More than 200 volunteers are needed Aug. 16-18 to help reduce landfill waste at the 2024 Ethnic Enrichment Festival in Swope Park.
Last year, a small but mighty volunteer team came together with the goal of simply collecting as much compostable waste as possible, but by the end of the festival managed to collect 2.5 tons of food waste! Those scraps have since been turned into nutrient-rich compost, which is currently helping grow a variety of vegetables at a volunteer’s farm! It’s incredible to think that without the help of volunteers, all that food waste would have ended up in the landfill.
KC Parks Ambassadors hope to make an even greater impact at this year’s festival by hosting three zero waste stations where volunteers will help festival attendees sort their compostables, recyclables, and landfill items into appropriate bins. The goal is to help propel the festival closer to its goal of becoming a zero waste festival in the future.
How you can help
Volunteer individually or as a team for one or more shifts. Assignments include:
- Station sorters – Help festival goers sort their waste into appropriate bins at the zero waste tents.
- Roamers – Collect/sort salvageable waste from festival tables and from smaller waste bins located throughout the festival grounds.
- Greeters/educators – Help inform attendees at the entrance gates about the new zero waste stations.
- Haulers – Haul compostables from the zero waste tents to the compost dump trailer. Help with set up and break down.
Shifts are three hours each. At the end of each shift, all volunteers will receive a food voucher redeemable at any of the food vendor booths. Volunteers can sign up for one or multiple shifts on these dates:
- Friday, Aug. 16: 5-8 p.m. and 8-11 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday, Aug 17-18: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; 2-5 p.m.; 5-8 p.m.; 8-11 p.m.
Volunteers will arrive 30 minutes early for training. Cheat sheets will be provided to help everyone appropriately sort waste.
If you or your team would like to volunteer, please contact KC Parks volunteer coordinator Sara Becker at [email protected]. We would LOVE to have you help make this the greenest Ethnic Enrichment Festival yet!
