San Francisco Green Business, VonChurch, Inc. is taking environmental education for staff to heart. VonChurch, Inc. is a Recruiting Firm working exclusively in the Digital Entertainment Industry. Fueled by the passion to create and play, their culture is an elusive balance of focus and imagination. On August 17th, their "Work Hard | Play Harder" mindset and wild imagination lead them to a bizarre and unexpected place... 

The San Francisco Recology Center. As a piece of their ongoing environmental initiative, a field trip seemed to be in order - to look the reality of San Francisco waste in the eye. San Francisco has got a solid handle on waste management, wasting far less than the national average and creating nutrient rich compost from rotting food and plant material for local farms and vineyards. VonChurch visited the facility to experience the truth behind what we toss out. The hope was for a little dirt and grime-filled, experiential learning to get staff to recycle, compost, and waste less in the office and to put a halt to bad waste practice and trashy behavior. 

The two-hour tour consisted of a workshop on recycling and sustainability, a trip to the Art Studio to meet the current Artist-in-Residence, a stop at the Household Hazard Waste Facility, an unforgettable visit to the Transfer Station, a walk through the Sculpture Garden, and an enlightening video detailing the Recycle Central at Pier 96.  

It was an eye-opening experience. Employee, Nate Rhodes, described the tour as being, "...really informative. I think it gave me a new perspective on how important it is to make an individual effort to compost, recycle, and to take the time to clean and deposit everything in its proper place. And the amount of effort it takes for (SF) Recology to operate for one day...fascinating stuff really". 

VonChurch employee, Lisa Newton, went on to explain, "the SF Recology Center is a very interesting place. One-of-a-kind, to say the least! It's home to one of the coolest art studios and gardens I have ever seen, while storing the smelliest and dirtiest trash I have ever been in contact with. Beyond the art exhibits, there are gorgeous falcons flying around, providing a humane form of seagull management. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would enjoy a dump as much as I enjoyed the SF Recology Center". VonChurch, Inc. would recommend the tour to a local business trying to educate and mobilize their staff to take action for the benefit of the environment. 

In January 2013, VonChurch will be undertaking an original program called, Project Zero, in which the collective staff will pledge to produce zero waste for the entire month.

VonChurch, Inc. is striving to work simpler and lighter on the planet; maintaining a compassionate, symbiotic relationship with the Earth is in their nature.