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Menlo church wins recycling award

St. Bedes Episcopal Church in Menlo Park won a BizSMART@Work Award this year for exemplary recycling and composting practices.

The award "recognizes businesses and multi-family complexes in the RethinkWaste service area (San Mateo County) for their recycling and composting efforts," said Monica Devincenzi, recycling outreach manager at RethinkWaste, in an email.

After the church hosted a speaker from Recology, the trash-collection company, church members decided to compost "aggressively" and increase recycling, said Jeanne Cooper, the youth and young adult coordinator. Then Carol Shedlock, the parish administrator, truly implemented the church's green program, according to Ms. Cooper.

Because the church serves as a school during the week, hosts many regular AA meetings, and holds two daily services as well as a variety of other evening events, many meals a day are eaten and papers used on its grounds. It therefore had the opportunity to "divert an enormous amount of material," helping it win the award and make its goal, said Ms. Cooper.

The church has set a goal to buy only compostable napkins and coffee cups, etc., and cut down on usage. Ms. Cooper says she promotes "finger foods" and other snacks that do not involve unnecessary waste.

— Allison Silverman