Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lee Dalton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Lee thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Keeping plastic in any form out of landfill is a pillar of living sustainably. As a homeowner and an Executive Director of an environmental conservation organization, I found myself faced with the dilemma of adding a large amount of plastic debris to landfill from my summer landscaping project. My yard project was estimated to take 148 single-use plastic bags of mulch. I just couldn’t do it. I needed bulk mulch and finally found Green Box homes, a regenerative landscaping company in Tucker, GA, who was able to provide it, thus eliminating the need for pre-packaged, individual bags.

Through our conversation, Tres Crow, the owner of GreenBox, stated that this was one of the services he wanted to offer – bulk mulch, delivered in smaller quantities to all his clients, but he didn’t have a good solution for transporting it. Through our organization, Root Local, I was able to connect GreenBox to one of our partner organizations found on the Eco-Map for Metro Atlanta (EMMA). re:loom is another local organization that employs homeless and low-income individuals for remaking original products from upcycled materials.

Using one of the woven plastic stone transport bags that were destined for the landfill from the same landscaping project, re:loom was able to remake one large bag into two strong, reusable, mulch transport bags, specifically sized to carry the same amount of mulch found in one plastic bag at a big-box gardening center.
Tres was blown away! It was exactly what he needed to deliver less expensive, bulk-mulch when smaller quantities are needed, as opposed to buying the more expensive, pre-bagged option. He thought he was going to have to ‘invent’ a way to make this happen. He thought he would have to hire people who could sew, and buy materials, etc. But, after being introduced to re:loom, he realized he wouldn’t have to do any of that. re:loom was exactly what he was looking for.

This was so meaningful for me. I had not been at Root Local for very long, but was already seeing what making connections like this could do for individual businesses and organizations, as well as for our environment. Duplicating what already existed would have been expensive, inefficient, and unnecessary. By making this connection, I was able to live this collective impact solution. Root Local, GreenBox Homes, and re:loom made a collective impact on our environment by decreasing GreenBox Homes’ reliance on plastic bagged mulch, connecting a need to an existing solution, without duplicating efforts or depleting resources, and innovating a necessary component of landscaping to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

With the very first connection, 148 single-use plastic bags and 6 single-use, woven plastic stone bags were diverted from landfill. Once fully realized, this partnership will be responsible for diverting many plastic stone transport bags and more than 3,600 single-use plastic mulch bags from landfill each year. This was so very meaningful to me. It is exciting to think of the infinite connections, solutions, and possibilities that we can make that will have a positive impact on our planet.

Lee, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got back into non-profit work because the perfect opportunity came about at the perfect time. Circumstances have forced me to venture into more industries/fields/positions than the average human. It’s true. I Googled it. I’ve tackled retail, food service, health and human services nonprofits, banking, sports & entertainment, technology, photography, and now, environmental conservation nonprofit work, which is where my love truly lies. In my current role at the small, young, grassroots organization, Root Local, we are focused on helping Atlantans, both individuals and organizations, work together to be more sustainable. What sets us apart is that we are a new organization, not afraid to learn, take action, and cause positive movement in the sustainability space. Working with our partners and our network of supporters, that we call “pollinators” is achieving beautiful results.

I am very proud to be working on building out our Eco-Map of Metro Atlanta, or EMMA, which is a physical map of the city and surrounding area that is populated with eco-conscious businesses and organizations. We are currently at around 100 entries, but plan to grow that number exponentially this year! It is a must-have for anyone looking to embark upon a new sustainability journey or expand their current impact.
EMMA is the key resource for individuals who want to align their purchases with their values.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative person is that I get to look for interest in everything. I get to look at everything from the lens of a photographer or videographer, no matter if it is a beautiful flower or a pile of trash. I have the desire to expose beauty and ugliness with the same artistry behind each, with the purpose of moving someone to think, or to care. I find joy in so much that I want to share it with everyone. I also become enraged over so much in this world that harms us and nature. I want to share that, too. I want people who can’t see what I see, to not have a choice. Once seen, it cannot be unseen. And when they see what I am showing them, and it moves them in some way, that is my reward for doing what I do.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As I said before, so many circumstances have set me on different paths – different journeys, the fact that I have been able to successfully (for the most part, *wink*) navigate each speaks volumes to my resilience. I have come to realize that with each change, every success, or minor setback, I banked working knowledge and unique skills. Each deposit morphed me little by little into a fuller, more educated, enriched human. I have been able to be resilient because, in addition to trying to stay flexible and remain forever curious, I appreciate each and every experience as they have come, and gone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://groverhousephotography.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groverhouse.photography/
• Other: Root Local social media: https://www.instagram.com/rootlocal404/

Image Credits

Grover House Photography, Lee Dalton, photographer