The Oyster Dish: CRCL's Oyster Shell Recycling Program Quarterly Report, Quarter 1, 2023

July - September 2022

FY23 - Quarter 1

Once you shuck 'em, don't just chuck 'em!

The Oyster Dish: The OSRP Quarterly Report

New Restaurants Joining OSRP:

Miss River at the Four Seasons

Welcome!

Our Team

Darrah Bach

Fiona Lightbody

OSRP Coordinator darrah.bach@crcl.org

OSRP Technician fiona.lightbody@crcl.org

Restaurant onboarding and special events

Quarterly reports, shift meetings and volunteer events

James Karst Director of Communications james.karst@crcl.org Media inquiries

Sofia Giordano

Hendrik Vanderwall

Coastal Adventures Coordinator sofia.giordano@crcl.org

Recycling Contractor 504-472-2080

Volunteer event coordination

Bin delivery and pickup

Please email oysters@crcl.org for other inquiries.

We need your help to defend our coast!

We need your vote today, tomorrow and every day through Nov. 6.

CRCL is a finalist for Land Rover’s annual Defender Service Awards.

The winning nonprofit will receive an SUV (and $25,000) to help further its mission. All you have to do to help us win is click here and select CRCL. You can vote once per day through the end of the contest.

Further details can be found at landroverusa.com

Program Reminders Please Mind Your Trash!

We have been noticing a lot of trash mixed in with the oyster shells. While we recognize that your restaurant is fast-paced and some trash in the oyster bins is inevitable, we would appreciate that if you would communicate to your staff the importance of recycling ONLY oyster, mussel, clam and scallop shells in the bins. Your shells will be returned to the water let's make sure trash does not go with them

Oysters not currently on the menu?

Please email us at oysters@crcl.org to pause your pickup schedule. Let us know when you want to resume!

We built our fifth reef with your shell!

During the last two weekends of September, we completed our fifth recycled oyster shell reef! This is our second reef in partnership with the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe. With more than 165 volunteers, we used 80 tons of shell to protect over 250 feet of coastal marsh.

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the Pointe-au-Chien community for partnering with us and allowing us to use their tribal center as a home base as we worked on the reef.

Our projects can't be done without our wonderful partners, including BASF, Colonial Pipeline, Fenstermaker, Henderson Hutter, Terrebonne Ford, Tulane and dedicated community members.

If you are interested in participating in volunteer events with your restaurant, please email oysters@crcl.org.

Click here to view photos from the event!

We recently added a plant nursery to our Restoration Headquarters in Violet. In our last report, you saw cypress seeds being planted by our Native Plants Program.

These baby trees are thriving and will soon be ready to be planted along our coast!

Restoration Activities Round out 2022 by volunteering with CRCL! October 21-22 – Plaquemines Mangrove Planting Buras (Plaquemines Parish – SELA) November 4 – Oyster Shell Recycling CRCL Restoration HQ (Violet, LA) November 18-19 – Rutherford Beach Dune Grass Planting Creole (Cameron Parish – SWLA) December 2 – Oyster Shell Recycling CRCL Restoration HQ (Violet, LA) December 9 – Oyster Shell Recycling CRCL Restoration HQ (Violet, LA) December 10 – Cypress Nursery Planting & Oyster Shell Recycling CRCL Restoration HQ (Violet, LA) December 16-17 – Oyster Shell Recycling CRCL Restoration HQ (Violet, LA)

Event information and registration can be found at CRCL.org

CRCL in the News!

Our most recent reef build got a lot of attention.

Your oyster shells are making a splash!

By Halle Parker, Coastal Desk Reporter for WWNO: A Louisiana tribe is losing cultural sites to coastal erosion. Oyster reefs could help.

Featured on Biz New Orleans: CRCL Builds Fifth Oyster Reef with Recycled Shells

Hear from OSRP Coordinator, Darrah, on site in Pointe-au-Chien: Recycling oyster shell to protect Louisiana's coast and create habitat for new oysters

Shell Collection by the Numbers

*Pickup was interrupted in September 2021 due to Hurricane Ida. Our numbers in 2022 are already looking much improved from 2021!

With your help, we have diverted over 10.8 million pounds of shell from landfills -- and there's still time left in 2022!

Want to learn more?

We invite you to register for Chefs on Boats: a Chefs Brigade educational program Provides food service workers and students with immersive tours of the Louisiana fisheries. Participants learn about the estuaries, seasons, life cycles of seafood, the history and evolution of commercial fishing and coastal restoration. The program is about connecting culinary ambassadors with the ever-changing coastal environment and how it impacts local availability.

All restaurant partners involved in the shell recycling program are encouraged to register their teams for the 5-hour expedition into the heart of the seafood industry.

Click here to register!

Promotional Materials

Window/ Register stickers Table-top Tents

Back-of-house Signage

The OSRP team will be visiting all our restaurant partners to pass out new promotional materials. We hope that you enjoy these guides intended to educate staff and patrons on the benefits of recycling oyster shells. We can help convice customers to eat more oysters at your restaurants!

Contact us at oysters@crcl.org to request more materials or provide feedback or ideas for new items.

Oyster Shell Public Drop-Offs

Public drop-off at The Green Project

Glass Half Full 3935 Louisa St. Mondays & Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Saturdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Green Project 2831 Marais St. Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Thank you for helping us restore the coast!

Made possible by our Restaurant Partners:

Support for the Oyster Shell Recycling Program provided by: