Category: Bulletin Board

ReGen Monterey will be CLOSED on Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25 and New Year’s Day, Wednesday, January 1

ReGen Monterey and Salinas Valley Recycles’ Edible Food Recovery Grants are intended to expand and enhance edible food recovery programs at food rescue organizations and services operating within the Monterey County region to better accommodate state mandates and broaden community operations. This grant is designed to:

1. Help increase the capacity of local food rescue organizations and services operating within the County of Monterey.
2. Assist local food recovery organizations and services by funding the purchase of equipment, materials, and supplies that will increase the total pounds of edible food an organization or service is able to recover and distribute to those in need.
3. Improve our region’s ability to respond to and comply with SB 1383 mandates by increasing capacity, thereby allowing businesses to donate the maximum amount of
edible food that would otherwise be disposed of.
4. Ensure food safety as edible food recovery capacity and donations increase

The SB 1383 Edible Food Recovery Program – Grant Funding Opportunity, FY 24/25 intends to award a total of up to $90,000 to non-profit organizations, businesses, or public entities that collect, generate, and distribute food to those in need and charities within the County of Monterey. Applicants must operate within the service areas of Salinas Valley Recycles (SVR)* or Monterey Regional Waste Management District (ReGen Monterey)**. The award will strengthen current food rescue programs in order to better comply with California edible food waste recovery laws.

Organizations may request a minimum of $1,000 and a maximum of $25,000. We anticipate the average award to be between $5,000 and $10,000. s. Examples of
eligible expenses include shelving units, refrigeration units, freezer units, kitchen supplies, food preservation supplies, food recovery vehicles,, staffing/wages and volunteer stipends.

Learn more about the program’s eligibility requirements, grant timeline, submission details and more on our SB 1383 EFR Program Grant FY 24-25 Summary document or download and return the EFR Grant Application by October 31, 2024.

*The Salinas Valley Recycles service area includes: Gonzales, Greenfield, King City, Salinas, Soledad, and Eastern Unincorporated Monterey County.
**ReGen Monterey includes: Carmel-by-the-Sea, Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Seaside, Sand City, Pebble Beach Community Services District, and
Unincorporated Monterey County.

2024 Artists in Residence Exhibit May 2-18, 2024

CSU Monterey Bay Student-Artists
Melanie Mena and Michael Acevedo Present:
“Transmute: An Exploration on Duality and Reconstruction”

Melanie Mena and Michael Acevedo, Visual and Public Art (VPA) seniors at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), have been selected as the 2024 Artists in Residence (AIR) at ReGen Monterey. The AIR Program is a partnership between ReGen Monterey, CSUMB and Last Chance Mercantile. Since 2016, student artists from CSUMB are selected for a fellowship at ReGen Monterey. The artists scavenge for discarded materials at the Last Chance reuse store and ReGen Monterey’s Materials Recovery Facility, and upcycle them into art.

“Learning about ReGen Monterey has truly been eye opening to everything that goes on behind the scenes. This place is an entire system that works perfectly together in such a beautiful and intricate manner. I am extremely honored to have been chosen to work with this wonderful community and become part of this vast ecosystem,” said Mena. “I hope I can provide something of value through my work and artistic lens. My plan is to reuse materials to build canvases, frames, and push my paintings into a three-dimensional realm.”

Acevedo had a similar goal with his fellowship – to challenge himself and produce art using various artistic techniques: “My goal as an artist is to challenge myself and push past my creative limits to make pieces that go outside of my established comfort zone,” says Acevedo. A residency that required making art from salvaged materials provided ample opportunities for artistic experimentation. “Transmute” will include sculptures, tile triptychs and animation by Acevedo.

Visitors to Last Chance Mercantile have been able to observe Mena and Acevedo’s creative process and interact with the artists during store hours. The seasonal fellowship culminates with an art installation titled “Transmute: An Exploration on Duality and Reconstruction” from May 2-18, 2024, with a special reception and Q&A on Thursday, May 2 at 2 p.m., all at Last Chance Mercantile. The installation and reception are open to the public.

Both Melanie Mena and Michael Acevedo are local mixed-media artists from Salinas who decided to further their study of art at California State University, Monterey Bay. They will graduate with a B.A. in Visual and Public Art in May.

The Artist in Residence program’s goal is to inspire environmental stewardship, recycling and upcycling in the community through art. The artists and the public learn about sustainable material sourcing for art, home and community projects. The program provides a unique and professional platform for local students as they transition from student to professional artists.

Find Mena and Acevedo’s art portfolios and learn more about the program and previous artists in residence at regenmonterey.org/artist-in-residence/.

Last Chance Mercantile is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

¡Queremos sus restos de comida y recortes de jardín! No olvide recoger los restos de comida que no haya comido en casa y echarlos en el bote verde de orgánicos. Por favor, ¡no utilice bolsas de plástico, papel, compostables o biodegradables! Muchos de estos productos no se desintegran en el proceso de compostaje. El compostaje contaminado con químicos y trazas de estos materiales no puede ser utilizado en la agricultura orgánica certificada, especialmente en los cultivos en hilera como los de hoja verde y las fresas, que hacen famosa a la industria agrícola de nuestro condado. Con su ayuda, estamos creando una economía circular: sus restos de comida y recortes de jardín se convertirán en compostaje que ayudará a cultivar más alimentos localmente.

Our facilities will be CLOSED on Christmas Day, December 25, 2022 and New Years Day, January 1, 2023. Site will reopen on Monday, December 26 and Monday, January 2 at 7 a.m. Thank you for your understanding.

Happy Holidays from everyone at ReGen Monterey. We hope your holidays are filled with joy and laughter through the New Year.

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Nuestras facilidades estarán CERRADAS el día de Navidad, 25 de diciembre de 2022 y el día de Año Nuevo, 1 de enero de 2023. Las instalaciones volverán a abrir el lunes 26 de diciembre y el lunes 2 de enero a las 7 a.m. Gracias por su comprensión.

ReGen Monterey les desea a todos unas felices fiestas. Esperamos que sus vacaciones estén llenas de alegría y risas a lo largo del Año Nuevo.

ReGen Monterey facilities will close early at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 3 for an employee holiday gathering. We will reopen on Monday, December 5 at 7 a.m. Thank you for your understanding.

Take charge! Dispose of your lithium-ion batteries properly at a community battery recycling event! Join us on Saturday, November 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Monterey Peninsula College, Parking Lot A, the Salinas Sports Complex at 1034 North Main Street, and the Circuit Family Fitness at 115 Alder Street in Soledad.

All household products containing rechargeable lithium-ion batteries can be dropped off, including (but not limited to) laptops, phones, tablets, power tools, electric toothbrushes, vaping devices, TV remotes and wireless headphones and numerous other devices and appliances. Batteries do not need to be removed. Other types of e-waste and regular household batteries will not be accepted.

Why is this important? When these flammable materials are disposed of in landfills or go through our recycling plant, the risk of fire can be dangerous to our local environment and the safety of our workers. In addition, these rechargeable batteries contain minerals in limited supply. Instead of environmentally destructive mining, we can recover these scarce metals from non-working or not needed products. With your help, manufacturers can recycle them into new electric vehicle batteries, which are highly in demand. Let’s take charge and mine the junk drawers of Monterey County!

Thank you to our partners the Monterey Cannery Row Rotary Club, the Salinas Valley Passport Rotary Club, the Soledad Rotary Club, Redwood Materials, ReGen Monterey, and Salinas Valley Recycles. Please visit www.lithionrecycle.com for more information.