District Conference + Zone Food Security Summit = Club Action!
One success story of a club starting to take steps in Earth Stewardship
The Rotary Club of Boise Metro had a few members attend the Lunch Out Of the Landfills session at this summer’s District Conference. We were intrigued by what we saw and wanted to look deeper at how we use our food resources. Next, we attended the Zone’s Food Security Summit held in Boise in July. We learned about the scale of the opportunity to do better with our food choices and waste. There we were inspired to act! But where to get started? How about with the Club Meeting itself!
 
We began by looking at our buffet leftovers. Since we had a catering company prepare the food, the leftovers could be packed up and taken to the Women’s & Children’s Alliance for their use. Tick that one off the list.
 
Next, we looked at the food we ordered. While only a few members were 100% vegetarian or vegan, we knew that additional members wanted to have more plant-based options available. Whether this was for health reasons or concern over the impact on the earth, these members simply wanted to reduce the amount of meat that they consumed in the main entree. We worked with the caterer to prepare an attractive and delicious main entrée that was vegetarian/vegan with the meat available on the side to be added by those who wanted it and in the amount that they wanted. Now, we don’t have to guess how many Vegeterian or Vegan plates to ask for. The main entrée comes that way with meat on the side. Done.
 
With these two items ticked off the list, we are now turning our attention to the resources used to serve the meal. Since we use a catering company at a remote site, what should happen to all the paper and plastic used to serve our meals? Can we adjust what we use?
 
Next up… how to reduce our use of disposables and to recycle what we do use. Stay tuned!
 
In Earth Stewardship,
 
Jeff Larsen
Boise Metro Rotary