Member Spotlight: Patriciafaye Marshall
What is your name?
Patriciafaye Marshall
Where do you work and what do you do?
I'm a retired 71 year old special ed. teacher. Early in 2014 a handful of us launched Zero Waste McMinnville. Our mission is to make McMinnville the first city in Oregon to reach Zero Waste by 2024. We define Zero Waste as diverting upwards to 90% of our solid waste stream away from landfills and incinerators. Over 100 community members have now volunteered with us. We received a couple of grants including $5,000 from the city. We've created a Sustaining Circle Program in which members contribute recurring amounts for our day-to-day operations. We work closely with The Downtown Association to help all the public events be Zero Waste.
We're currently using Linfield College Interns to perform solid waste audits for 12 local businesses. Working with the city in a campaign we're calling "Bag it Better" the one-time use disposable plastic bag will no longer be used as of Earth Day, this year. We're involved with Recology in starting composting programs all over town- including the hospital- which is huge. Also we'll work with the Yamhill County Fair to make it a Zero Waste event this summer. I personally serve as Vice-Chair and Fundraising head.
Tell us how you embrace recycling/sustainability in your home or workplace?
It's one of my top priorities. I've reduced my monthly trash to a kitchen trash-can full. I try very hard not to buy things in packaging that cannot be recycled. I buy organic and local, grass-fed, wild-caught, humanely raised with no hormones/antibiotics.
What motivates you to recycle and live sustainably?
I got it about global warming/climate change about a decade ago when I participated in a symposium called "Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream (Pachamama Alliance). After crying for a week I got myself trained to facilitate the symposium and began to change my lifestyle. I have 3 young grandsons. I reckon they'll be asking me one of these two questions: "What were you doing when our planet was being destroyed? or " How hard was it to return our planet to a sustainable state?........and I'm so glad you did!"
If you were an animal, which one would you be and why?
a cat perhaps..........I love their independent spirit and how much they love to sleep!
How did you learn about AOR?
Fred Stemmler