CRRA Zero Waste Community Planning Class

Developed by the GrassRoots Recycling Network (GRRN)

This class is a followup to the Intro to Zero Waste class offered by CRRA, or for those who are currently actively working towards Zero Waste in their community. The topics that will be covered include:

The GrassRoots Recycling Network Four Keys to Zero Waste

1. New Rules & Economic Incentives 
2. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) & Local Producer Responsibility
3. Purchasing for Zero Waste
4. Financing & Transitioning to a Zero Waste Future

The Zero Waste International Alliance Global Principles for Zero Waste Communities:

1. Adopt the Zero Waste definition of the Zero Waste International Alliance:
2. Establish benchmarks and a timeline to meet goals for measuring success and monitoring accomplishments. 
3. Engage the whole community.
4. Demand decision makers manage resources not waste.
5. Use economic stimulus funds and fees levied on tons of waste hauled or landfilled to fund programs
6. Educate residents, businesses and visitors to achieve the cultural change needed to get to Zero Waste
7. Perform Zero Waste Assessments to find out the amount, type and value of materials being discarded in the community. 
8. Build Residual Separation and Research Facilities.
9. Develop New Rules and Incentives to move towards Zero Waste
10. Enact Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Rules.
11. Remove government subsidies for wasting
12. Support Zero Waste Procurement
13. Expand Zero Waste Infrastructure and get compostable organics out of landfills and back to the soil
14. Challenge Businesses to lead the way to Zero Waste.  Identify, recognize and promote Zero Waste Businesses locally and challenge others to follow.

Participants will also review sample Zero Waste Community plans and will discuss different approaches communities have taken to developing Zero Waste Plans.

The 4-hour workshop will include three components:

1. A 2-hour lecture with questions and answers.
2. A one-hour Class Project.
3. An exam covering what was learned in class.

Workshop Hours:

Part 1:
Friday, September 17 - 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Part 2:
Saturday, September 18 - 8:30 am - 11:00 am

Location:

The Hawaii Convention Center
1801 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96815-15
Meeting room: TBA

CLASS PROJECT

In class, students will break into groups. Each group will share their experience with Zero Waste at their business or community. The team will choose one example and develop a Zero Waste Plan for them based on the principles and examples learned in class. Each team will present their analysis to the rest of the class.

Students will be asked to implement an "Information to Action Project" within 1 year of the class. That activity could be getting their business, community or environmental group to adopt Zero Waste as a goal, organizing an event as a Zero Waste event, or developing an incentive or policy to help their business or community get to Zero Waste.

TESTING

Students must receive at least 75 out of 100 points in order to pass the class, earned as follows:

• Review of URLs provided by the instructor prior to class and sharing insights/comments during class (up to 20 pts.)
• Participation in class project (up to 40 pts.)
• Completing test in class (up to 40 pts.)

COURSE MATERIALS

We will email participants a list of URLs of Zero Waste websites in advance of the class and will ask participants to review and comment on those as part of the class. We will show sample documents in class, including Zero Waste Community Plans, Sample Resource Recovery Park designs and useful references on Extended Producer Responsibility. Copies of instructor PowerPoints will be provided.

INSTRUCTOR:

Gary Liss is a leading advocate of Zero Waste and has helped more communities develop Zero Waste plans than anyone else in the United States. Mr. Liss is a special Zero Waste advisor to the GrassRoots Recycling Network (GRRN) and Earth Resource Foundation and a leader of ZERI in the U.S. Gary Liss is now President of Gary Liss & Associates, a Zero Waste consulting firm outside of Sacramento, CA. Mr. Liss has over 36 years of experience in solid waste and recycling. He was a founder and past President of the National Recycling Coalition and Solid Waste Manager for the City of San Jose, CA. In San Jose, Mr. Liss developed their recycling programs into national models.

For GRRN, Mr. Liss has documented Zero Waste Businesses, developed Zero Waste Business Principles and helped ERF organize Zero In on Zero Waste business conferences. He helped write Zero Waste Plans for: Del Norte County, Burbank, San Jose, Palo Alto; and Oakland, CA; and Nelson, British Columbia; Telluride, CO; Big Island of Hawaii; and Austin, TX.  He is now working on drafting Zero Waste Plans for the cities of: Los Angeles and Alameda, CA; and Arkadelphia, AR.  He has helped to implement Zero Waste Plans in: Burbank and Oakland, CA and Central Vermont.

Mr. Liss is on the Planning Group for the Zero Waste International Alliance  and a member of the Sierra Club national Zero Waste Committee. He is also one of the founders of the California Sustainable Business Council and the Zero Waste for Global Cooling Coalition. In 2005, the Zero Emissions Research & Initiatives certified Mr. Liss as a ZERI Systems Designer. Mr. Liss was selected as the California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) Recycler of the Year in 2005.  He was recently elected to the Town Council in his hometown of Loomis, CA and is now serving as Mayor.

Mr. Liss worked as the first Executive Director for the CRRA, Solid Waste Manager for the City of San Jose, Resource Recovery Director for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Assistant Administrator for Alternative Technologies for the NJ Department of Energy and Environmental Programs Manager for the City of Newark, NJ.

He has a Masters in Public Administration from Rutgers University in Newark, NJ and a Bachelor's in Civil Engineering (Environmental Engineering major) from Tufts University in Boston, MA.