemic affects everyone, essential workers bear a greater burden than most. They touch more surfaces, interact with more people, and generally leave their homes more than the rest of us. So, to say thanks for their hard work, we need to do our part in keeping them safe. According to WasteDive, (a website devoted to sanitation-related topics) no cities besides New York have seen major outbreaks of COVID-19 in their sanitation workforce. To avoid a fate similar to New York City’s, we must take action. Here’s how: TRASH: Trash is the waste you bag up and put into your green City bin. The City of Asheville has their own sanitation department and collects trash using City trucks. Below is a list of what they’re doing to ensure their employees’ safety during the time of COVID-19.
Here’s what you can do to help your local City employees safe:
Here’s what Asheville GreenWorks is doing to help keep City employees safe:
RECYCLING: The City of Asheville contracts with Curbie to collect our recycling. Curbie is continuing as normal with a heightened awareness. Here’s what they say about how their employees are staying safe during the time of COVID-19.
COMPOSTING: One compost collection service in Asheville, CompostNow, picks up kitchen waste, which is different from yard waste. These are the steps CompostNow is taking to ensure their employees’ health during the spread of COVID-19.
Here’s what you can do to help your CompostNow employees safe:
Asheville GreenWorks is doing our part by:
Help your community the most by practicing the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. By reducing the amount of packaging and products you take in, you expose yourself and essential workers to fewer daily interactions. Reusing your products keeps them in your home and away from sanitation workers. The age-old adage, “waste not, want not,” applies now more than ever. Follow Asheville GreenWorks to learn repurposing and upcycling techniques that will turn your trash into treasure. Finally, recycle right. This means recycling only “grocery-store” plastic containers, glass, and aluminum; check out Curbie’s website for a complete list of accepted recyclables. Remember: when in doubt, throw it out! Our city’s sanitation staff are working full-time to keep Asheville clean and safe. Please do your part to protect essential workers by following guidelines, washing your hands frequently, and following the advice of the CDC. From all of us at Asheville Greenworks, stay safe out there. We’ll see you online! This article is written for the residents of the City of Asheville in partnership with the City of Asheville.
By Finn Digman, Waste Reduction Education Coordinator for Asheville Greenworks For the evolving situation around COVID-19, trash, recycling, and compost collection remain vital to the ongoing health of our area. Can you imagine what our homes would look like without these services? Do you want to? Us neither. So, let’s take a moment to consider the health implications of working in sanitation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, the City of Asheville’s trash and recycling services are occurring as scheduled. The City is taking measures to ensure their workers’ safety. You can read more about these measures in Asheville Greenworks’ post about brush collection and in our upcoming 15-minute Reader: COVID-19 and Sanitation Workers: What We’re Doing to Help. Continuing these vital services means employees for the City, CompostNow, and Curbie are more at risk when coming into contact with our waste. In the time of COVID-19, the potential for contact holds some obvious health implications, and we want to help keep workers safe. Are you with us? Here’s what you can do to help. Wash your hands frequently and properly. During the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping your hands clean is especially important to help prevent the virus from spreading. You should always wash your hands after handling waste or touching waste receptacles. For more information on proper handwashing, follow this link. Wipe down cart lids and handles with disinfectant. Most carts are collected with a touchless, automated truck. However, at times, waste collectors must touch carts to properly get the waste into trucks. Wiping down your lids and handles reduces the potential risk of exposure for everyone. All trash must be bagged and bags must be tied. Your green City carts contain trash destined for the landfill. By bagging your trash, you reduce the potential exposure for trash collectors and workers at the landfill. Tightly bagged trash also minimizes loose litter, so it won’t go flying through your neighborhood. Sign up for AVL Collects. Follow this link to sign up for weekly collection reminders and information about service delays or cancellation notices. Do not bag your recycling. Processors at Curbie are required to manually open recycling in bags in order to sort it. Eliminate this risk factor by filling your blue City carts with loose recyclables. Recycle right. Minimize contact for recycling processors by ensuring you are disposing of acceptable recyclables. Generally, glass and plastic jugs, tubs, bottles, and jars are welcome. Follow this link for a comprehensive list of everything Curbie accepts. And remember: When in doubt, throw it out. Never recycle medical waste. Medical masks, gloves, and needles are not recyclable and pose a serious risk to workers who are not trained to handle them. For more information on medical disposal follow this link to Buncombe County’s Harm Reduction page. Wipe down your compost bins before setting them out. CompostNow is working hard to ensure the safety of its employees. Help them by disinfecting surfaces workers must touch. Put all your compost in the bin and secure the lid. CompostNow cannot accept extra compostables left beside their bins. You can request additional bins here. Skip service if you are experiencing symptoms. By skipping service for at least two weeks after you begin experiencing symptoms, you can reduce the risk of exposure to CompostNow employees. Brush can be composted in your yard. For more information about managing your yard waste, go to this Asheville Greenworks’ post. We are grateful for our dedicated sanitation workers and the services they offer. In this time of social isolation, social responsibility means protecting the essential employees that keep our society functioning. You can do your part by following the instructions above, as well as adhering to the CDC’s recommendations. Be safe out there, and stay tuned for more great content from Asheville Greenworks. This article is written for the residents of the City of Asheville in partnership with the City of Asheville.
