February 2011
NERC’s Advisory Members
Distinguished Benefactors
Benefactors
Sustaining Members
A list of all the logos of our Sustaining Members can be found under Advisory Members
MEMBERSHIP
New Sustaining Members
Renewing Sustaining Member
Renewing Supporting Members
NERC NEWS
- NERC Now Offering Building for the Future – A Construction & Demolition Waste Reuse and Recycling Training in Massachusetts and New York
- Donald Maurer, NH DES, Retires
- NERC Welcomes New Vice President & Treasurer
- Consumer Electronics Show – NERC on Product Stewardship Panel
- Are Manufacturers Being Responsible for Electronics Recycling? EPR Case Studies
- Free Webinar on Electronics Stewardship in Government Agencies – Make a Difference with the State Electronics Challenge
- Three New State Electronics Challenge Partners — Including Two “Firsts”
- New Partner Map on SEC Website! Take a Look . . .
- Environmental Benefits Fact Sheets Updated for Several States
- NERC Fall Board Meeting Minutes Posted
STATE UPDATES
New York
- New DEC Commissioner Nominated
- New York Supports Start-up of C&D Recycling Support Center
- ASTSWMO Releases Commercial Sector Recycling Fact Sheets
Rhode Island
ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS
|
NERC's mission is to advance an environmentally sustainable economy by promoting source and toxicity reduction, recycling, and the purchasing of environmentally preferable products and services. |
State and Advisory Member Updates, as well articles of General Interest are provided as submissions to NERC and may not reflect the policy or position of the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.
NERC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
MEMBERSHIP
We are delighted to welcome three new Sustaining Members this month — Electronic Recyclers International, Sims Recycling Solutions, and Tandus Flooring. Thank you also to renewing Sustaining Member Sims Metal Management Northeast and renewing Supporting Members the Association of New Jersey Recyclers and Centre County Solid Waste Authority.
A hallmark of NERC is the strength of multi-stakeholder involvement and problem solving. This is a direct result of the active participation and support of NERC’s Advisory Members. To see a listing of Advisory Members and the benefits of membership, visit the NERC Advisory Membership web page.
The broad spectrum of interests represented by NERC’s Advisory Members and Board Members and their willingness to participate significantly contribute to the unique and important role that NERC plays in recycling in the region.
NERC NEWS
NERC Now Offering Building for the Future – A Construction & Demolition Waste Reuse and Recycling Training in Massachusetts and New York
Dates & Locations
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
NERC’s Spring Training
at the Hotel Northampton,
Northampton, Massachusetts
Thursday, April 21, 2011
SyracuseCoE Center for Sustainable Community Solutions
Syracuse, New York
Sponsors: EPA Region II and Syracuse Center for Excellence
NERC is very excited to be working with WasteCap Resource Solutions to present these day-long trainings. This USGBC Education Provider Program will:
- Teach attendees to develop, manage, monitor, document, and promote a successful construction and/or demolition reuse and recycling program.
- Present attendees with the Construction & Demolition Waste Management Toolkit (workbook and two DVDs) to all attendees. The Toolkit includes market information, educational materials, monitoring checklists, economic analysis worksheets, and much more.
- Present attendees with WasteCap Resource Solutions’ accreditation in Construction Waste Management.
- Qualify attendees to receive 7.5 CEUs for LEED AP’s.
Registration Deadline: April 5, 2011
Sponsorship opportunities are available.
For more information about the Construction & Demolition Waste Reuse and Recycling Training, contact: Mary Ann Remolador, NERC.
This is NERC's annual spring event. As usual, the event will be followed by a regular meeting of the NERC Board of Directors from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, April 20, at the Hotel Northampton. For more information about the Board meeting, contact: Lynn Rubinstein, NERC.
Donald Maurer, NH DES, Retires
Alas, Donald Maurer, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, and many-year NERC Board Member and Treasurer has retired. Wonderful for him, but he will be greatly missed.
Don served on NERC’s Board for the past five years. He served as the Treasurer for four of those years. His guidance and commitment to the organization has been a tremendous asset to NERC. Thank you Don and best wishes from NERC Staff and your fellow Board Members.
NERC Welcomes New Vice President & Treasurer
While we’ve had to say good-bye to Don Maurer, we are able to welcome two new officers: Greg Cooper, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Vice President, and George MacDonald, Maine State Planning Office, Treasurer. For George, this is a returning role. George was NERC’s Treasurer from 2001 – 2006. So, we have something of an expert stepping into that role. Thank you to both of them for their willingness to make this extra contribution to NERC. The participation of its Board Members in the organization helps to make it strong.
