Since diving into the deep end when it comes to energy issues, almost every day sees new fascinating concepts, approaches, and technologies. Fascinating … exciting … even hope inspiring at times. And, as well, as the passion builds, so many of these are truly Energy COOL. While most of these are technology, some are more about process and structuring along with philosophy … Boston’s CERO provides a microcosm example of a movement seems ready to sweep the nation …
CERO stands for “Cooperative Energy, Recycling & Organics”. It is part of a growing wave of cooperative enterprises — worker owners for a business that won’t have the issue of the CEO walking away with a salary 1000s of times greater than the average employee. And, it is a poster child example for what many have been touting for years: green jobs providing a form of environmental justice.
Very simply, the CERO team plan to target making good from some basic American wastefulness: there is one-half pound of organic waste for every restaurant meal (on average) across this country. A 2005 study put this at about 50,000,000 pounds of food waste … each and every day of the year.
As to CERO’s philosophy, the headline on the website:
CERO is all about creating good green jobs and supporting local business in a solid neighborhood economy.
Our bottom line – People, Planet and Prosperity!
CERO is a startup disposal and recycling business in the Boston area. Organized as a bi-lingual and multi-cultural worker-owned cooperative, the members are local people with experience in hauling and recycling, and the business will serve local restaurants with a source-separation disposal system that will include composting and waste vegetable oil collection, in addition to recycling and trash removal.
That 1/2 lb per meal of organic waste will go into composting, to provide rich soil for the food for future meals, rather than going into landfills.
“Cero” is the Spanish word for “Zero”, and the idea is to help local restaurants and other businesses to achieve a target of Zero Waste, while providing good jobs in communities that need them.
CERO targets cutting total waste from partner restaurants by 70% in its first year.
Just like too many home owners, CERO is caught in the challenge where there are $billions for Wall Street while $0s for Main Street.
In a deal with potential investors, CERO has made a deal to show that it can raise money from a broader public before the bigger funders come to the table. Thus, this IndieGoGo effort to raise a symbolic $15,000. Success here and there is confidence that the funding will come in with the capital to purchase trucks and equipment.
Consider sending some $s to help turn this dream into a real triple bottom line play.