 A Hands-On Approach
At the heart of GreenLight Solutions’ impact at the summit were the “boots on the ground”—our team of staff worked to make waste diversion more than just a goal. Each staff stationed themselves near trash bins throughout the venue, helping attendees navigate the world of recycling and composting. With an educational approach, they explained which items of trash belonged in each bin. This both contributed to the achieved waste diversion rate and inspired attendees to take sustainable habits home with them. However, mistakes still occur. Volunteers also took on the crucial task of Top Sorting, or moving items thrown in the wrong bin into the proper one. Then behind the scenes, GreenLight Solutions staff took on the responsibility of completing the full Waste Sort, meaning that they went through every bin from top to bottom to ensure that every item that could be recycled or composted, did! Partnering for Success While GreenLight Solutions led the charge, achieving an 80% waste diversion rate was a collaborative effort that wouldn’t have been possible without supporters. Mill and Waste Management believes in GreenLight Solution’s mission and is dedicated to propelling them forward. With R.City’s expertise in composting, all organic waste collected at the summit was turned into valuable, nutrient-dense compost, reducing landfill use and supporting sustainable agricultural practices in the Phoenix area. The City of Tempe contributed essential recycling and landfill services. Then last, but not least, GreenLight Solutions wouldn’t have had the opportunity to make this impact if it wasn’t for the organization behind the event: Compass CBS Foundation. Thank you to everyone who supported the Green Team and helped to make this impact possible. These partnerships went beyond valuable resources—they reflected a shared commitment to sustainability and held a high standard for collaboration in environmental initiatives. Together, they proved that building a sustainable future requires networks of support and expertise beyond individual action. Celebrating a Sustainability Successful Model The Going Green and Going Smart Summit illustrated what’s possible when a community unites with a commitment to sustainability. Through our Green Event Services, the Green Team showcased that high waste diversion rates aren’t just achievable—they are essential to creating a positive environmental impact. Every piece of compost, recyclable, and educated attendee contributed to the summit’s mission, highlighting that sustainable practices aren't just realistic, but also transformative. Author: Kirsten Kierum Kirsten Kierum is a student at Arizona State University, studying Environmental Engineering. She currently serves as a Nonprofit Development & Communications Intern with GreenLight Solutions and plans to continue being involved for the entirety of her time at ASU and beyond. She is passionate about environmental issues and enjoys working on impactful projects in her community.
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 Green Event Services at GreenLight Solutions has one main goal: #StarvetheLandfill. For an event to be considered “zero waste,” a 90% average diversion rate is typically required. It is safe to say that our mission was accomplished! We proudly report that the Green Team achieved 90% waste diversion from the landfill. But how did the Green Team make this happen? Many different things are required to maximize waste diversion potential. GreenLight Solutions works hard to strategize how to make events as low waste as possible, but new heights can be reached when the event hosts truly care about sustainability. Green Living Magazine was dedicated to making their Best of Arizona Awards Party event sustainable. They had multiple pre-event calls and site visits with the Green Team to ensure that the most efficient Waste Diversion protocol was in place. Green Living Magazine also committed to Sustainable Sourcing by choosing porcelain, reusable dishware, and recyclable wine glasses. Whatever couldn’t be reused or recycled was compostable. “From planning waste diversion logistics to the sourcing of sustainable materials, sustainability was at the forefront of Green Living Magazine’s event planning, and not an afterthought.” Of course, this would not have been possible if it wasn’t for those who support the Green Team. None of what was accomplished would be possible without all these people and organizations working together in their care for the planet.
 As reducing landfill waste helps minimize environmental impact, to #StarvetheLandfill contributes to a healthier community. The sustainability success story celebrated at the Best of Arizona Awards Party serves as a beacon of hope for Arizonans, promising a brighter future for current and future generations.
Author: Kirsten Kierum Kirsten Kierum is an environmental engineering student at Arizona State University. She currently serves as a Nonprofit Development and communications Intern with GreenLight Solutions and plans to continue being involved throughout her time at ASU and beyond. She is passionate about environmental issues and enjoys working on impactful projects in her community.  It was scorching out in the middle of October. Maybe I have a bias because I am from Washington, but it should not be over 100 degrees in October! However, the heat reminded us of why we came out to volunteer in the first place. Arizona was already hot, but it is just going to get hotter as conditions worsen due to climate change. Climate change and other environmental issues are complex problems. These are problems stretched across our global system, with multiple stakeholders and interconnected causes, effects, and solutions.
When I started my internship with GreenLight Solutions, I simultaneously began working with the Next Generation Service Corps (NGSC) at Arizona State University. NGSC’s goal is to teach students how to solves complex issues through cross-sectoral collaboration. This year I am the lead of Mission Team 22: Environmental Sustainability. Mission teams are groups of students in NGSC who have a passion for a particular social mission, and then work on projects to make a positive impact by learning, networking, volunteering, and planning impactful events. One of my goals for our mission team was to connect with as many environmentalists as possible in the Tempe area; so my internship with GreenLight Solutions was the perfect opportunity! The Green Team was recruiting volunteers, and my mission team was looking for opportunities to get involved with sustainability initiatives; so this was a perfect match to partner the two organizations. I brought members from my NGSC mission team to volunteer with me during the 3 days of Oktoberfest. I didn’t realize it then, but this was the perfect example of how cross-sectoral collaboration can be implemented at a large-scale event that targets environmental sustainability.