Consumer Electronics Show — NERC on Product Stewardship Panel
 |
In January, NERC Executive Director Lynn Rubinstein participated on a panel discussion at the Tech Policy Summit as part of the internationally renowned Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The topic was The Evolution of Product Stewardship from Government Mandate to Business as Usual, and the panel consisted of:
Moderator Mike Feazel, Executive Editor, Warren Communications News, and Speakers:
- John Godfrey, VP of Government and Public Affairs, Samsung
- Leo Raudys, Senior Director, Environmental Sustainability, Best Buy
- Lynn Rubinstein, Executive Director, Northeast Recycling Council
- Mark Small, VP of Environment, Safety and Health, Sony
- David Thompson, Director of Corporate Environmental Department and CEO of MRM, Panasonic
- Mike Watson, Senior Manager of Global Recycling Program, Dell
For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein.
Are Manufacturers Being Responsible for Electronics Recycling? EPR Case Studies
Lynn Rubinstein, NERC Executive Director, will present and be the moderator of this — certain to be fascinating — panel at the upcoming ISRI Convention & Exposition in April. Joining Lynn on the panel are Bob Erie, Owner/CEO of E-World Recyclers, David Thompson Director of Corporate Environmental Department and CEO of MRM, Panasonic, and invited Michael Moss, Director of Corporate Environmental Affairs, Samsung Electronics America.
Free Webinar on Electronics Stewardship in Government Agencies —
Make a Difference with the State Electronics Challenge
Join us for a free one-hour Webinar about The State Electronics Challenge (SEC) to learn how your organization can reduce its environmental footprint, including climate impact, and conserve natural resources through improved management of its electronic equipment.
 |
The Webinar is being offered twice:
- Thursday, February 17, 2 p.m. Eastern
- Thursday, March 24, 2 p.m. Eastern
The SEC is a voluntary program, open free of charge to any state, regional, and local government agency. The SEC promotes environmental stewardship of computers – from purchasing “green” computers through power management and responsible end of life management – resulting in measurable reductions in energy, greenhouse gases, solid and hazardous waste, and associated costs.
The SEC has been successfully operating in 16 states for the past three years and is now available nationally.
Attend the introductory webinar to learn how your organization can join the Challenge and benefit from the program’s proven free technical assistance, action plan, implementation tools, and environmental benefits calculations.
Through electronics stewardship efforts, your organization can demonstrate the type of environmental savings accrued by government agencies in other states.
Pre-registration is required. If you’re interested in attending the introductory Webinar, RSVP to executive.director@nerc.org. In the email, please provide your name, organization, email address and phone number. You will be provided with call-in instructions in advance of the Webinar.
Three New State Electronics Challenge Partners — Including Two “Firsts”
The first introductory Webinar was barely over when the three new Partners joined the program, including two “firsts.” The first Challenge Partner in the Great Lakes Region — the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Surplus Program, and the first Partner from Florida — the City of Stuart. And a new Partner from Delaware — the City of Wilmington. Welcome! There are now 49 Partners, representing almost 60,000 employees, participating in the Challenge.
The State Electronics Challenge, recently expanded as a national program, offers free support and assistance to state, regional, and local governments to decrease the environmental footprint of their computer equipment.
Free introductory Webinars are scheduled for February 17 and March 24, both at 2 p.m. EST. If you’re interested in participating, send an email to executive.director@nerc.org.
 |
New Partner Map on SEC Website!
Take a Look…
The SEC Website has been updated to add a mapping feature for Partners. The page includes directions for using it, changing the scale, etc. Take a look and play with it. As the Challenge is now national we can look forward to the map having many more “tear drops” (or should I say “happy drops?”) in the upcoming months.
For more information about the State Electronics Challenge, visit its Website or contact Lynn Rubinstein.
Environmental Benefits Fact Sheets Updated for Several States
With new data available, the Environmental Benefits Fact Sheets for several states have been updated and posted on the NERC Website.
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Pennsylvania
NERC's Environmental Benefits Calculator is an accurate and comprehensive tool usable by any state, region, county, town, institution, school, or business in the United States. Among the Calculator’s unique features are the environmental benefits of computer recycling and reuse calculator, an energy savings comparison chart, and an emissions savings comparison chart.
The Calculator generates estimates of the environmental benefits of a study area, based on the tonnages of materials that are source reduced, reused, recycled, landfilled, or incinerated (includes waste-to-energy). The Calculator is based on per ton figures of the estimated energy use and emissions from several lifecycle analysis studies. The Calculator incorporates U.S. EPA's WARM Calculator, as well as, facts and figures for the U.S. Department of Energy, Steel Recycling Institute, Glass Packaging Institute, and U.S. Climate Technology Cooperation Gateway, to name a few.
For more information, contact Athena Lee Bradley, NERC Projects Manager.
NERC Fall Board Meeting Minutes Posted
Minutes from the NERC November Board of Directors meeting are now available on the NERC Website. For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein, NERC Executive Director.
