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Yarmouth, MA - CARE (Creating A Responsible Environment) for the Cape & Islands, Center for Coastal Studies, and Cape Cod Anti-Litter Coalition will host their next summit at the 204 Cultural Arts Municipal Building, Harwich, on November 9th from 8:30 am – 2:00 pm and extends an invitation to the community to attend this solutions focused event. Deadline for registration is November 7th and the cost is $30 including lunch. This year’s summit theme is focused on a three-year project, “Cape Cod Coalition to Aid Tourism Business Shift to Sustainable Serviceware,” to be led by CARE for the Cape & Islands in partnership with WHOI Sea Grant. The project is being funded through a NOAA grant. Building on CARE’s well-established network of community and municipal partnerships, the project will build an action-based coalition of businesses, chambers of commerce, local governments, NGOs, educational entities, Mashpee Wampanoag representatives, and others to expand the use of sustainable alternatives to single use food and serviceware. It will include exploring the potential for a reusable serviceware program to transition businesses away from single-use plastics to more environmentally-friendly containers and serviceware products. The annual summit, celebrating its 5th anniversary, will present a variety of speakers bringing together local, county, and state officials, businesses and nonprofits, all of whom have a shared goal to protect our environment. A panel of local “Success Stories,” facilitated by Katy Acheson, Cape Cod Canal Chamber, will highlight three organizations that are making strides to reduce the use of single-use plastic serviceware that is harmful to marine life and their habitats. Jill Talladay, CARE Executive Director, explains: “understanding the challenges and impacts of the products businesses use will help attendees determine where they can contribute to solutions.” The Eddy School, located in Brewster, has begun a pilot waste reduction program that uses reusable serviceware and food waste composting. Mac’s Seafood, with multiple restaurants and seafood markets in the Outer Cape, will discuss what they’ve learned over the years after testing a variety of products, sharing both challenges and successes. Island Eats MV has implemented a successful reusable takeout container business on Martha’s Vineyard that can be replicated on Cape Cod. Another session will present a variety of resources including commercial composting options, funding sources and evaluation tools that will aid in transitioning to more eco-friendly options. Presenters include Black Earth Composting, ReThink Disposable and MA DEP. Attendees are invited to participate in a networking lunch that will build upon existing partnerships to form a coalition to work together toward solutions. A silent auction of local products and experiences will be offered that will support the group’s work. Representatives from the business community, environmental nonprofits, town health agents, DPW, town committees and chambers of commerce are encouraged to attend. To register: https://takecarecapecod.org/events ABOUT CARE FOR THE CAPE & ISLANDS CARE for the Cape & Islands’ mission is to inspire stewardship to preserve and protect the natural environment, cultural and historical treasures of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Since 2012, CARE has ? Activated 4,200+ volunteer hours (delivering $100k of value to the community) to clean up and improve community infrastructure. ? Funded 60+ projects, including water filling stations, cigarette butt collectors, historical trail development and other amenities that benefit all of us. ? Spearheaded the Take Care Cape Cod campaign and bi-annual summits that have brought together more than 70 like-minded organizations to educate, inspire and boost our collective impact and to address challenges of solid waste and plastic pollution that impacts our land and marine environments. ABOUT TAKE CARE CAPE COD Take Care is a messaging campaign that originated in Lake Tahoe and was introduced in 2019 to Cape Cod by CARE for the Cape & Islands. The messages are simple, eye-catching and humorous to encourage stewardship. For example, messages encourage proper disposal of dog waste, cigarette butts and general litter. Earlier this summer it introduced the three ARRR’s campaign using a friendly pirate that asks people to Reduce Reuse Recycle in order to reduce waste. Learn more at https://careforthecapeandislands.org/ and https://takecarecapecod.org/