Four Peaks Oktoberfest is a collaboration between Tempe Sister Cities and Four Peaks Brewing. These two groups partnered with dozens of vendors and organizations and came together to create a memorable event for the community. For the past two years, Tempe Sister Cities also partnered with GreenLight Solutions to showcase its Commitment to Sustainability. GreenLight Solutions brought its whole network of passionate collaborators to maximize waste diversion from the landfill. This partnership means that the maximum amount of fun doesn’t need to come at the expense of the environment. The Green Team consisted of 38 volunteers and 51 staff members responsible for the on-site Waste Sorting, Attendee Education, and Custodial Services. The Green Team met people where they were, whether they just wanted a weekend job, needed volunteer hours, or were already passionate about sustainability. The Green Team is made possible through collaborations with Mill, Waste Management, Phoenix Toolbank Equipment, R.City, City of Tempe, and ROTC.  The Green Team rescued these valuable resources:
Overall, the Green Team recycled 6,800 pounds and composted 1,030 pounds. This is equivalent to 11 tons of CO2 emissions avoided, which is around 29,000 miles driven and 735,000 smartphones charged! In three days alone, GreenLight Solutions created a space where cross-sectoral collaborations solved complex challenges and made a direct impact. Thank you to all of those who made this possible. Author: Kirsten Kierum Kirsten Kierum is an environmental engineering student at Arizona State University. She currently serves as a Nonprofit Development and Communications Intern with GreenLight Solutions and plans to continue being involved throughout her time at ASU and beyond. She is passionate about environmental issues and enjoys working on impactful projects in her community. At GreenLight Solutions, we are committed to fostering environmental stewardship through innovative educational programs. Our Greenlight Bootcamp is one such initiative that empowers students to tackle real-world sustainability challenges. This Summer, two dynamic teams, Project Team MAMYY and Project Team Sams, embarked on inspiring projects to promote residential composting in South Scottsdale. Here’s a closer look at their journey, strategies, and impactful outcomes. Project Team MAMYY: Boosting Residential Composting  Challenges:
Project Team MAMYY faced the pressing issue of low composting participation and excessive food waste in South Scottsdale. Solution: Their goal was to acquire 15 new customers for residential composting services by a set deadline.  As a student attending the Living For a New Age event in April, I had no idea how beneficial this event was going to be.
A little back story on what this event was, Living For a New Age is a meeting where multiple companies, eco-leaders, environmentalists, and changemakers come together to discuss their business ideas, what they’re implementing, and changing to complete one common goal, making our world a greener and cleaner place to live.  Ashley Weisman, Executive Director of GreenLight Solutions, was interviewed by Kim Coates from LocalFi about her passion for sustainability and GLS. Weisman shares her experience and insights from her years of working with GreenLIght Solutions and more!
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The sun is shining, fans fill the stands, and the anticipation of another thrilling game hangs in the air. But amidst the buzz of excitement, there's a silent army of volunteers clad in neon green, armed with gloves and recycling bins, ready to make a difference. For fans getting their snacks, beverages, and enjoying the games, properly disposing of waste throwing the wrappers may not seem like a lot. Still, due to the massive scale and misunderstanding of waste management, this is where the magic begins.
Breaking Barriers: Inclusivity in Small to Medium-Sized Businesses Through Sustainability Reporting5/24/2024  By Sarah Kistner and Miranda Padron
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, sustainability isn't just a buzzword; it's a critical component for long-term success and societal impact. Large corporations have been at the forefront of sustainability initiatives for years, leveraging sophisticated tools and resources to track and report their environmental and social performance. However, there's a noticeable gap when it comes to small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) embracing sustainability reporting. Despite their significant collective impact, SMEs often lack the resources and infrastructure to effectively monitor and communicate their sustainability efforts. Greenlight Solutions, in collaboration with Infosol, aim to bridge that gap by developing a reporting dashboard that is tailored to SMES. The dashboard will enable companies to input data, set baselines, and test scenarios to reduce their ecological footprint.  Overview and Purpose
Buzze is revolutionizing the EV charging experience with its innovative neighborhood Electric Vehicle (EV) app, dedicated to enhancing accessibility and efficiency for communities nationwide. By connecting EV drivers with local hosts who own chargers, Buzze is transforming how people charge their electric vehicles, right in their own neighborhoods!  In the heart of Arizona, where innovation meets environmental stewardship, GreenLoop emerges as a beacon of sustainable progress. Committed to reshaping the construction landscape, GreenLoop is on a mission to revolutionize how we perceive and utilize plastic and wood waste. Partnering with GreenLight Solutions, our collaborative efforts have ushered in a new era of eco-conscious entrepreneurship, propelling GreenLoop towards a future of prosperity and sustainability.