STATE UPDATES
New York
New DEC Commissioner Nominated
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the nomination of Joseph Martens to serve as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Since 1998, Mr. Martens has served as President of the Open Space Institute, directing and overseeing land acquisition, sustainable development, historic preservation, and farmland protection. Previously, Mr. Martens served as Deputy Secretary to the Governor for Energy and the Environment from 1992-94 and before that Assistant Secretary from 1990-92. He is the Chair of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which operates the 1932 and 1980 winter Olympic venues in Lake Placid and Wilmington, NY and Gore Mountain Ski Area in Johnsburg, NY. He also chairs the Adirondack Lake Survey Corporation, which continuously monitors Adirondack lakes and streams to determine the extent and magnitude of acidification in the Adirondack region, Mr. Martens studied Resource Economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and received an M.S. in Resource Management from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University.
"Joe's lifelong experience of fighting to protect and preserve our environment will bring the highest level of stewardship to our state's beautiful natural resources. Joe knows how to strike the critical balance between defending our natural resources from pollution and destruction while at the same time fostering a climate of economic renewal and growth. His experience and record as a competent and productive manager will breathe life into this vital agency.” Governor Cuomo said.
New York Supports Start-up of C&D Recycling Support Center
In December, Empire State Development committed to invest just under $200,000 to support the start-up of a new program (yet to be named) at Syracuse University’s Center of Excellence (CofE). The new program will support and promote the growth of C&D recycling in New York through a variety of market-development and network-building activities. Key among them will be the provision of C&D materials management training to New York contractors and haulers, many of whom want to recycle more of the materials from construction sites but need help getting started. The program will also offer on-site assistance at construction sites, gather information to better characterize NYS’s C&D waste stream and synthesize it to be useful for C&D market development in NYS, cultivate new end-uses for C&D material, connect sources with end-users via networking and become established as the on-the-ground, “go-to” source for assistance with C&D recycling. The program will have the capability to provide webinars and present at events, host educational open houses at businesses that employ successful waste reduction strategies, and organize other networking and presentation opportunities.
WasteCap Resource Solutions will play a key role in developing and delivering training and on-site services during the first two years. Several partners, including the USGBC Upstate NY Chapter, Northeast Natural Homes of Syracuse, David Homes of Buffalo, two chapters of the NYS Builders Association and the USEPA Region 2 Environmental Finance Center will all play a role in making the new endeavor a success.
ASTSWMO Releases Commercial Sector Recycling Fact Sheets
The Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) recently announced the release of a series of fact sheets on waste reduction and recycling in various commercial sectors. The Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Recycling Task Force of ASTSWMO’s Solid Waste Subcommittee has developed these fact sheets to provide guidance and information on waste reduction and recycling efforts for a variety of commercial sectors. The Commercial Sector Recycling Fact Sheets document is available on ASTSWMO’s Solid Waste Publications page. Additional information regarding ASTSWMO and their mission and goals can be found on their home page. NERC member states New York and Delaware participated in this effort.
Rhode Island
Janet L. Coit Named RI DEM Director
Janet L. Coit, the state director of The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island and a well-respected environmental advocate, began her term as the new director of the R.I. Department of Environmental Management on January 1. She was named to the position by new R.I. Governor Lincoln Chafee following more than two decades of environmental and legal experience.
Coit was a staffer and, later, Counsel (under Chairman John Chafee, Lincoln Chafee’s father) for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. In her career, she has been a legal clerk for the Department of the Interior; legal intern for the Natural Resources Defense Council; law clerk for Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger, San Francisco; law clerk for the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Justice Department; and a legislative assistant, with a focus on environmental, natural resources, and energy issues, for U.S. Senator Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire.
She is a magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College and earned a J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she was president of the Environmental Law Society and a member of the Environmental Law Journal.
Coit had joined The Nature Conservancy in 2001 as its director of government relations. As director, she oversaw the acquisition of a 1,800-acre parcel of land in West Greenwich and successfully directed the group’s more recent emphasis on coastal and marine restoration projects.
Since its creation in 1977, the DEM has served as the state’s primary regulatory agency and as its major environmental agency for natural resources management. DEM issues over 30 different permits and manages more than 65,000 acres of parks, forests, wildlife management areas, boat ramps, fishing access areas, and state beaches. DEM preserves and protects the quality of Rhode Island's water, land, and air, and maintains the health and safety of its residents. The agency employs 392 full-time employees, and its budget for FY 2011 is $93M.
ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS
The Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School Wins State-Wide Recycling Competition
Last October, a state-wide school paper recycling competition was held in Pennsylvania with over 50 schools from across the Commonwealth entering. This competition, named GreenSylvania, sponsored by the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania and Keep America Beautiful, really got the kids excited about recycling.
After all of the recycled paper was collected, weighed and divided by each school’s population, a winner was introduced. The Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School (located in Centre County, PA) came away with the victory, recycling a total of 4,408 pounds of paper during the month of October. That’s a whopping 18.84 pounds of paper per person at the school.
The Young Scholars received a traveling trophy made from recycled materials as well as a check for $250 to be donated towards their recycling program at an awards ceremony held on November 22, 2010.
Over 60 tons of paper was recycled during the month long competition.