In two recent speeches, Waste Farmers’ founder underscored both the importance and difficulties of cultivating a business in a new economy.
“Imagine a world in which all the things we make, use, and consume provide nutrition for nature and industry—a world in which growth is good and human activity generates a delightful, restorative ecological footprint.”
– William McDonough & Michael Braungart
“Zero waste is a philosophy and a design principle for the 21st Century; it is not simply about putting an end to landfilling. Aiming for zero waste is not an end-of-pipe solution. That is why it heralds fundamental change. Aiming for zero waste means designing products and packaging with reuse and recycling in mind. It means ending subsidies for wasting. It means closing the gap between landfill prices and their true costs. It means making manufacturers take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products and packaging. Zero waste efforts, just like recycling efforts before, will change the face of solid waste management in the future. Instead of managing wastes, we will manage resources and strive to eliminate waste.”
–The Institute for Local Self Reliance, Washington, DC
The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard is a 20-minute film that takes viewers on a provocative and eye-opening tour of the real costs of our consumer driven culture—from resource extraction to iPod incineration. It’s an engaging story about “all our stuff—where it comes from and where it goes when we throw it away.”
Everyone knows it’s good for the environment, but there are plenty of other reasons to recycle.
The Huffington Post featured Waste Farmers in its latest Innovators Series, a compilation of startups that have interested the website’s community of readers.
Steve Pearce, former New Mexico congressman and current candidate for his old seat, praised a speech by John-Paul Maxfield at the launch of Accion Colorado.
Read the speech »
Waste Farmers is pleased to announce that the company is the recipient of the 2010 “Green Business of the Year” award presented by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce on April 21.
Watch or read the
acceptance speech »
