While a student at the Clinton School of Public Service, Read Admire developed a plan for a social enterprise that would divert Central Arkansas residents’ food waste from local landfills and develop high-quality compost for commercial use and small local farmers.
Upon his graduation from the school in 2015, he made that vision a reality, forming The Urban Food Loop, which provides regular food scrap collection and composting services for homes, businesses, and special events.
After pickup, the food scraps are moved to one of the Urban Food Loop’s partner farms and processed into organic compost. The compost is then delivered back to the food scrap donors, sold locally, and donated to community gardens throughout the Little Rock and North Little Rock areas.
In 2020, Admire and The Urban Food Loop were named the Most Sustainable Small Business by the Sustain The Rock Awards, which recognizes businesses, nonprofits, individuals, and departments within the City of Little Rock who have made significant contributions to a more sustainable city.
The Clinton School Impact Minute is a recurring segment with Little Rock Public Radio, highlighting the Clinton School’s field service impact in Arkansas.
Since 2004, Clinton School students have completed more than 600 field service projects with nearly 300 organizations in Arkansas alone, creating immediate and long-term impact for businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies across the state.
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