 Laura Anderson - Water Quality Coordinator Asheville GreenWorks is seeking applicants to fill two AmeriCorps Project Conserve positions to restore and protect Asheville's fragile ecosystems. We have two positions available: Community Forestry Coordinator and Water Quality Coordinator. Service terms would begin Sept 1st 2020 and finish up July 31st 2021. The deadline to apply is May 15th 2020 - applications are now closed What is Project Conserve? Administered by Conserving Carolina, Project Conserve is a National Service program in which members come from across the nation to dedicate themselves to serving critical environmental and community needs in western North Carolina. Members are selected based on skill, education, experience, passion and commitment to service. The program focuses on collaboration with nonprofit organizations, community groups and local governments to provide service throughout the region. Project Conserve individually places members in service with one of our host site organizations working to protect the unique natural resources of the southern Blue Ridge Mountain region. During their terms of service, members will promote conservation through education, volunteerism, and direct environmental service. Members participate in 1 to 3 required training and service days per month with the full Project Conserve team. Training may cover a broad range of topics including wilderness first aid, CPR/AED, conflict resolution, forest management, trail construction, invasive plant identification, environmental education, volunteer management, and disaster preparedness.  By Finn Digman, Waste Reduction Education Coordinator for Asheville Greenworks If you’re staying at home full-time, now is the perfect time to clean up the yard. You might be cutting back invasive species, raking leaves, or pruning your fruit trees. No matter what, yard work tends to produce some unwieldy waste. The City of Asheville collects about 8,000 tons of brush annually within city limits. But in order to ensure the safety of their staff and slow the spread of COVID-19, brush collection is on a delayed schedule for the duration of the pandemic. Trash and recycling collection are occurring as scheduled. So, why is brush collection postponed? The City wants to protect the collection staff from potential virus exposure for their health and to ensure the residents of Asheville receive the services they need to keep life moving. Jes Foster, the Solid Waste Manager for the City of Asheville explains, “Brush collection trucks require 2 or 3 people to be in close quarters in the cab of a truck all day. We are modifying operations and pulling in additional staff and resources in order to perform some level of brush collection while maintaining social distancing recommendations.” Modifications starting the week of April 13th include:
While brush collection services are running on a delayed schedule, the City of Asheville respectfully asks residents to ensure that any containers, bags, or piles are not obstructing sidewalks or traffic. You may be thinking, “What now?” If you’ve got yard waste and don’t want to wait for pick up, look no further! We’ve compiled an easy list of ways to use or dispose of your yard waste this spring. Leaves
This article is written for the residents of the City of Asheville in partnership with the City of Asheville.
Special guest blog post by the Biltmore Estate.
Best management practices are employed in Biltmore’s agricultural and forestry operations to prevent silt and runoff into waterways, receiving the River Friendly Farmer Award from the Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation Service for these efforts.
Asheville Greenworks demonstrates values in alignment with Biltmore’s focus areas. Thank you to Asheville Greenworks and their great work to protect the natural resources of the mountains that surround Asheville for the benefit of both present and future generations. |
