Whole Earth Festival 2009

One of the reusable dinnerware collection sites. All foods were served with reusable or compostable dinnerware.

The Event

The theme of the 40th annual Whole Earth Festival was Sustainalovability. The annual festival was held on May 8th through the 10th and was a great success.

A myriad of vendors setup shop along the quad and its surrounding areas. There was food, music, and performances throughout the weekend. Countless people strolled along the shops during the days, and attended shows and other events through the nights.

As this year's theme suggests, Whole Earth Festival is a Zero Waste event. All foods were served with reusable or compostable dinnerware, and all waste was sorted through with the help of many volunteers. The results of their hard efforts is an astounding 96% diversion rate.

To find out more information about the festival itself, please check out the Whole Earth Festival's Website.

The Numbers Diverted: Pre Consumer: 3806 lbs Post Consumer: 3204 lbs Cardboard: 658 lbs Plastic 3-7: 79 lbs Plastic 1-2: 243 lbs Mixed Metals:246 lbs Cans: 72 lbs Glass: 1050 lbs Re-usables: 42 lbs Paper: 7 lbs Landfilled: Trash: 295 lbs Styrofoam: 13 lbs Non-recyclable plastics: 86 lbs Total Diverted: 9410 lbs or 96% Total Landfilled: 395 lbs

Volunteers and staff sorting through waste at the sorting station.