Closing the Food Waste Loop

06-11-2019

Thank You! Thank you!

Wow! I’m so amazed by the support so far. In less than a week we are %25 there!

The campaign exposure has helped with some great networking and is helping add new customers.

Thanks so much for helping us close the nutrient loop!

Jen

29-11-2019

Thank You for Supporting our Composting Community!

THANK YOU all for for supporting, sharing and/or joining our Composting Community over the last couple weeks!!

We are just about ½ way to our fundraising goal!!

It has been a busy few weeks working on the campaign, continuing weekly food scrap pick-ups, and growing our business one bucket at a time.

Exposure from the campaign is not only helping raise money for the infrastructure to grow but has been adding new customers each week!

This week, we;

• built up the sides of our trailer so that it will be able to hold more five gallon buckets, as well as larger rolling bins
• got 30 more buckets for our residential pickup service
• ordered a new hanging scale that will help us track all the food scraps that our community it diverting from the landfill
• welcomed 6 new members to the Willow Tree community!

Thanks to your support, and my little helpers, we are geared up to take on more residential and commercial customers, close the nutrient loop and build healthy soil for our community!

PLEASE check out the SUNRRISE FARM campaign page. Their on-farm compost system will take in food waste and transform it into compost to be incorporated into the farm’s soil so they can grow more vegetables to nourish the community.

There are still lots of great rewards on both campaign pages and we will be adding some new ones over the next few weeks. Check it out!

Bonus– If you donate to both campaigns (any amount) you are entered into a raffle for a $300 gift card to the Skinny Pancake

Thank you so much for supporting us and please keep spreading the word!

12-12-2019

Guest Letter from Farm to Plate Network VT

Hi everyone,

Sarah here from the Vermont Farm to Plate Network, a statewide initiative to strengthen Vermont’s food system, increase access to local food, and help farms and other food system businesses provide environmental benefit to the state. I want to thank you all for your amazing support so far and let you know what it means to us on a statewide level.

Vermont needs more local composting options! Our state is a trailblazer in keeping food out of the landfill. Even better, we’re fundamentally shifting the way we view food scraps, from treating them as “waste” that needs to be managed to recognizing them as a valuable resource. But fulfilling this vision requires increasing composting capacity with innovative models. We’re particularly excited about on-farm composting because it returns these valuable nutrients to our soil to grow more local food, and local collection services are a key piece of the puzzle to make this possible.

The Farm to Plate Network is so excited to support Willow Tree Community Composting and Sunrise Farm as they “close the loop” locally. Not only will your contributions allow them to serve more households directly, but their partnership and the systems they create will be a model for other small businesses. The F2P Network is committed to sharing their story, and the story of the community support that makes it possible, to spark similar solutions in communities around the state.

At this time of year when Americans generate three times more food waste than normal, and as 2020’s landfill ban rapidly approaches, please consider donating to these campaigns. If you can’t donate, or already have, please help us spread the word!

Thanks again, to Jen, Chuck, and everyone working to support them, and we’re so excited to see what grows in Hartford.

• Sarah Danly, Farm to Plate Network Manager

28-12-2019

Almost done!

Hello Community!

Thanks again for your support! Willow Tree Community Compost is growing and reaching more families and business in our community diverting more food scraps from heading to the landfill.

Since purchasing a hanging scale three weeks ago, we have been able to weigh our haul each week. In just 3 weeks we have composted 576lbs of food scraps, to add to our estimated 4,000lbs since May!

We have one more day of our campaign and would love to reach %75 percent funded!! There are still lots of hats, earring and bags, along with many other to rewards to be earned.

Please keep sharing or grab a reward if you missed them the first time around. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

23-01-2020

THank you all! Campaign wrap-up!

Hello ALL!!!

THANK YOU all so much for donating to the Willow Tree crowdfunding campaign. It means so much to have your support while working toward growing this business. I appreciate you!!

Combined with the Sunrise Farm campaign we had 98 individual supporters from 10 different states. Our friends and family, Willow Tree members, community composters, Sunrise Farm CSA members and upper valley residents donated a total of $8,635 to support closing the food waste loop in our community!!

Since the campaign began, Willow Tree Community Compost has nearly doubled its residential customers and added 2 more restaurants. With the funds raised, we have built a frame on the trailer, updated our website to accept payment (check it out- www.willowtreecompost.com), sent out two neighborhood mailings, purchased 60 five gallon buckets, a hanging scale, and lots more stickers!

The next few months will be an exciting time of growth and learning. We will keep you posted on our progress!!