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WASTED!

Panel discusses food waste at Wednesday forum in Marquette

An audience of around 50 people at the Ore Dock Brewing Co. listen as Sarah Monte, Marquette Food Co-op outreach director, introduces a panel of service employees that are well versed in handling food waste at the local level. (Journal photo by Jaymie Depew)

MARQUETTE — In honor of Earth Day, the Marquette Food Co-op hosted a public screening Wednesday evening of the documentary “Wasted! The Story of Food Waste,” a film that aims to change the way people buy, cook, recycle and eat food, followed by a panel discussion at the Ore Dock Brewing Company in Marquette.

The panel was led by the Marquette Food Co-op and consisted of Andrea Pernsteiner, co-founder of the Ore Dock; Nathan Mileski, executive chef at Northern Michigan University; Anna Ballerine, Partridge Creek Farm manager; Aaren Joki, Partridge Creek’s vermicompost site manager; Brad Austin, director of Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority; Ken Ohman, North Country Disposal & Septic area manager; and Laurie Schmit, executive director of Marquette’s St. Vincent de Paul.

Tables were set up throughout the brewery’s upstairs community room, providing information on what organizations and businesses are doing to address food waste issues at the local level.

Velodrome Coffee Company served coffee and Simply Superior Catering & Events/NMU Dining offered samples of food items, such as beef tongue and beef heart tacos. Other participants included NMU Food Recovery Network, MQT Growth and Taste The Local Difference.

During the panel discussion, Pernsteiner said around 75,000 gallons of water was diverted from going down the drain as part of the Ore Dock’s process to conserve over the year.

Mileski noted changes he and staff have taken at NMU to reduce food waste.

“We feed anywhere from 8,000 to 9,000 meals a day on campus,” he said, adding that the main goal is to “feed people, feed the animals and really reduce what’s going in the landfill” through conserving and composting.

Around 300 families are registered at the Marquette St. Vincent de Paul food pantry, according to Schmit. The food pantry is partnered with several organizations that donate food and other items. Schmit said the new Meijer in Marquette Township recently contacted St. Vincent de Paul about donating items once it’s open as well.

“We welcome anyone to donate at any time,” she said. “We get different things throughout the year, depending on the season.”

Ballerine and Joki, both of Partridge Creek Farm, talked about the importance of composting.

“We have started out in Ishpeming with a Farm-to-School program in the Ishpeming High School. That is kind of where our compost program started and is still continuing from last year,” Ballerine said.

Joki said it’s especially important for parents to teach their kids how to compost and “not waste food.” He said he’s been reaching out to students, talking to them during lunch about food waste, and that it’s difficult to get the message through at times.

Ohman, of North Country Disposal & Septic, said he has spent a lot of time reviewing systems in different areas and believes Marquette “has hit a home run” when it comes to organizations working together to battle food waste. However, he also noted how contamination is the biggest hurdle in regard to composting and recycling and that people should thoroughly rinse out their recycling.

“The options are endless as far as contamination goes,” he said. “It does start with each individual. It starts with rinsing out your containers and getting them into the right area.”

Austin said the Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority is looking at construction of a materials management facility which would allow residents to drop off their recycling, including items like batteries and mattresses.

“Every community has and has to have what I refer to as recycling or recovering champions. In order for things to work and for outreach to be effective, I think we’ve got to bring all these pieces together,” Austin said. “However, these things take time (but) we’re getting there.”

After the discussion, people were allowed to ask the panel questions. Austin was asked how the community could help the county move along with the recycling center he mentioned.

Austin said the next part of the journey is to explain the value of why the county needs to do it and figure how to fund the project. He told people to keep their eyes and ears open to see what MCSWMA might be presenting in the future.

“If it comes to a millage, get to the polls in November,” he said.

Jaymie Depew can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 206.

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