 In the vibrant city of Phoenix, Arizona, music enthusiasts and sustainability advocates from all over converged at M3F. Formerly known as the McDowell Mountain Music Festival, this iconic, non-profit music festival is dedicated to directly supporting Arizona communities year-round. On Friday March 1st, and Saturday, March 2nd, they hosted various musical artists and 16,000 attendees each day.
The recent Mesa Marathon, a hallmark event in Arizona, brought together 9,000 enthusiastic runners and fans for a day of exhilarating races and community spirit. However, what made this year's event particularly memorable was the unexpected challenge posed by a full fifteen hours of nonstop rain – a rare occurrence in Mesa, Arizona.
Despite the uncharacteristic weather, the Mesa Marathon and its dedicated Green Team rose to the challenge, demonstrating resilience and commitment to sustainability in the face of adversity. With cardboard waste becoming non-recyclable due to the rain, the Green Team knew they had to adapt their strategies to maintain their waste diversion goals. Deploying volunteers and staff as Bin Guards and Waste Sorters, the Green Team worked tirelessly to educate attendees about proper waste disposal and ensure materials were sorted correctly. Through their efforts, over 2.9 tons of recyclable materials and donated food were diverted from the landfill, despite the challenging conditions. This Fall, GreenLight Solutions seized a golden opportunity to lead waste diversion and recycling services at the Four Peaks Oktoberfest. Originating in Germany, Oktoberfest has evolved into a global celebration marked by beer festivals and lively carnivals. This year's event unfolded at Tempe Town Lake, attracting a staggering 50,000 enthusiastic attendees. At the heart of the environmental stewardship efforts was GreenLight Solutions and its Green Team who were dedicated to upholding sustainable practices at the event. Their efficient bin management maximized recycling, showcasing GreenLight's commitment to sustainability. Beyond the festival, the team successfully handled post-event cleanup, engaging attendees to promote lasting environmental consciousness. Green Light Solutions is proud to share that the event had a diversion rate of 32% and 3.7 tons of recyclable materials were diverted from landfill.
This year's annual Leslie’s Charity Golf Event saw a fusion of sustainability and community spirit as GreenLight Solutions’ Green Team helped conduct waste diversion services to leave a positive impact on the planet. The event took place on October 5th, which coincidentally also fell on Earth Gives Day, a day dedicated to giving back t o the planet and raising awareness on the climate crisis and other global matters. GreenLight celebrated by increasing the recycling efforts at the event. Waste diversion serves as an important sustainable solution because it tackles waste management in a responsible manner. Waste diversion has many benefits including reducing landfill waste and pollution, avoids the contamination of recyclable goods, and conserves resources. While there were only 3 “Green Team” members at the event, GreenLight Solutions is proud to share that the event had a diversion rate of 40% and 193.9lbs of recycled materials were diverted from landfill. The Green Team took charge of several waste diversion initiatives at the Leslie’s Charity Golf Event. They took responsibility for coordinating bin signage and placement by pairing landfill and recycling bins together with signage to guide attendees on proper waste disposal. Recycling and landfill bins were placed together at the event so attendees were able to recycle or throw landfill away at an equal convenience. Additionally, the Green Team took on the role of bin guards and educated attendees about responsible recycling practices. The team also took on waste sorting by sifting through both landfill and recycling bins to ensure that diversion was maximized and avoid any cross contamination. Contamination is a huge threat to any recycling efforts, as it can affect the quality of the recyclable material and services can render the entire load as landfill if there is too much contamination. Lastly, the team guaranteed event cleanliness by actively picking up litter throughout the event. Activities such as these can significantly influence the event and its environmental impact by enhancing recycling, waste diversion, food donations, composting, and the event's cleanliness. On the behalf of GreenLight, we’d like to thank Leslie’s, their community, and our other partners for their sustainability and responsible waste management efforts. Everyone involved at the Leslie’s Charity Golf event played a vital role in fostering collaboration and taking these eco-friendly initiatives! The Impact: 40% Diversion Rate 193.9lbs diverted
 Green Team Members:
Event Partners: Leslie’s Pool Supplies: Leslie’s is one of the largest pool and spa care companies in the U.S. They offer a wide variety of pool and spa supplies and they are dedicated to delivering quality expertise, service, and innovative solutions. McCormick Ranch Golf Club: The McCormick Ranch Golf Club is located in Scottsdale, Arizona and hosts hundreds of tournaments on an annual basis. They also offer as a host to a wide variety of events such as weddings, business meetings, holiday parties, etc. Keep Phoenix Beautiful: Keep Phoenix Beautiful (a Keep America Beautiful affiliate) is a local, sustainability driven non-profit (501)c3 organization. They are dedicated to improving the quality of life in Phoenix by offering communities meaningful leadership, partnerships, and volunteer experiences. Waste Not AZ: Waste Not has the overall goal to eliminate food waste and hunger. They pick up excess food from food businesses and deliver it to nonprofits that feed the hungry. Recycled City: Recycled City is dedicated to reducing food waste in landfills by returning excess food back to their farm to composting it and grow more produce. Phoenix Toolbank: The Phoenix Toolbank lends organizations supplies and tools for various projects. This enhances volunteering efforts and impacts in Phoenix by equipping organizations with the supplies they need. Waste Management: Waste Management is a reputable waste service company that offers trash and recycling pick up services, while simultaneously minimizing environmental impact. Author: Sydney O’Connor Sydney O’Connor is a senior at Arizona State University studying sustainability. She is currently the Green Events Program Assistant Intern focusing on coordinating green events services like the waste diversion efforts seen at the Leslie’s Charity Golf Event GreenLight Bootcamp is a dynamic and intensive program designed to provide study abroad students with a condensed version of the Student-Led Sustainability Projects. This unique initiative offers an accelerated learning experience, combining project-focused workshops, mentorship, and social events which foster cross-cultural exchange and help students build relationships beyond the project work. Over the span of six weeks, students gain valuable sustainability problem-solving skills, hands-on experience, and the opportunity to collaborate as they learn GreenLight’s curated sustainability project management process. The aim is to guide projects from ideation to implementation, ensuring comprehensive learning and practical application for the participants.
