Organizing For ZW In Our Communities

GRRN ZW Action ConferencePortia M. Sinnott

July 30, 2011

My Communities

Sonoma County, CA and Lake County, CABay Area, California, EPA Region 9, USNorth America and EUNorth/Developed, South/Less DevelopedThe Earth

Parent, Live in Cohousing Activist, VoterFor Profit, Business OwnerNon-profit, Environmental Activist …

The Zero Waste Brain TrustThe Zero Brain Trust is an informal coalition

of resource management professionals and other parties committed to the transition to a world without waste.

Starting in California, we are creating a world-wide collaborative network that supports the development of systems that work well for all stakeholders.

Who Is The Brain Trust?Core Team - varies by project and eventAdvisory BoardYou: The folks that step up to participate in one

way or another including the:

Document Review TeamBlog: http://zwbraintrust.wordpress.com/Elist: zwbraintrust@googlegroups.com

ZWBT Advisory Board Organizations listed for reference only.Annette Puskarich, SoGo VenturesArthur Robinson Boone, Total Recycling AssociatesGary Liss, Gary Liss and Associates John Moore, Henn, Etzel and Moore, Inc. Kevin Drew & Donald Oliveira, City of San FranciscoLinda Christopher, GrassRoots Recycling NetworkMary Lou Van Deventer & Dan Knapp, PhD., Urban OrePortia M. Sinnott, MS+and ZW Sonoma CountyRichard Anthony, R Anthony Associates /ZW San DiegoRuth Abbe, HDR Engineering, Inc.Skip Lacaze, City of San JoseStephanie Barger, Earth Resource FoundationTania Levy, City of BerkeleyTedd Ward, Del Norte Solid Waste Management AuthorityTeresa Bradley, Revolutionary Green SolutionsTim Dewey-Mattia, Napa Recycling and Waste Services

2010 - 2011 SponsorsCity and County of San FranciscoNorthern California Recycling AssociationGlobal Recycling Council, California

Resource Recovery AssociationZero Waste Sonoma CountyGrass Roots Recycling Network

Assisted by a research grant from the Altamont Educational Advisory Board

ZWBT Related ProjectsThe Zero Waste Brain Trust Summer 2010 Series

Networking, Three ZW Contracting Brainstorms, Stakeholder Roundtable, Website and Best Practices - very well received by over 103 participants.

NCRA Zero Waste Best Practices Survey: Global Best Practices Research, Outreach and Focus Groups – 2010 and 2011.

EPA Region 9 Zero Waste Franchise eGuide: Targeted ZW Contracting Research and Outreach, Case Studies, Prioritization, Decision Tree, Contract Language and eGuide.

Survey: NCRA Zero Waste Best Practices SurveyFunded by NCRA and a grant from the Altamont

Educational Advisory Board (EAB), now collecting municipal zero waste contracting information and document links from around the world:

• Game changing ideas• Strategic tweeks to existing systems• Links to municipal zero waste pages • Document links – goal statements, resolutions, policies,

ordinances, strategic plans, work plans, etc

More at: www.zwbraintrust.wordpress.com

Survey: Results To Date

WEB RESEARCH - EMAIL CONFIRMATION REQUESTED

60+ North American municipalities working toward zero waste:

X % - Good intentions, not much progress

X % - Progress but slow

X% - Really moving forward

X % - Websites mention “zero waste”

X % - Contracts mention “zero waste”

X % - Contracts maximize diversion and zero waste concepts regardless of the wording

X% -

e-Guide: EPA Region 9 ZW Franchise e-Guide ProjectMembers of the ZWBT Team, working under the umbrella of HDR

Engineering and Micro Services Plus, are creating an on-line EPA eGuide to help local governments develop service provider agreements that support Zero Waste goals and policies. The 75+ e-Guide will include:

• Public Private Partnerships(10)• Best Contracting Practices (25) • Sample Language and Templates• Document links – goal statements, resolutions, policies,

ordinances, strategic plans, work plans, etc

More at: www.zwbraintrust.wordpress.com

Rates• How established, structured, adjusted• Billing: (e.g., who bills – hauler or city)• Bad debt (e.g., who assumes; disposition [lien process?])

ZW System Design Optimization

PARKING LOT!!!

ZWIA DefinitionZero Waste is an ethical, economical, efficient and visionary

goal that guides people to emulate sustainable natural cycles in which all discarded materials become resources for others.  Zero Waste means:

Designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of materials and waste.

Conserving and recovering all resources - not burning or burying.

Eliminating all discharges to land, water or air, as they are a threat to our planet and human, animal and plant health.

ZWIA – Zero Waste International Alliance, www.zwia.org

Transition Zero Waste. . .Landfilling reduced by 90%.

Health and safety issues addressed.

Costs minimized.

Service providers and workers paid fairly

Jurisdictions overseeing process - but no longer managing programs.

Transition Zero Waste. . .Residuals sorted into discrete material types utilized

as resources that stimulate jobs and economic development.

Much of the value, usefulness and embodied energy conserved.

Many consumer goods redesigned – for reuse, repair, remanufacture and ultimately composted or recycled.

A strong, healthy marketplace evolving in which zero waste is a top priority in all new products.