Food, Beverage & Organics
The Next Generation of Waste Reduction
Five students have left their mark at UNI’s Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC) this summer, working across various internal and community-based projects. Paige German, Kendall Lienmann, Makayla Gasper, Eliana Hornbuckle, and Haley Christoffer may be from different universities, but they now have something in common: they all built a better Iowa through their work for the IWRC.
Cultivating Change: Community Gardens and Farmers Market Donation Project Wrap Up
The summer is always a busy time for the Iowa Waste Reduction Center’s (IWRC) Food, Beverage & Organics program. This summer was no different. July and August in Iowa marks the height of the farmers market and community garden season so Program Manager, Jennifer Trent, and Environmental Specialist, Jason Clay loaded the car and set forth to visit three Iowa communities, Manchester, Iowa Falls, and Shenandoah to assist them with implementing both food donation and composting strategies as part of the USDA funded Community Gardens and Farmers Market Compost and Donation project.
Iowa Waste Reduction Center and Iowa State University's Brewing Science Lab Join Forces for Sustainable Brewing Solutions
For over five years, the mission of the Iowa Waste Reduction Center’s (IWRC) Iowa Green Brewery Certification (IGBC) program at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) has been to assist breweries in, and recognize them for, implementing practices and strategies that minimize their overall environmental impact. As of today, over 30 breweries in Iowa have been awarded a level of certification by the IWRC, but the latest brewery they have worked with isn’t really a brewery at all, it’s Iowa State University (ISU).
Two Iowa Green Brewery Certified Breweries walk away with prestigious 2023 World Beer Cup Award
Nashville, TN was the place to be on May 7-10, 2023 for the Craft Brewer's Conference & Brew Expo America. This conference is America's largest Craft Brewing industry gathering and was filled with networking, tours, seminars, book-signings, tastings, nightly events, and more! The conference culminated with the Brewers Association World Beer Cup Awards Ceremony. This year’s World Beer Cup competition saw 10,213 entries from 2,376 breweries representing 51 countries. At the conclusion of the awards ceremony, a total of 307 awards were presented.
PRESS RELEASE: NoCoast Beer Co. Achieves Iowa Green Brewery Platinum Certification
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - We are excited to congratulate NoCoast Beer Co., out of Oskaloosa, IA, on achieving the Iowa Green Brewery Certification's Platinum award. NoCoast Beer Co. surpassed their bronze-level certification by furthering their environmental efforts and will be awarded the certification by the IGBC program on July 1, 2022 at 1:00 pm.
Mapping of Rural Iowa Food Deserts
IWRC Environmental Intern, Jordan Burrows, mapped rural Iowa food deserts with the goal of sharing findings with stakeholders who can assist food desert communities.
PRESS RELEASE: Iowa Composting Council Seeks Board Nominations
Nominations are currently being accepted for a seat on the Board of Directors for the Iowa Composting Council (IACC), a state chapter of the US Composting Council. Our membership focuses on public, commercial, and agricultural sectors of the industry.
Two Iowa Green Brewery Certified Breweries won prestigious 2022 World Beer Cup Award
May 2-5, 2022 marked the return of the Craft Brewer's Conference & Brew Expo America. This conference is America's largest Craft Brewing industry gathering and was held in Minneapolis, MN.
PRESS RELEASE: Iowa Waste Reduction Center Contributes to Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2023 Farm Bill Report
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC) staff, Joe Bolick, Director, Jennifer Trent, Program Manager, and University of Northern Iowa’s (UNI) Andrew Morse, Chief of Staff, are acknowledged for the input and feedback they contributed to the, “Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2023 Farm Bill” report released by Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) in collaboration with ReFED, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) and World Wildlife Fund.