Striving for Zero Waste:

Earth Day 2008 will strive to be a Zero Waste event. Zero Waste is a new way of looking at our waste stream. Instead of seeing used materials as garbage in need of disposal, discards are seen as valuable resources. A pile of "trash" represents jobs, financial opportunity, and raw material for new products. Typical trash receptacles will not be available during the Earth Day event, in an effort to drastically minimize waste. Booth participants are requested to minimize handouts and implement other forms of waste reduction.

All food vendors will be using biodegradable take-out containers made of either paper or PLA, a high tech starch-based plastic. Food and biodegradable waste will be collected and composted by Full Circle Compost in Minden, Nevada. The compost will return to Sierra Nevada College’s demonstration garden in Incline Village. Facts and figures on American waste will be placed throughout the Village. A contest will be held to guess how much waste is generated the day of the event.

For the first time ever, the North Lake Tahoe Truckee Earth Day will also strive to be a “Carbon Neutral” event. Truckee Climate Action Network will calculate all the emissions involved in the producing the event, from the organizers first planning meeting to attendees combined travel to and from the event, to electrical use during the event. Whatever can’t be reduced will be offset through the purchase of green tags.