This year, we had the pleasure of hosting 15 students from Nanzan University in Japan. As the lead facilitator, I was especially excited to meet the students based on my connection to Japanese culture through my brother, who has been living and working in Japan for over three years. He taught me how to greet the students in Japanese to welcome them to Arizona. The focus of their project was to create effective waste diversion plans and evaluate waste streams at local Arizona events. Guided by GreenLight facilitators, the teams worked on three specific events: the Mesa Marathon (2022, 2023), Tour de Fat (2022), and GreenLiving Magazine’s Earth Day Extravaganza (2022). The students meticulously analyzed these events’ waste diversion efforts and translated their findings into three informative infographics per team, for a total of 9 infographics. These infographics showcased the greenhouse gas emission conversions resulting from the waste diversion initiatives, aiming to raise public awareness about the tangible effects of waste. Each team showcased 9 conversions, for a total of 27 relatable sustainability metrics. By utilizing visuals, the teams effectively conveyed the importance of waste reduction to educate the public about the environmental impact of these events’ efforts. The Impact and Benefits: GreenLight Bootcamp offers numerous benefits to participating students. By following the GreenLight GuideLines and working on real-world projects, students gain valuable problem-solving skills, project management experience, and a deeper understanding of sustainability in action. The hands-on nature of the program also allows students to build their resumes, enhancing their future career prospects in sustainability-related fields. Moreover, the opportunity to collaborate with GreenLight staff and student Solutioneers offers students a unique cross-cultural experience and networking opportunities. This exposure to diverse perspectives and collaboration strengthens their abilities to work in multicultural environments and fosters long-lasting connections. Thank you to Nori Hayashi and Taka Yamagishi, all of our wonderful students, Nanzan University, and Arizona State University’s Global Launch for making this possible! Author: Gemini Boudrie Gemini Boudrie graduated from Arizona State University in 2022 with a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in Business Sustainability. After spending five semesters as a Solutioneer in the program, Gemini now serves as GreenLight Solutions’ Program Coordinator, working directly with students in our Bootcamp and Student-Led Sustainability Project programs, as well as partnering with local events for our Green Events Services program. Dynamic.RE and GreenLight Solutions engaged in a partnership for a fifth consecutive project cycle in the Spring of 2023. Dynamic.RE has ceaselessly tried to bring sustainability to the forefront of real estate endeavors through the creation of informational pamphlets outlining underlooked rebates, ebooks explaining ways for homeowners to better monetize their property whilst reducing their ecological footprint, and more. In particular, Dynamic.RE has sought innumerable ways to lessen the burden and stress associated with purchasing property in the United States’ economy. They have engaged in a two-semester long project—soon to extend beyond the Spring of 2023—to create a comprehensive database of sustainability programs, incentives, tools and companies for use by a diverse array of clients. Further adding to the breadth of this project, these individuals—namely: homeowners, fix-and-flip investors, buy-and-hold long term investors, and short term rental operators—hailed from numerous municipalities spanning the United States. The information coalesced within this directory is present in the public domain, however, by showcasing it all on a cohesive platform, the material becomes far more accessible. Our Project Team was tasked with expanding this database to a more extensive assortment of cities. We approached this goal in two strides: broad-online searches for available resources and interviews with utility company workers. We sought to procure 5 sustainable resources per city—of which there were 19—but ended up documenting 10, and we met our goal for interviewing 5 individuals per city—resulting in a total of 95 interviews and 190 general resources. A few sections of our team’s infographic that depicts our findings is presented below:
This information is now present on Dynamic.RE’s website where anyone involved in or seeking involvement in real estate may access it, allowing for their consumer-base to become more sustainable while saving thousands of dollars annually. In hopes of further enhancing the accessibility of these resources, Dynamic.RE and GreenLight have even begun the process of incorporating GIS mapping into their database. All of these modifications serve to bridge the gap between real estate and sustainability while relieving the fiscal and environmental concerns that come with buying, renting, or investing in a home.
