Community Relations RFP
Compost recycling has been an important part of agriculture for literally centuries. The proposed
High Desert Compost Recycling Facility will benefit the local community in a number of ways:
 It saves water. Compost acts like a sponge when spread on crops. It retains the water and
allows farmers to use less water to irrigate their crops. Compost recycling is a valuable
tool that will help the Inland Empire in its effort to develop a sustainable water
management program that ensures adequate water resources for a growing economy.
 It saves money. Local residents could pay up to 50% more to truck this recyclable
material to a landfill for disposal. Recycled compost is also an economic boon to local
farmers as it provides more robust cops and saves costly water.
 It provides farmers with a valuable resource. Recycled compost provides the key
nutrients that crops and plants need to survive and thrive. Farmers that use Nursery
Products' recycled compost report more robust crops in addition to the added benefit of
water conservation.
 It Sustains the Earth for a Better Tomorrow. Compost recycling is simply good
environmental stewardship. There is no scientific evidence that recycled compost is
dangerous. In fact, it is sold by the bag in the garden section of such home improvement
stores as Lowe's and The Home Depot. Compost is safer for the environment than
chemical fertilizers.
 It's the law. State law says that communities must recycle 50% of all its waste, and that
percentage could go up soon. While most people will recycle paper, bottles and cans if it
is convenient to do so, few people realize that biosolid recycling is another key
component in a community's recycling portfolio.
Nursery Products LLC soon will open a compost facility in the Desert of San Bernardino
County. The compost facility will recycle green waste (yard trimmings, landscapers by-products,
wood waste, etc.) and biosolids. The County of San Bernardino has just released its Draft
Environmental Impact Report (DEIR); a scientific study that shows that Nursery Products’
proposed compost recycling project is safe for public health. Additionally, impacts such as
traffic, water quality, flies, odor and endangered species were all analyzed and deemed to have
either "no impact" or a "less than significant impact" on the environment. As a result, the County
of San Bernardino gave the High Desert Compost Recycling Facility the green light to open.
During the past two years, as the company completed all the needed due-diligence work, it was
prohibited from conducting a public relations campaign. As a result, the proposed site received
negative press in the local High Desert media, which Nursery Products LLC was prohibited from
speaking out against. Needless to say, public opinion is negative. Residents in the towns of
Hinkley and Barstow hate the recycling facility because they think "human waste" will harm
their towns (despite all the scientific data that says otherwise). This hostile audience also might
be due to the fact that the recycling facility’s location is eight miles from the town made famous
by the PG&E fight with activist Erin Brockovich, (which later became a popular movie). Public
trust is low.
On a positive note, the company has supporters from environmental groups that want more
recycling facilities. The farming community supports the facility because it provides the farmers
with high-end compost to grow their crops. The County supports its recycling efforts because it
will help them significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in their County.
Realizing that it needs community support, the company would like to launch a comprehensive
12-month community relations program to try and “win over” the residents. A budget range of
$20,000-$30,000 (including staff time and deliverables) has been established. Nursery Products
LLC will accept bids from local student agencies to create a winning community relations plan.
Proposals will include comprehensive goals and objectives, identification and research of target
audiences and issues, specific strategies to achieve these goals, and detailed tactical plans for
implementation that include both a budget and timeline. Thorough evaluation of this campaign
also is essential.
The contract (up to an “A” grade and a $100 cash prize) will be awarded to the student firm that
demonstrates the clearest understanding of the complex issues involved and devises an inspiring,
effective campaign that reaches the target audience and ultimately influences perceptions about
the High Desert Compost Recycling Facility.
Brockovich comes to Hinkley's assistance again
Chromium 6 activist to help with fight against Nursery Products
By AARON AUPPERLEE Staff Writer
Erin Brockovich does not want to smell someone else’s waste. She bets Hinkley does not want to
either.
The famed consumer advocate, who helped Hinkley resid e n t s f i g h t Pacific Gas & Electric
Co. in the 1990s, has decided to join Hinkley’s latest battle against a proposed Nursery Products
c o m p o s t i n g site.
