Gary Liss & Associates
4395
Gold Trail Way, Loomis, CA 95650-8929
916-652-7850;
Fax: 916-652-0485
gary@garyliss.com, www.garyliss.com
November 8,
2006
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Zero Waste
in State-of-the-State
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
Congratulations on your election victory! Clearly your strong support
for the environment and sustainability was a key contribution to your success this year.
I would like to suggest a simple action for you to include in your State-of-the-State speech this year: a Zero Waste
Challenge to both California communities and businesses.
As noted on the attached request from the Global Recycling Council, for communities such a Challenge could encourage
communities to go beyond AB939 to adopt a Zero Waste goal for their community, and develop a Zero Waste Plan to implement
that goal. For businesses, you could encourage businesses to highlight their voluntary, positive achievements in diverting
over 90% of their waste from landfills or incinerators, as dozens have already been documented at http://www.grrn.org/zerowaste/business/profiles.php) and we are highlighting at conferences such as the upcoming event in San Diego (http://www.earthresource.org/zerowaste.html).
Thank you for your past leadership on Sustainability and Climate Change initiatives. You could advance those missions
significantly by issuing this Zero Waste Challenge to communities and businesses throughout California in your State-of-the-State. If you or your staff would like to discuss this idea, please contact me at 916-652-7850
or gary@garyliss.com.
Sincerely,
Gary Liss
Cc: Rosario Marin, Chair, Governor’s Green
Action Team
Eileen Wenger Tutt,
Cal/EPA Assistant Secretary for Climate Change Activities
Members of CA Integrated Waste Management Board
Tam Doduc, State Water Resources Control Board
Maureen Gorsen, CA Department of Toxic Substances Control
Bridgett Luther, CA Department of Conservation
Linda Christopher, GrassRoots Recycling Network
Stephanie Barger, Earth Resource Foundation
Bill Magavern, Sierra Club
List of Supporters for this Request (as of 12/15/06):
Office of Mayor Jerry Brown, Oakland
GrassRoots Recycling Network
CA Resource Recovery Association
Global Recycling Council of the CA Resource Recovery Association
Earth Resource Foundation, Costa Mesa, CA
Margo Covington, Covington Consulting (Systems,
Strategic & Action Planning, Sustainability & Entrepreneurial Training), Santa Fe, NM
Robert Gedert, City of Fresno, Public Works Department
Mark Gorrell, Architect,
Berkeley, CA
Richard A. Ludt, Interior Removal Specialist, Inc., South Gate, CA
Nancy Macy, Environmental
Committee, The Valley Women's Club of the San Lorenzo Valley, Ben Lomond, CA
John Moore, Henn, Etzel and Moore, Oakland, CA
Terry
O'Keefe, Sustainable Business Alliance, Oakland, CA
Mike Paparian, Sacramento, CA
Val Peters, Zero Waste Advocate, Berkeley and Humboldt Co., CA
Stefanie Pruegel,
Gigantic Idea Studio, Oakland, CA
Russell Reiser, City of Palo Alto, Public Works Department,
Solid Waste Program
Steve Salzman, Humboldt Plan It Green
(email
gary@garyliss.com if you would like to be listed)
**************************************
Global Recycling Council
4395 Gold Trail Way, Loomis, CA 95650
(916) 652-7850
www.crra.com/grc/index.htm
August
4, 2004
Linda Moulton-Patterson, Chair
CA Integrated Waste Management Board
P.O. Box 2815
Sacramento, CA 95812-2815
Chair Linda Moulton-Patterson:
The Global Recycling Council of the CRRA has often commended the leadership of the CIWMB for its foresight and leadership
in adopting Zero Waste as one of its goals in your Strategic Plan. GRC and the signatories below now call upon you to take
steps to implement that goal for California with a Zero Waste Challenge, to both California communities and businesses.
For communities, such a Challenge could, with your assistance, encourage communities to go beyond AB939 to adopt a Zero
Waste goal for their community, and develop a Zero Waste Plan to implement that goal. With the Office of Local Assistance
and the many publications and tools on your website, California communities are ready to aim beyond 50% waste diversion. The
adoption of a Zero Waste Plan would also be an excellent way for communities to further demonstrate their good faith efforts
For businesses, CIWMB could include in the WRAP award application process information about Zero Waste businesses (as documented
at http://www.grrn.org/zerowaste/articles/companies_zw.html), a request that all applicants provide overall waste diversion
rates from landfills and incinerators, and encourage businesses to highlight how they are meeting the goals of Zero Waste
Business principles (see http://www.grrn.org/zerowaste/business/) in their applications.
To launch this new Zero Waste Challenge, GRC requests that you send an email to all local recycling coordinators and elected
officials (especially those in RMDZs) to invite them to learn more about Zero Waste at the unique set of upcoming conferences
highlighted below. GRC asks that you request them to send a "delegation" to at least the International Dialog and/or the GRRN
Zero Waste Conferences, including an elected official, a high level staff member, a recycling coordinator, a business leader
from their community, and a community or environmental group leader.
Similarly, for businesses (especially those associated with the CIWMB’s WRAP Program) GRC asks that you request them
to send a "delegation" to at least the International Dialog and/or the GRRN Zero Waste Conferences, including a high level
executive, a member of their facilities staff, a member of their Environmental, Health and Safety staff, a member of their
design staff responsible for product design and packaging, and/or a member of their operations staff responsible for solid
waste and recycling.
Thank you for your past leadership on Zero Waste. We believe that you can really make it happen for many communities and
businesses throughout California!
Sincerely,
Tedd Ward
Tedd Ward, M.S., Chair Global Recycling Council of CRRA |
Richard V. Anthony, Boardmember GrassRoots Recycling Network |
Michael Closson, Executive Director Acterra: Action for a Sustainable
Earth |
Peter Anderson, Executive Director The Center for a Competitive
Waste Industry |
Mikhail Davis, Director The David Brower Fund (a project of Earth
Island Institute) |
Dorsey Moore, Deputy Director of Operations San Jose Conservation
Corps |
Brenda Platt, Co-Director Institute for Local Self-Reliance |
Captain Charles Moore Algalita Marine Research Foundation |
Bradley Angel, Executive Director, Greenaction for Health and
Environmental Justice |
Nancy Macy The Valley Women's Club of the San Lorenzo Valley |
Alison Wise, Director, Business Development & Public Policy Future
500/ Global Futures and Executive Director, Sea Change Sustainable Business Interest Group |
Yoriko Kishimoto, City Council member City of Palo Alto |
Gil Friend, President & CEO Natural Logic, Inc. |
Antoinette Stein, Menlo Park resident Independent Environmental
Researcher |
The Global Recycling Council (GRC) is a Technical Council of the California
Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) . The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the CRRA, other
CRRA Technical Councils, or CRRA members.