Written By: Manasa Sreeram, a freshman attending Barrett the Honors College at Arizona State University in Tempe. She is working toward becoming an environmental lawyer. Her passions for the like are indicated by her concurrent major in political science and biological sciences with a concentration in conservation biology and ecology. The Spring of 2023 served as her first semester with GreenLight Solutions and she had the privilege of being a Project Lead for the Dynamic.RE team. She wishes to continue this engagement going forward and is eagerly studying GIS mapping for the coming Fall term. In the Spring of 2023, we had the absolute pleasure of adding Green Education.US (GE.US) to our growing list of Project Partners. GE.US provides certifications, classes, and webinars in Sustainable Resource Management and asked for support in outreach to improve and market their program. The desired outcome included the identification of and outreach to a wide range of channels, as well as survey creation and distribution. Our small group of Solutioneers working with this Project Partner learned to create an impact through stakeholder outreach and communication, embodying the UN Sustainable Development Goal #17, Partnerships for the Goals.
Our first goal was to create a pool of data offering relevant information for sustainability professionals and students through survey creation and distribution. We made it a goal to create 2 different surveys for distribution, both with distinct scopes and purposes. This whole process consisted of reviewing post-program feedback surveys, brainstorming questions, distributing the surveys, and filtering through survey results to make note of relevant information. Despite this being a very lengthy process, we reached 100% of our goal by creating a student-aimed survey as well as an employer-aimed survey. The student survey gathered feedback on GE.US programs and websites and was marketed towards students studying anything related to sustainability including environmental sciences, urban planning, sustainable agriculture, and more. This survey essentially explored what students liked or didn’t like about GE.US programs and what obstacles stopped them from enrolling in a GE.US program. On the other hand, the employer survey was marketed towards current sustainability employers with the end goal of informing students interested in a career in sustainability on what it is that employers look for in potential employees straight out of college. The results of these surveys were translated into a document for GE.US to use moving forward towards the improvement of their business. Our second objective was to collaborate with organizations with a pre-existing social media presence to promote our surveys and other GE.US educational program offerings. We made it a goal to be featured by 4 platforms on behalf of external organizations to GE.US. We surpassed this goal as we were featured by 6 organizations across Slack channels, Instagram posts and stories, and LinkedIn posts. This was all done through communications with other organizations where we marketed what we had to offer to them in exchange for their promotion of our content. We were granted access into the student perspective of GE.US programs in order to gain first-hand views of what it truly was that we were marketing. These collaborations also had the intention of gaining us more survey responses and interactions which they were successful in. Although the processes leading up to the overall success of the project were not always quick and easy, we were able to explore different aspects of project management which was facilitated by the many resources and great feedback offered by our Project Partner. Green Education.US now has a strong starting point for any future projects in collaboration with GreenLight Solutions. This will allow them to further explore the current state of the sustainability industry and reach larger and more widely known organizations, hopefully reaching global connections and collaborations. Written By: Yasmin Calderon Feliciano and Jane Hill. As of the Spring of 2023, Yasmin Calderon Feliciano has been working with GreenLight Solutions for over a year and a half. She graduated from Mesa Community College in May 2023 with an Associate’s in Sustainability and will continue to work towards her Bachelor’s at Arizona State University in the Fall. She is passionate about environmental justice BIPOC communities across the world and loves expanding on the education accessible to all regarding the current environmental state of the world. Jane Hill is a senior at Arizona State University and will be graduating Spring 2024 with a Bachelors of Science in Biological Sciences: Conservation Biology and Ecology. She is passionate about educating others on how to protect the environment by implementing sustainable practices and conserving natural resources. GreenLight Solutions has given Jane the opportunity to network with sustainability professionals and students while educating others about how to positively impact the environment. There is no better way to celebrate Earth Day than to divert waste from the landfill. For their Earth Day Celebration at Maya’s Farm in Phoenix, FOR Energy partnered with Green Events Services to provide waste, recycling, and composting services for over 150 attendees. Keep Phoenix Beautiful helped our team coordinate the waste and recycling bins, while Recycled City handled the compost bins. The event consisted of a farmer’s market, petting zoo, food and drink, and a sustainable cooking demonstration with Chef Elizabeth Mienz. We led our Green Team to bin guard at several waste stations set up throughout the area, instructing event-goers on proper disposal etiquette. Additionally, because of the event’s smaller size, we were able to interact more with the attendees, and took great pride in educating them about the importance of recycling and composting. For example, we let people know that typically over 50% of municipal waste is actually compostable. Hopefully, some people were inspired by our efforts and will start composting more on their own. The Green Team ended up achieving a 68% waste diversion rate by generating more compost and recyclables than waste. Our efforts complemented the overarching mission of the farm, which uses no pesticides, herbicides, or commercial fertilizers to grow their organic produce. We look forward to future events with both FOR Energy and Maya’s Farm as we continue to grow and find ways to make the local community more sustainable.
