Thank you to the KC Parks Ambassadors who volunteered in the extreme heat at the Ethnic Enrichment Festival in Swope Park, August 18-20. As a result of their efforts, the 2023 event was the most environmentally-friendly in the festival’s 44-year history.
Over three days, volunteers sorted and hauled hundreds of buckets of food scraps and waste to compost barrels, which were then transported to a local farm free of charge for compost. Collectively, their hard work diverted 5,002 pounds (2.5 tons) of food waste from the landfill, and demonstrated the enormous need for composting at future festivals.
Not only were vendors and festival staff incredibly grateful for the service provided, one festival manager even said the composting project was the biggest “win” of the festival, and said they would like to continue the partnership with KC Parks Ambassadors every year.
Volunteers picking up litter also did an outstanding job. The festival manager said the festival grounds were the cleanest in history when the festival closed on Friday (the busiest night).
This was the first year Parks Ambassadors were involved during the festival, and they did an amazing job. Despite the extreme heat and physical demands of the project, everyone stayed positive, focused, and worked harmoniously together the entire weekend.
As a pilot project; anything collected was going to be a win. In total, volunteers served 240 hours sorting and hauling food scraps and waste throughout the festival. The volunteer service (not including transport to farm) is valued at $7,632. Long-term environmental impact = priceless.
Composting volunteers:
Matt DeCapo
Jacob Chapman
Brett Creason
Carrie Luce
David Bennett
Eric Davis
Eun-Li Deem
Heather Luce
Hilary Noonan
Jared Williams
Jenny Fenton
Justin Knysz
Kade Castleberry
Maria Landoni
Mary Mason
Mike Hemphill
Molly Baker
Olivia English
Robin Wall
Royce Weaver
Tracy Flowers
Maddie Amend
Litter volunteers:
Coyla Lockhart
Dayna Barlow
Jenny Fenton
Deborah Tyson
Kenneth Tyson
Renee Miller
Robin Wall
Vicki Johnson
Parks Staff:
Sara Becker
Kelly Turner
More information about volunteering with KC Parks>>