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Zero Waste will boost economy, claims US recycling pioneerJune 23, 2008
Renowned US recycling pioneer Eric Lombardi will be the keynote speaker at 'More Than Furniture 08', the 5th Annual Furniture Reuse Conference, hosted by The Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS), the membership body for community recycling organisations across the country. The conference, which this year has the theme of 'Bigger, Better, Bolder', will take place on August 27 at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Eric Lombardi is currently Executive Director of Eco-Cycle, one of the largest non-profit recyclers in the world, with an international reputation as a pioneer and innovator in resource conservation. During his address to more than 100 delegates from the Scottish furniture reuse sector, Eric will refer to a report which he co-authored on behalf of Eco-Cycle. The report, published earlier this month by the Institute for Local Self Reliance, is entitled 'Stop Trashing the Climate'. The report, co-authored by Eric, argues that eradicating waste through the growth of reuse, recycling and composting programmes is the fastest, cheapest and most effective route to combat climate change. Eric commented: "We've linked climate change to our nation's unsustainable patterns of consumption and wasting, and dispelled some of the myths about the climatic benefits of landfill gas recovery and waste incineration. "A zero waste approach is not only good news for climate stability, it's also good news for business and the economy. The time to act is now. We cannot afford to pass up this opportunity to create local jobs and new enterprises, while reducing global warming and our reliance on imported goods and fuels." The report carries a number of ambitious recommendations, which are aimed specifically at the US but could apply equally to Scotland. These include:
Eric has been doing cutting-edge 'resource conservation' for the past 30 years, including solar, water conservation and recycling/ Zero Waste. He started the first ever kerbside collection program with another nonprofit in North Carolina) in the mid 1980, before taking the reins at Eco-Cycle in 1989. Under his 19-year tenure, Eco-Cycle has grown from a modest enterprise into the largest community based recycling organisation in the US, processing nearly 50,000 tonnes of diverse recycled materials per year. Eric's influence has extended in the past to the very highest levels of office, including an invite from President Clinton to attend the White House in 1998 to advise on national recycling issues. CRNS Chairperson Matt Lewis said: "Eric is one of the industry's true firebrands. His impressive legacy speaks for itself, so when he speaks others sit up and take notice. It will be interesting to hear him draw upon the lessons he's learned in the US and solutions he's come up with, and see how he applies those to the Scottish context. "In many ways, some of the recommendations Eric makes in his report are already being implemented or in the process of being introduced in Scotland. So while we are ahead of the game in some areas, there should be no room for complacency as there is a great deal of work still to be done. "The furniture reuse sector provides furniture to over 100,000 people and diverts 14,000 tonnes from landfill every year. Furniture projects have grown at an increasingly rapid pace in the past five years and many projects plan to expand further." The CRNS 5th Annual Furniture Reuse Conference takes place on Wednesday, 27 August, 2008 at the Opera School, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. To book your place visit www.crns.org.uk or call 01786 469002. Ends Press contact
Nicola McGovern
Mike McPartlin
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One of the world's most successful Zero Waste activists will address a Glasgow conference in August, to argue that a waste free society will be good for the economy and the climate.