Our Partners:
FOR Energy: FOR Energy specializes in residential solar energy systems, helping homeowners enjoy free energy while helping the environment. They offer residential free consultations in Phoenix, AZ, to provide individuals with valuable information about solar panel systems and how they can benefit. Maya’s Farm: Maya’s Farm is a small, sustainable operation which produces high-quality specialty vegetables, herbs, flowers and eggs for local markets, restaurants and schools. A community-supported agriculture (CSA) program gives subscribers a weekly supply of produce that is cut by hand in the field daily. Keep Phx Beautiful: Founded in 1982, Keep Phoenix Beautiful is a local, sustainably-minded non-profit 501(c)3 organization that aims to empower diverse communities to improve their overall quality of life. They host numerous events every year that focus on recycling, composting, and greening local landscapes. Recycled City: Recycled City is a full-circle service in the Phoenix Valley that makes it easy to turn your food waste back into farmland. They are returning nutrients to the soil and using it to grow fresh, local, chemical-free produce. The Green Team: Ashley Weisman Bryce Campbell Gemini Boudrie Jessica Simon Author: Bryce Campbell Bryce Campbell is a senior at Arizona State pursuing a degree in business and a minor in sustainability. Outside of GreenLight, he is a Renewable Energy Intern for Seaside Sustainability, focusing on analyzing state programs concerning the transition to cleaner energy. He enjoys finding ways to leave an impact on his local community and likes to play guitar and cook in his free time. Celebrate Mesa is an annual, family fun style festival for the local community with music, vendors, and food. Roughly 15 food trucks are at the event every year, however, composting had never been done before. All the food waste had been previously thrown away and sent to the landfill. There, food decomposes under anaerobic conditions and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas that has approximately 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide. Composting, on the other hand, is the perfect way to help mother nature recycle. The aerobic process of composting does not produce methane because methane-producing microbes are not active in the presence of oxygen. Celebrate Mesa, which is run by the City of Mesa, wanted to increase the sustainability of their event, which led them to reach out to Green Events Services to provide composting services for their 6,000 attendees. We recruited 4 volunteers from GreenLight Solutions to help us compost at this event. The so-called “Green Team” was mainly responsible for bin guarding and making sure attendees knew exactly which bin to place their food scraps in. The team was also responsible for sorting the bins, as needed, to make sure what went in the bins was correct. Bin contamination can lead to the bins being completely rejected at the composting site, which would have wasted the efforts of our volunteers. However, the team was properly trained in knowing what could be recycled, and were successful in their bin guarding efforts. By the end of the event, the Green Team was able to divert 120 pounds of compost, which, in terms of emissions, is equivalent to 93 miles driven by an average four-door sedan. The compost was then distributed to our partner, Recycled City, a local small business that has the resources to properly carry out the full composting process. Every year, U.S. food loss and waste embodies 170 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which is equivalent to 42 coal power plants. We must lower these emissions if we are to reduce Earth’s rate of warming, and composting is one solution. Green Events Services is looking forward to serving Celebrate Mesa’s needs in 2024, and providing composting services at other events as well!
Our Partners: City of Mesa: We partnered with the City of Mesa, who was organizing the whole event. They coordinated the vendors and music, as well as the waste and recycling services through their Mesa Recycles program. Recycled City: Recycled City is a full-circle service in the Phoenix Valley that makes it easy to turn your food waste back into farmland. They are returning nutrients to the soil and using it to grow fresh, local, chemical-free produce. The Green Team: Ashley Weisman Bryce Campbell Chiara Moore Gemini Boudrie Author: Bryce Campbell Bryce Campbell is a senior at Arizona State pursuing a degree in business and a minor in sustainability. Outside of GreenLight, he is a Renewable Energy Intern for Seaside Sustainability, focusing on analyzing state programs concerning the transition to cleaner energy. He enjoys finding ways to leave an impact on his local community and likes to play guitar and cook in his free time. What better way to start off the new year than by diverting tons of waste from the landfill? For the 2023 Mesa Marathon, GreenLight Solutions partnered with Brooskee and the City of Mesa to divert as much waste as possible from the landfill through our Green Events Services. We are proud to announce that we diverted 6,380 pounds—over 3 tons of recycled materials from the landfill. Sustainability by the Numbers:
So how did we achieve these results? Volunteers for this event consisted of only 14 passionate GreenLight supporters spanning across our organization. Our committed team of volunteers, which we call the ‘Green Team,’ were responsible for:
The 3 tons of waste The Green Team diverted from the landfill is equivalent to carbon sequestration by 11 acres of U.S. forests each year! Efforts like our Waste Diversion Services are essential for reducing carbon emissions. Not only were we able to divert recyclables, food, clothing, and linens from the landfill, but we were also able to curate and cultivate relationships with volunteers in the GreenLight community. As a nonprofit organization, we are driven by our volunteers and community support. We look forward to future green event opportunities as we develop and influence social impact within our organization.
