2020 Going Green & Saving Green Luncheon

While sometimes climate and economic development goals can be viewed as adversarial, the Amherst Area Chamber seeks to rewrite that narrative revealing the ways business and sustainability goals can have an innate synergy, and specifically how adopting sustainable practices can benefit your bottom line.

 

That is why, in partnership with Hitchcock Center for the Environment, the Chamber presents the Going Green & Saving Green Luncheon featuring a panel of local experts and access to resources, tips, and tools to assist with the implementation of sustainable practices in your organization big or small.

 

12:00 Zero Waste Lunch

12:30 State of Sustainability

1:00 Panel Discussion and Q&A

1:45 Hitchcock Center Tour 

 

Panelists:

From left to right.  

• Mary-Moore Cathcart, Owner of marymoore DESIGN and Kitchen + Goods: Mary-Moore Cathcart grew up in Maine, and has lived in London, Chicago, Ithaca, Mississippi, and Western Massachusetts. She attended Hampshire College and Cornell University where she received undergraduate and graduate degrees in Ethnic Studies, Women?s Studies, and Africana Studies. She owns and operates two ?green? businesses? marymoore DESIGN: a residential design studio; and Kitchen + Goods: a zero waste shop ? both based in Amherst. She also teaches courses in Anti-Racism at the Smith College School of Social Work MSW program. Mary-Moore lives in Pelham, MA with her husband, gallerist Dean Brown, and their many, many pets. 
• Susan Waite, Waste Reduction Coordinator for the City of Northampton & Member of the Advisory Board for the Springfield Materials Recycling Facility (MRF): Raised by an ardent, frugal New Englander, Susan?s heart has always been found in the reuse realm. She cut her employment and management teeth at the Buffalo Exchange Limited, a pioneering retail used clothing chain, then ?wasted? time as a human resource professional in the high tech industry until she realized just how much she loved trash talk. She has been involved in the Commonwealth?s recycling efforts for 14 years and is currently the waste reduction coordinator for the City of Northampton, where she works with dozens of volunteers to power community activities such as material exchanges, repair cafes, special recycling collections, and a zero waste/zero cost swap shop. Susan has a Masters of Education in Adult Learning and Development from Cleveland State University, and is a member of the Springfield Materials Recycling Facility Advisory Board. She?s convinced that successful waste reduction is a collective, exciting, and challenging exercise in creativity.
• Aimee Francaes, General Manager/Owner of Belly of the Beast: Aimee Francaes loves creating warm, hospitable, playful spaces. Throughout Aimee?s career, she has found a love of pairing business management with her natural grace for hospitality. Aimee began working as Front-of-House Manager for Flour Bakery + Café in 2009. Two years later she became the Human Resources Director at Flour, overseeing more than 180 people at the start, which grew to over 350 people across multiple locations, including sister restaurant Myers + Chang. She could not be more thrilled to have the opportunity to serve the Happy Valley community alongside the love of her life, Jesse Hassinger.
• Jesse Hassinger, Chef de Cuisine/Owner of Belly of the Beast: Jesse Hassinger began working in professional kitchens in Boston at Coppa Enoteca. From there he went to focus on butchering whole animals at the Somerville butcher shop, M.F. Dulock Pasture-Raised Meats. Working with whole animals gave him a unique opportunity to utilize ?off-cuts? ? certain parts of the animal that would otherwise be thrown out. By creating Belly of the Beast, Jesse and Aimee are focused on continuing to honor the whole animal in this fashion. Jesse continued to work in Boston-area kitchens at Hungry Mother as well as its sister restaurant, State Park. In October 2015, he moved to Northampton to pursue the development of Belly of the Beast and took a position at Tart Baking Company as morning baker, bread-maker, and driving force behind the expansion of their donut program.
• Khrysti Smyth Barry, Customer Solutions Specialist, Center for EcoTechnology: Khrysti Smyth Barry is a Customer Solutions Specialist for the Center for EcoTechnology (CET), which administers the RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts program under contract for MassDEP. CET provides outreach, training and technical assistance to businesses, institutions and municipalities across Massachusetts to improve environmental performance. Prior to joining CET in 2018, Khrysti helped support sustainable food systems in the Boston area through work in sustainable food service and event operations, and with her own urban agriculture consulting business. Khrysti has a B.S. and M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from Texas A&M University and Saint Louis University, respectively, and brings her experience with systems operations to her work with CET.