DOGWOOD ALLIANCE TAKES ON PACKAGING PROBLEM
In late March, the Asheville-based environmental nonprofit Dogwood Alliance released a report on packaging in the fast food industry and publicly announced its new campaign for fast food packaging reform. Dogwood will publicly target Yum! Brands (the parent company of companies like KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut), McDonald’s and more in the fast food industry to convince them to hold their packaging supplier, International Paper, to a high environmental standard or find alternative, more environmentally progressive paper suppliers. Dogwood estimates that 300 pounds of packaging waste are generated each year for each person in the United States, and that fast food packaging alone makes up 20 percent of all litter. To get involved in Dogwood’s new initiative, join their letter-writing and email campaigns to the CEOs of YUM! Brands and McDonald’s. For more information, visit them on the Web at www.dogwoodalliance.org.

ASHEVILLE CITY MARKET ARRIVES
Asheville’s new farmers’ market is here. The Asheville City Market, held in downtown Asheville at the Public Works building (161 S. Charlotte Street), opened on Saturday, April 19th. Look for the Market to continue as a weekly event on Saturday mornings from 8 am-1 pm. Vendors will offer produce, cheese, eggs and meats, along with handcrafted gifts and baked goods, and all items are homegrown or homemade. “This new market will give Asheville a thriving new destination for locals and visitors alike, while offering another sales outlet to help some of our region’s thousands of area farms to make a living,” says Peter Marks, program director for Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP). According to Sam Powers, economic development director for the City, “The City Market has been a strategic goal of City Council to help support local agriculture and crafters, and the City is very excited about the growth of this project into a regional destination that will be another reason people love Asheville.” For more information, visit ASAP’s website at www.asapconnections.org.

COFFEE SHOP OPENS AND GOES SOLAR
The corner of Broadway and College Streets in downtown Asheville is now home to the Green Sage, a coffeehouse and restaurant offering a menu filled with fair trade and organic teas and coffees, as well as breakfast and lunch items. But, it’s not just the menu that skyrockets the Sage’s sustainable status. On the rooftop, you’ll find solar panels, which heat the water for the coffee shop.

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