Our Partners: Brooksee: Brooksee led the operations for the Mesa Marathon. Brooksee is an endurance event management company that puts on the REVEL Race Series, the Portland Marathon, and now the Mesa Marathon. They are respected in the endurance events space and pride themselves on putting on events that participants will remember and want to share with their friends and family. Streets of Joy: As part of our commitment to the community, we partnered with Streets of Joy for clothing and food donations from the marathon. The donated food from the marathon will go to families and individuals supported by Streets of Joy. The Streets of Joy vision is to assist individuals in overcoming incarceration, addiction, exploitation, and homelessness. They provide individuals with comprehensive support services, which will enable them to return to independent living and obtain employment. City of Mesa: We partnered with the City of Mesa to provide recycling services and bins for the marathon. The City of Mesa offers a variety of recycling programs and services in hopes of minimizing the amount of waste that enters the landfill. The Green Team: Ashley Weisman Gemini Boudrie Alec Gonsch Alen Jakupovic Bryce Campbell Carissa Fowler Dan Boudrie Grace Reiter Isabella Constante Jane Hill Jay Boudrie Joe Boudrie Justin Weisman Matthew Koester Author: Carissa Fowler  ONWRDS is a technology startup that focuses on optimizing supply chains. They plan to release numerous simple and effective technologies that will help suppliers address inefficiencies in their shipping and transportation. ONWRDS came to GreenLight Solutions because they are passionate about sustainability, and wanted to integrate sustainable practices into their business model. ONWRDS wanted to minimize their own and their clients’ impacts on climate change with carbon sequestration. More specifically, ONWRDS was interested in utilizing algae because it has the potential to sequester significant amounts of carbon dioxide at a relatively fast rate. While these features of algae technology are impressive, algae aren’t currently accessible to the average consumer in a convenient form. As a result,, ONWRDS intended to create an at-home algae bioreactor. ONWRDS wanted GreenLight Solutions’ to determine the carbon capture potential of an at-home algae bioreactor, and whether this type of device can count as a carbon offset.  Our team’s first objective was to calculate how much carbon could be captured from the bioreactor. We met with Dr. Bruce Rittmann, ASU professor and director at the Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology. Due to time constraints, we were not able to physically test the device; however, we obtained formulas from Dr. Rittmann and calculated the approximate carbon capture potential of the device. The bioreactor was found to sequester roughly 1.9 grams of carbon per day, a figure too low to make a significant impact. Knowing this, our team researched additional solutions for ONWRDS. Our second objective was to explore 4 carbon capture alternatives. Preliminary research focused on large-scale algae farms, typically upward of 3,000 acres, which capture a considerable amount of carbon. Although this option is capable of selling carbon offsets it is expensive and not accessible to the average consumer. Our other focus was on houseplants, an option that is more affordable but not capable of sequestering significant amounts of carbon. We discovered that peace lilies, prayer plants, snake plants, and ficuses were the most effective. However, they capture less than 1 gram of carbon per day. Furthermore, we researched the prospects of composting food waste instead of sending it to the landfill. In a landfill, food breaks down anaerobically, releasing methane as a byproduct, which is up to 80 times as potent as carbon dioxide. Composting, on the other hand, breaks down food aerobically and turns waste into products similar to soil or fertilizer. Although composting can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is difficult to measure and cannot be counted as a carbon offset. The last alternative we researched was forestry, an option that uses the power of trees to capture vast amounts of carbon. This option was viable for carbon offsets, but because of its scale, was not accessible to the average consumer. With this research, the team created a cost-benefit matrix that compares each technology based on a set of qualitative metrics. Red signifies low scores, and green signifies high scores.  Based on our team’s research, we recommend that ONWRDS diversifies its carbon capture portfolio. A diversified portfolio will allow the company to reach each of its goals. If the company intends to officially offset its emissions, we recommend forestry. However, we recognize that carbon offsets through forestry are not accessible to most consumers. Therefore, to fulfill ONWRDS’ vision of spreading awareness about carbon emissions and algae technology, they should utilize a more accessible option (i.e., the at-home device). However, the at-home algae bioreactor is small-scale, and does not sequester a substantial amount of carbon. The device itself cannot be considered an offset and should not be marketed as such. On the other hand, the at-home device can educate consumers about algae sequestration technology and help inform consumers more aware of their carbon footprint. With this reminder of carbon technology in their home, consumers can make conscious decisions to improve their carbon footprint through behavioral changes (e.g., fossil-fuel-free transportation, meatless diet, and reduced energy usage).
