The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are paving the way for sustainability with a groundbreaking food waste reduction project. Spearheaded by the Department of Natural Resources, the "$172,000 federal boost" from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is setting the stage for the "Nixyáawii, Don't Throw it Away!" campaign that aims to reshape how the community views and handles food waste, OPB reported.
Partially funded with a grant quantified at $172,521, the tribe plans to kick off its efforts this spring to reduce its ecological footprint. A small biodigester will be employed to convert organic material into useful methane and fertilizer, tackling food waste that would otherwise contribute to atmospheric methane. The project will focus mostly on the Mission area of the reservation, with educational initiatives to accompany the technological push, according to a Northeast Oregon Now publication.
The reservation's Nixyáawii Longhouse and community garden will benefit from the biodigester's output, turning ceremonial feast leftovers into resources rather than landfill fodder. "Those first foods will continue to be treated with respect because they're gonna turn into compost and come back into the land. They're not gonna get stuck in a landfill," Althea Huesties-Wolf, the First Foods policy program manager, emphasized in her statement, as OPB outlined.
Under the guidance of climate adaptation planner, Colleen Sanders, and in partnership with Biowaste Technologies led by DeArcie Abraham, the endeavor seeks to "make a tangible difference in the CTUIR community through environmental health and safety." Abraham said. The anaerobic digester will begin its waste capturing around the Mission Community Center, sparking a potential paradigm shift, and celebrating reclamation and reuse. "We're hoping by the end of this project that they will cut that ugly spot off that carrot and say 'I am so excited for the future that this ugly spot on this carrot can have,'" Sanders said.
This initiative emerges as Oregon strives to meet the ambitious targets set forth by a 2020 executive order, aiming to cut the state's food waste in half by 2030. With a strategic approach that combines technological advancement and community education, the "Nixyáawii, Don't Throw it Away!" campaign could serve as a blueprint for wider implementation, potentially revolutionizing waste management practices beyond the bounds of the Umatilla reservation.
