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2024 Sustainability Highlights

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As we move into 2025, we want to pause and celebrate the sustainability milestones achieved throughout 2024. From expanding recycling efforts to rescuing resources and educating the next generation, these highlights reflect a year of meaningful progress and community collaboration.

Positions

  • Collected 16,829 pounds of shoes, which displaced 420,725 pounds of CO₂ and saved 7.01 million pounds of water.
  • Upcycled $146,115 worth of clothing materials to 97 local, 2 national, and 14 global projects through the We Sew Love initiative.
  • Served over 50 local farmers with food past human consumption for animals and compost.
  • Distributed $392,214.69 of in-kind resource support to individuals through our Give and Take Room.

Saving Resources from the Landfill

  • Collected 16,829 pounds of shoes, which displaced 420,725 pounds of CO2 and saved 7.01 million pounds of water
  • Upcycled $146,115 worth of clothing materials to 97 local, 2 national, and 14 global projects through the We Sew Love initiative
  • Served over 50 local farmers with food past human consumption for their animals and compost
  • Distributed $392,214.69 of in-kind resource support to individuals through our Give and Take Room

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

  • Partnered with Iron City Disposal and Rental to recycle cardboard, totaling over 53 tons saved from the landfill.
  • Recycled 3,200 empty aluminum cans.
  • Reused and recycled over 2,200 wooden pallets.
  • Purchased our first cardboard baler in August 2024 for FeedBHM Bessemer.
  • Received Grace Klein Construction’s donated automatic can crusher in June 2024.
  • Purchased and implemented four composting trash cans at four community properties to reduce household food waste.
  • Constructed an outdoor three-bin compost system at FeedBHM Bessemer, built out of repurposed wooden pallets.
Building the compost bin at Morgan out of recycled pallets with a UAB nurse serve team.
Conrad, a young volunteer, is posing with the new cardboard baler. Each bale is over 100 pounds!

Acres and Acres, Chelsea Community Home

  • Built a compost bin system in March
  • Completed first compost cycle, producing rich soil for the onsite community garden
  • Created a solar panel water pump in the summer of 2024 to water the garden with overage rainwater
  • Harvested ghost peppers and basil leaves from the community garden
  • Reseeded the bank of the creek with rye to reduce soil and bank erosion
  • Constructed refurbished wooden benches by Eagle Scouts
  • Started recycling on site in summer 2024

Community Events

  • Served as a sustainability partner at the Bham Food Plus festival on September 21st and 22nd, where we rescued 1,663 pounds of food, along with aluminum cans and cardboard
  • Educated vendors at Cahaba River Society’s Fish Fry Down on food waste and rescued 743 pounds of beverages, fresh catfish, and cornbread
  • Performed our first three wedding flower rescues, totaling over $30,000 of in-kind donations
  • Taught over 250 students about sustainability during our first four FeedBHM Bessemer field trips, discussing reuse, recycling, gardening, global impact, and student involvement

Community Outreach

  • Our Sustainability Liaison was invited to the Samford Sustainability Committee for Fall 2024 and accepted onto a Community Advisory Board for post-doctoral research at the University of Alabama, Birmingham
  • Started a food rescue for an extra credit initiative, adding 100 new food rescuers in two months
  • Hosted our first two sustainable Love Does flower arranging classes with community partners
  • Thanked all 2024 business partners with unique, handmade cardboard signs
  • Conducted our first lunch scrap social experiment with Samford University Cafeteria, measuring over 103 pounds of lunch scrap waste from one lunch period
  • Created four sustainability-focused short-form videos attracting over 16,000 views across Facebook and Instagram in six months
Grace Milligan with Jack, NCCC Americorp volunteer, leading the sustainability station at the first GKC field trip.

Photo Highlights

Two lovely Seniors from the Fairfield Senior Center during Grace Klein Community’s first Love Does flower arranging class.
Ben Trulove, office support, with Grace Milligan at the Cahaba Riverkeeper Career Fair in August
JoEllen with GKC kids dropping off thirteen 55-gallon bags of aluminum cans for our recycling initiative.
Claudine, a GKC Community Liaison, and Connor Morgan, Business Development Intern with Grace Milligan at Samford, are conducting a food waste social experiment.
Mia Moses, dedicated volunteer, and Grace Milligan, Sustainability Liaison, with Lauren Roth. After the biggest wedding of her career, Lauren donated the overage flowers to Grace Klein Community. We are so excited to have Laurel and Sage Florals as a business partner.

Looking Ahead to 2025

As we build on the momentum of 2024, our sustainability efforts continue to grow in 2025. From expanded recycling and composting initiatives to deeper community partnerships and education, we remain committed to stewarding resources well and creating lasting impact.

Explore our 2025 Sustainability initiatives here:
https://gracekleincommunity.com/sustainability/