Food, Beverage & Organics

IWRC Environmental Specialist Jason Clay and Program Manager Jenny Trent lead a hands-on workshop in small compost site manamgement

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. 

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IWRC and ISU share tent at the 2023 Iowa Craft Brew Fest in Des Moines Iowa

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).

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Craft Brewer's Conference & Brew Expo America 2023

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.

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IWRC Director Joe Bolick awards NoCoast Beer Co their Platinum Certification

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.

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Rural Iowa landscape shown at dusk.

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.

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women's hands filled with food scraps above a dirt pile

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.

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Noreen Otto and Jennifer Trent

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.

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Capital building sits below blue, cloudy sky.

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.

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