In this episode, we chat with Dan Kurzrock, the CEO of Regrained, a company that is working hard to find sustainable solutions for food waste and packaging waste. If you’ve been frustrated with the non-recyclable and non-compostable food packaging winding up in your garbage, this is the episode for you.

Dan Kurzrock is the co-founder and Chief Grain Officer of ReGrained. Dan founded ReGrained out of his hobby for homebrewing beer, where he first discovered that “spent” grain could be given a delicious second life. He is now obsessed with the impact edible upcycling and closing nutrient loops can have on our food system. As Chief Grain Officer, Dan is “Mr. Outside” for ReGrained, handling all elements of growing the business. Dan holds an Economics degree from UCLA and an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School.

• Why finding a sustainable food packaging solution is so complex
• How compostable food packaging works
• The issues we may not realize with compostable food packaging
• What innovative solutions are being worked on right now
• How consumers can get more involved in the fight for sustainable food packaging

• Regrained
• OSC2 Packaging Collaborative
• Elk Packaging

After taking the time to share what we learned in 2018, I figured we should also share what we have planned for 2019 at Green Willow Homestead, from farming to living sustainably. I’m a firm believer in setting big goals every year (like publishing a book!!). So without further ado, here’s what we have up our sleeves for the next year…

It is incredibly frustrating to be shopping for your favorite products, from food to clothing, and find that the packaging is non-recyclable.

This happens to me all the time, and I see it more and more as I learn about the recyclability of certain plastics. A company may be non-GMO, organic, fair-trade, etc. and yet their product comes shipped or wrapped in plastic wrap, packing peanuts, or other single-use plastics, all of which has to go right in the garbage. Groan!

I've taken this frustration and decided to reframe it. Instead of phasing out that product, I asked myself: why not send a friendly email to customer service and ask if they would consider more earth-friendly packaging options - either fully recyclable or compostable?
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Then I thought, why not get a bunch of other earth-lovers on board? Then we all could send in an email on the same day and together we could put gentle pressure on the companies we love to do better. 

That's what #PackagingForThePlanet is all about. Woo!

The way #PackagingForThePlanet works is:

1. Officially join the movement by opting in below.
2. You'll get an email from me saying hello! Be sure to look for it and add me to your contacts otherwise you won't get future emails.
3. Twice a month, on the 15th and the 30th, you will get an email from me with all the info you need to contact the elected company, including their email address and an email you can copy/paste to send them. 
4. ​You can then use the hashtag #PackagingForThePlanet on Instagram and Facebook and tag the elected company. Feel free to post in your feed or on your stories to engage with them on the certain products you love that have non-recyclable packaging.
5. *BONUS:* Anytime you run into non-recyclable or non-compostable packaging, hop on social medial and simply use the hashtag #PackagingForThePlanet, tag the company, and ask if they are considering better packaging options in the future. Remember to be friendly and open - you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. 

I love this because it requires only a few minutes of your time twice a month and together we have the potential to make a massive change for our planet. 

​My hope is that by putting well-meaning pressure on our favorite companies, we can nudge them to explore, and ultimately choose, better packaging products that are either universally recyclable (including #2 plastic, cardboard, paper, glass, and metal) or are fully compostable (sourced non-GMO).

​When companies are receptive and open, we will ask them to take a #PackagingPledge that simply states they understand that earth friendly packaging is important and they are working towards solutions. Packaging is a complicated issue and change doesn't happen overnight, knowing this, we will check in with the company every six months to see how progress is going.

In the face of climate change, it's heartbreaking that our government is not taking action and making necessary changes. I've stopped counting on them and realized we have other options - ones that act faster and are much more willing to change. Let's look to the companies we love and ourselves to be the solution.

Are you ready to make some sustainable waves in the name of our planet in 2019?