The Grazing Mind

Earlier this week, in celebration of Earth Day, Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, in partnership with WhiteWave Foods, Waste Management of Colorado, and the Carton Council announced that food and beverage cartons are now recyclable as a part of the Denver Public Works’ residential recycling program, Denver Recycles. That means that nearly all household containers used by Denver residents are recyclable!

When we first heard about this opportunity, we knew we needed to be involved.  As a local food company that packages most of its products in cartons, this was a natural fit for us. It’s an opportunity to help ensure Denver residents can recycle food and beverage cartons, including: milk (dairy, soy and almond); juice; single-serve juice and milk boxes; cream; egg whites and egg substitutes; soup and broth; protein drinks; eggnog, wine, tofu; and ice cream and frozen yogurt.

In 2008, only 18 percent of U.S. households had access to carton recycling programs. Today, thanks in part to the Carton Council, this number has doubled to nearly 36%. Denver is now the largest city in the Rocky Mountain region to recycle cartons, and is part of a national movement of major cities across the country to expand residential recycling programs to include cartons.

The recycled carton paper fibers are a valuable resource for making new products and consist of some of the highest quality fiber among recyclable products. Consequently, cartons have global demand and are shipped to paper mills, where the paper fiber is extracted to make new products like paper towels, tissue, and even building materials.

At WhiteWave, our Mission is to be the Earth’s favorite food company, so we’re looking forward to working with the City of Denver, Waste Management and the Carton Council to raise awareness about carton recycling and hopefully increase the number of Denver households that are doing it.

Denver residents who want to learn more can connect with Denver Recycles on Facebook or Twitter, or through their website (you can also simply call 3-1-1). Click here to find out if carton recycling is available in your local community.

This weekend the Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) descends upon Boulder featuring 50 really cool independent films.  What does WhiteWave have to do with the BIFF exactly?  Not a whole lot, except we like supporting our local community and interesting events like this one, and we think you should put it on your calendars.

Now in its 8^th year, BIFF has been voted “one of the coolest film festivals in the world” by MovieMaker magazine, an opinion we second. Opening night begins on the 16th at 6 p.m. with a Red Carpet Gala and screening of Darling Companion, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. Darling Companion tells the story of the bond between a woman and her dog, who she loves more than her husband. Director Lawrence Kasdan and producer Anthony Bregman will be in attendance for a Q&A session after the screening, which is one of the great things about BIFF.  Let’s face it – you don’t exactly get to ask directors, stars and producers questions about the film you’ve just seen when you go to the local megaplex.

If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, how about this – BIFF will also feature “A Conversation with William H. Macy” on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7:15 p.m. as well as the Colorado premiere of acclaimed new film Chasing Ice on Sunday, Feb. 19. Chasing Ice was one of the hottest tickets at this January’s Sundance Film Festival and it’s the movie that I’m most excited about seeing at BIFF. Produced in Boulder by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jerry Aronson and producer Paula DuPré Pesmen, the film follows famed National Geographic photographer James Balog as he deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras throughout the Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.

BIFF tickets are sale now and can be purchased at www.biff1.com, or by calling (303) 786-7030.