“I’ve had requests,” she said. “I’m willing to help out in any way that I can.”
Brockovich has already arranged buses to bring concerned Hinkley and area residents to
Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting in San Bernardino. At the meeting, the board will
consider an appeal made by concerned environmental groups and Hinkley residents after the
county Planning Commission approved a conditional-use permit for the Nursery Products facility
on November 30.
A targeted community
Nursery Products wants to build a bio-waste and green material composting facility on 160 acres
about eight miles away from the town of Hinkley. The facility would compost human waste and
other materials into a sludge used for fertilizer. The company began looking for another
composting site after citizens of Adelanto, complaining of the stink and flies, ran them out last
year. Nursery Products first looked at Newberry Springs, but citizens there blocked efforts. They
later decided on the site near Hinkley.
“There’s a perception that Hinkley is a little desert community who doesn’t care,” Brockovich
said. “It is a community that truly does care.”
Brockovich said she will attend the Board of Supervisors meeting and might speak on
Hinkley’s behalf.
“If it happened in Adelanto, it will happen in Hinkley. Why would we subject them to this?”
she asked. “I hope the elected officials hear what they have to say. If you can prevent a disaster,
why not do it?”
In case the board denies the appeal on Tuesday, Brockovich has already talked to lawyers
about pursuing the issue in court under the California Environmental Quality Act. Although
difficult to litigate, lawyers have told Brockovich they think this is a great environmental quality
case, she said.
PG&E and Brockovich
Brockovich first became involved with Hinkley in the early 1990s. While working as a file clerk
at the law firm of Masry and Vititoe, Brockovich helped prove that PG&E had exposed residents
of Hinkley to toxic Chromium 6. PG&E attempted to cover up the Chromium 6 contamination
by downplaying its danger.
According to her Web site, Brockovich’s research on the matter established that Chromium 6
exposure had compromised the health of many Hinkley residents. It led to a direct action lawsuit
against PG&E and a settlement of $333 million in damages to more than 600 Hinkley residents.
The case and the resulting 2000 movie, “Erin Brockovich,” starring Julia Roberts, made
Brockovich a consumer advocate superstar.
Appealing to science
Nursery Products is not concerned about Brockovich joining Hinkley’s crusade. Brian Lochrie,
a spokesperson for Nursery Products, said there still is a lot of misinformation about the project
and the product.
“I don’t think her being involved changes the science,” Lochrie said. “I think if she is informed
about the project, she’ll support it because the science says it’s a safe product.”
Lochrie and the rest of the Nursery Products team plan to make a similar presentation to the
Board of Supervisors as they did to the Planning Commission. Lochrie said they will use
scientific studies as well as the county’s own Environmental Impact Report to show that the
project and product is safe.
Brockovich, however, will not be convinced by science alone. She said the composting facility
will not only stink but also contain virus and bacteria, posing a health risk to Hinkley residents.
People have sewage systems for a reason, Brockovich said, and this site is like taking a step
backward.
“I understand that science has a place in this world ... but this is about public health and
safety,” she said. “I don’t need science to tell me when I have a pile of crap in my backyard.”
Still a community response
Local activist Norman Diaz is thrilled to have Brockovich on board. He said the town of Hinkley
and Brockovich have a legacy together after fighting PG&E. The town of Hinkley welcomes her
help, he said.
“The timing could not have been better for us,” he said. “She’s a strong advocate who can get
us the media attention we’ve not been able to get.”
Within days of Brockovich agreeing to help, Diaz said other environmental groups, politicians
and media outlets started showing interest. He believes she will be able to find Hinkley a good
quality environmental attorney, and she will help raise the funds needed to pay the legal costs.
Although happy to have the support of Brockovich, Diaz still sees the fight as a community
effort.
“Just having Erin speak will not be enough,” he said. “We need to have the whole community.”
Brockovich agrees. She said with the PG&E issue, the residents of Hinkley stood united and
accomplished a lot.
“I didn’t save them; they saved themselves,” she said. “None of this happens with one person,
one lone ranger on a horse. It takes a community.”