Written By: Bryce Campbell｜Madison Harris Bryce Campbell is a senior at Arizona State pursuing a degree in business and a minor in sustainability. Outside of GreenLight, he is a Renewable Energy Intern for Seaside Sustainability, focusing on analyzing state programs concerning the transition to cleaner energy. He enjoys finding ways to leave an impact on his local community and likes to play guitar and cook in his free time. Madison Harris is a senior at Arizona State University, studying business with a focus on sustainability and a minor in urban planning. This semester, she was a project lead at GreenLight for the ONWRDS project. Additionally, she conducts research as a Barrett Honors College Fellow at the ASU Grimm Lab, where she works to optimize public participation in planning sustainable futures. In general, she’s very interested in sustainable cities and how public-private sector collaboration can promote a more sustainable future for people and the planet.  Overview and Purpose We envisioned the development of a model to transform plastic bottle caps into useful products to tackle plastic pollution and support underserved communities. We hoped to find opportunities to recycle plastic by 3D printing and create valuable products. The project aimed to increase the accessibility of recycling a protocycler, a machine that transforms plastic waste into valuable 3D printer filament, which can be used to create products that are helpful for those in need. Our team supported Arizonans for Children by creating 3D-printed toy cars for kids in foster care.  Our Project Partner Our project partner was Tyler Eglen, Associate Project Manager at Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Services. He also has his own 3D print lab on the ASU Polytechnic campus.  Our Project's "Why" Our project uses a circular economy, which means turning waste into valuable products, therefore all materials are used and there is no waste. We had to troubleshoot to assess creative ways to recycle plastic using a protocycler since it is hard to recycle in the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). We also wanted to provide support for local communities in need by using 3D printing. We collaborated with Arizonans for Children, an organization working with children in foster care in Arizona. They needed more toy cars for their children to play with. Our project supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal #12 because it ensures sustainable consumption and production. More specifically, it supports target 12.5 i.e., by 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse. Our Strategy Step 1: Establish a partnership with a nonprofit organization Step 2: Research product designs for 3D printer Step 3: Confirm printed product design Step 4: Research Protocycler Step 5: Troubleshoot Protocycler Step 6: Create 3D-printed products Since Arizonans for Children was in need of toy cars, we researched different car designs before landing on one that we felt provided the most function and could be easily mass-produced. Then, we spent 50 hours troubleshooting the protocycler and 3D printer and created a How-To guide for both machines. Finally, we 3D printed 32 toy cars and distributed them to the organization's facility. Our Objectives and KPI's Objective 1: Partner with a nonprofit organization. KPI: Reach out to 12 different organizations; 3 per person Objective 2: Print and distribute chosen project design. KPI: 30 total cars Objective 3: Become sufficient using the Protocycler. KPI: 50 hours total; 12.5 hours per person  Troubleshooting
Results
 In the Fall of 2022, Greenlight Solutions started their journey with Envision You (Victory Over Violence) to help survivors thrive, find sustainability, and move forward by organizing a Night of Miracles fundraising gala, “Survivors Finding Their Way Forward” at the Mesa Convention Centre on April 29th, 2023.
The gala will include dinner, special guests, a silent auction, awards, and fun with Westwood Mesa High School to honor the partnership of the voucher box program for all household items we have for survivors. We partnered with Kimberly Miner, the CEO of Envision You. Through personal experience, Kimberly knows how challenging it can be to get back on one’s feet after unforeseen domestic circumstances. For the past 25 years, she’s been paving the way for other women and individuals in the community to access the resources they need to do just that. She helps people claim their lives and self-confidence, and move forward with an empowered purpose. We were honored to work with her. Our mission was to support event outreach, event greening, and content creation efforts for their April fundraising event. Envision You wanted to incorporate sustainability into its event, increase attendance, and create video testimonies. Our partnership targets UN Sustainable Development Goal #5, Gender Equality because we are empowering women as they transition out of violent relationships. We began by splitting our project into three phases or objectives. Objective 1 was event outreach. Our goal was for each team member to connect with 10 contacts per week. We reached out to local businesses and organizations for sponsorship and donation matches. Our focus was to connect with the best businesses, organizations, and people. Consequently, we compiled lists of local enterprises that related to Envision You’s mission. By using the power of the web, LinkedIn, a list of contacts (from Kimberly), and previous event donors we were able to easily surpass our goal. Thus far, we have made initial contact with hundreds of individuals and numerous organizations. This step took the most time and collaboration, as we created and revised the list of contacts. Objective 2 aimed to make the event sustainable. Luckily, GreenLight Solutions can make just about anything green! We agreed on four focus areas for the event that could incorporate sustainability: A Culture of Sustainability (Sustainability Communications / Education), Waste Diversion, Transportation, and a Green Menu. The major goals covered by this focus area are: ·Encouraging the use of already durable materials (ex. stickers for reusable water bottles, etc.) ·Establishing waste partnerships & supplies as needed. ·Recruiting & training bin guarders ·Providing bin signage for the bins caterer ·Using sustainable decorations ·Encouraging/rewarding attendees for carpooling/using public transportation (promoting sustainable Transportation) ·Choosing the most sustainable menu options Our final objective was to develop virtual content to show how Envision You’s mission contributes to sustainability by empowering affected women and those supporting them to develop their sense of self-confidence, self-worth, and self-esteem. The goal was to create video testimonials to show during the event itself, one for the start of the event, the middle, and the end. Kimberly introduced us to survivors who had gone through the Envision You program and seen its impact on their lives. We provided them with a curated list of questions to understand Envision You’s impact. We are currently in the process of interviewing and recording them. This semester showed us the power of planning, coordination, and follow-up. Seeing these moving parts come together is one of the miracles that we hope attendees will feel while attending the gala. We look forward to coming together as a community to support survivors and Envision You’s mission to empower them. Written By: Harshit Tyagi|Collins Carrington |
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