SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – San Luis Obispo (SLO) is going green. This lovely, walkable city is about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The city has made great strides in reducing waste and trying to become more energy efficient. To accomplish this, they are working with their rural partners.

Tom Gratz, of Hitachi Zosen, gave a group of five journalists from various parts of the country a tour of an anerobic digester. This plant is pulling 36,000 tons each year of organic waste that is being kept out of the local landfill. Working together with the local waste haulers, this system is not only reducing greenhouse gas emissions and carbon emissions but adding energy to the local energy grid. In his presentation, Gratz estimated that the energy realized from the local organic waste could provide renewable electricity for more than 600 homes.

Any material not used becomes compost material. This compost material offers a rich nutrient for farmers like winemaker Jean Pierre Wolff, of Wolff Vineyards. Wolff Vineyards was planted in 1976 with 55 acres of Chardonnay grapes. Today the vineyard includes 53 acres of Chardonnay, and 34 acres of Pinot Noir, along with 14 of Teroldego, Syrah, Petite Syrah and Resiling.

This year Wolff is planning to use 120 tons of the compost material to help fertilize his fields. To help in this sustainable circle, he also sends his organic winery waste to the anerobic digester for input.

Picking up organic waste from local households is a big contributor to the anerobic digester, but local restaurants are also part of the sustainable effort. Greg Holt, owner of Big Sky Café, said that Charles Meyers – the original owner of Big Sky – told him to buy from the locals. “I buy whatever the farmers have. It is easy. Thursday night they have a farmer’s market, I keep it simple I want to be as Hyper Local as possible. We are also as green as possible.”

Holt said that joining in this waste effort has not only been good for the environment but benefitted him economically as well by reducing his trash cost. “With the green waste program, we got on board. We are ahead of the game now that it is required. It has cut my trash bill in half, and we are doing something good and saving money, so it is a win/win. Now all the waste goes to the anaerobic digester. There is also free pick up for restaurants here in the county.”

Another place contributing to the sustainability effort is SLO Farmer’s Market.  The market is Thursday evenings, 6-9 p.m., on Higuera Street. Food vendors set up along with producers and vendors. The market started in 1983, and now it is world famous, bringing tourists as well as locals to the market. When the journalists were there, the students from Cal Poly were helping with waste efforts and to spread the word.

For more information on SLO, visit www.visitSLO.com.