BACKGROUND Waste Less Living, Inc. was conceived out of the notion that more can be done to divert waste from our landfills than just practicing the 3 R's: reduce, reuse, recycle. Up to two-thirds (2/3) of the waste we generate at home is compostable made up of primarily food waste and paper goods, including the wax coated cartons used for food packaging. Composting is a major but absent component to this formula. However, the everyday compostables, including now the trendy compostable tableware, are inadvertently being disposed of either in the regular trash or more commonly in the recycling bin with the thinking that it will breakdown in the landfill because it is "biodegradable." Once in the recycling bin, the compostable items gets sorted out and eventually tossed in with the regular trash to be hauled away to the nearest landfill. Once inside the landfill, regardless of whether or not the item is biodegradable or compostable, little, if any, breakdown occurs within a landfill due to its anaerobic conditions, in other words, little oxygen and water. Landfills require expansive amounts of land and water, are energy intensive from the 24-hour operation of heavy equipment, are a significant source of green-house-gases, are a significant contributor to water quality contamination and are expensive to construct and maintain. Filling our landfills with compostable products takes up valuable space that is truly needed for those other inorganic waste items. It is envisioned that whenever foam or plastic disposables and food packaging are to be used, compostable products would be the preferred alternative. Choosing compostables made of renewable resources (i.e., sugar, corn, wheat, rice, bamboo, sustainably harvested trees or PCW paper) also reduces our reliance on petroleum which is the raw material used in the manufacturing of plastic. The use and proper disposal of compostable products can go a long way towards combating global warming, deforestation, water quality degradation, air quality degradation, and other environmental ills. ABOUT US Christine Lenches-Hinkel is the founder and owner of Waste Less Living. She has a Master of Science in Forestry with an emphasis on International Resource Conservation from the University of Montana and has worked as an Environmental Planner for over 7 years. She has provided environmental consulting services to various firms both locally and in the Orange County area. Her most recent assignment involved assisting in the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report for the expansion of a landfill. As a mother of two, she combined her passion for the environment and for her children to come up with Waste Less Living - a vehicle to educate and inspire others on the concept of sustainability and environmental responsibility. In addition to her professional experience, Ms. Lenches-Hinkel has been active in the community volunteering her time with a local environmental youth development organization, Outward Bound Adventures (OBA, Inc.). She has acted as a counselor and leader for their annual High Sierra Backpacking Trips leading groups of youth on week-long camping experiences in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. She also spearheaded a mentorship program while employed at URS Corporation in Santa Ana to provide these same youth with some exposure to possible career opportunities within the environmental field. Ms. Lenches-Hinkel's main objective for Waste Less Living is to provide an easy, convenient and fun way to reduce one's impact on the environment. She is committed to bringing her environmental expertise and problem solving skills to the home, schools, churches and office in an attempt to respond to our escalating environmental crisis. AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS Waste Less Living, Inc. was one of five recipients to receive the Outstanding Recycler Award for 2009 from the City of Pasadena. Waste Less Living was specifically honored for its educational outreach efforts at inspiring environmental strewardship demonstrated by the successful implementation of a campus-wide compost waste management program at a local independent school in Pasadena. With the assistance of Waste Less Living, High Point Academy school has been able to achieve a 77% waste diversion rate. Waste Less Living, Inc. was also the recipient of the 2008-2009 Award of Recognition of Excellence in Environmental Stewardship from the San Gabriel members of the Los Angeles Regional Agency. LARA was formed by the California Integrated Waste Management Board to assist its member cities exceed the 50% waste diversion mandates established by Assembly Bill 939. Waste Less Living was also integral to the helping the Sierra Madre Community Nursery School achieve its award as well.