The Clean Air Action Network of Glens Falls

Jennie Romer discusses her work of more than a decade to get effective legislation for waste reduction and on single-use plastics. As a Legal Associate at the Surfrider Foundation’s Plastic Pollution Initiative, she leads policy and litigation efforts to reduce plastic pollution across the United States. Her expertise is in demand by legislators, environmental nonprofits, and businesses around the country. Her new book, Can I Recycle This, is a non-judgmental, easy-to-use, illustrated guide to better recycling and how to reduce single-use plastics. This book gives straightforward answers to whether dozens of common household objects can or cannot be recycled, as well as the information you need to figure out the answer for anything else you encounter. The Sierra Club enthusiastically recognizes Can I Recycle This? as a“must-read” book. Jennie has been profiled in The New Yorker and her work and expertise have been featured in National Geographic, The New York Times, Vice, Politico, and other outlets. CAAN first learned of her work when she was recently interviewed on WAMC in Albany, NY. For improving local air quality in the Glens Falls area, CAAN’s number one priority is shutting down Wheelabrator Hudson Falls. This 30-year-old trash incinerator is one of the dirtiest of the 71 trash incinerators in the U.S. Burning garbage is a waste of resources that results in harmful air pollution and generates toxic ash that must be landfilled. CAAN’s Zero Waste Initiative seeks to reduce the amount of waste we generate, and create better opportunities for diverting waste, such as ensuring that the recyclables that we separate will actually be recycled and that our food waste can be composted.

A webinar with four of the country’s most respected leaders in the field of reuse and repair. The Zero Waste Committee of Warren County, NY (a project of the Clean Air Action Network (CAAN) of Glens Falls) sponsored this important Zero Waste Webinar focused on local economic growth through reuse and repair enterprises and programs. This webinar is of interest to economic development professionals and community planners, job training and development specialists, Zero Waste and recycling proponents, green entrepreneurs and investors, solid waste and recycling professionals, local elected officials, environmental advocates, and members of youth/student and civic associations. Neil Seldman, director of the Waste to Wealth Initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and a founding member of CAAN, moderates the session, which features leading repair and reuse entrepreneurs, researchers and activists: Elizabeth Knight is the co-author of The Repair Revolution: How Fixers are Transforming Our Throw Away Economy. Mark Foster is the founder and director of Second Chance, Baltimore’s thriving building deconstruction and resale social enterprise. Mary Lou van Deventer operates Urban Ore, Inc., the iconic materials recovery enterprise started at the Berkeley (CA) landfill, and is an environmental writer. Jacob Hannah is the coordinator of ReUse Corridor, a network of businesses, universities and local and state economic development agencies serving rural Appalachian communities in WV, OH and KY.

This Summit was geared for those who would like to set up a Reuse or Repair Enterprise, whether as a for-profit or non-profit, as well as those involved with economic development, business education, and job training activities. The geographic focus is the state of New York, in particular the Greater Glens Falls area, Capital Region, and Adirondack North Country. The scope of this event was on reuse and repair enterprises that seek to achieve environmental, community economic, and social objectives. While anyone was welcome to attend, our objective continues to be to facilitate the development of one or more reuse and repair enterprises in the Warren/Washington/Saratoga County area. Five presenters share brief presentations, answer questions and offer guidance to participants. Two of the presenters lead large reuse organizations that also provide job training and re-entry employment opportunities, while two others provide business development and support services. The fifth presenter is from a community group engaged in the planning process for a reuse program. Diane Cohen, Founding Executive Director, Finger Lakes ReUse (Ithaca, NY). Finger Lakes Reuse has a triple bottom line mission to enhance community, economy and environment through reuse. Their goals are to reduce waste, relieve poverty, and teach job skills through reuse activities. While it costs $96 per ton to dispose of waste in Tompkins County, NY, Finger Lakes ReUse earns $2,000 - $3,000 per ton through reuse sales. Finger Lake ReUse opened the first of its two main locations in 2008. Diane will speak about how Finger Lakes Reuse got started and its development, and the technical assistance/mentoring she is able to offer to reuse enterprise startups in New York state. ithacareuse.org (Also see the Community ReUse Center Template at: http://template.ithacareuse.org) Tom Longstreth, Executive Director, ReSOURCE: A Nonprofit Community Enterprise (Burlington, VT). ReSOURCE is a 30-year-old nonprofit community enterprise with 4 retail locations in Burlington, Barre, Hyde Park and Williston that create a marketplace for reuse while relieving poverty and providing new opportunities to the under-skilled and long-term unemployed. ReSOURCE has trained over 3600 people through its Job Skills Training programs, giving them a chance to learn valuable technical and professional skills and become gainfully employed. The organization began in 1991 as ReCycle North by repairing and reselling household items that otherwise would have gone to the landfill. Tom will talk about developing a reuse and repair enterprise and the opportunities this offers for job training and workforce development. resourcevt.org Linda MacFarlane, Executive Director, Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region (Albany, NY and Schenectady, NY). The Community Loan Fund provides low-interest loans to small businesses; community development lending; and training and technical assistance to small business owners and nonprofit leaders in the Greater Capital Region. Since 1985, the Community Loan Fund has loaned more than $65 million – and leveraged more than $227 million – for economic development in the Capital Region; it has also financed more than 950 community projects. Linda will talk about the Community Loan Fund’s history and services. mycommunityloanfund.org Danielle (Dani) Delaini. Business in Transition Program Coordinator, Adirondack North Country Association (Saranac Lake, NY). ANCA is an independent, nonprofit corporation with a transformational approach to building prosperity across northern New York. ANCA’s community-informed, results-driven strategies for local food producers, small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs and municipal innovators offer targeted interventions that are designed to keep wealth and value in local communities. Dani coordinates the Center for Businesses in Transition: a dynamic partnership between regional organizations and individuals invested in the retention of local businesses and the future of our communities. Our goals include helping owners sell their businesses on the open market, completing intergenerational family transitions, and converting to employee-owned and cooperative models. https://www.adirondack.org/ Ellen Tiberi, Inspire Broome (Endicott, NY), a community organization in the early stages of planning a reuse enterprise, with guidance from Diane Cohen of Finger Lakes Reuse

CAAN presents a critique of the NYS Dept. of Health’s Cancer Study, which incorrectly blames Warren County’s elevated cancer rates on unhealthy behavior (smoking, binge drinking, lack of exercise, and obesity). Our experts found no basis for this conclusion, and question why environmental carcinogens were overlooked. Featuring Paul Hancock, professor emeritus of economics at Green Mountain College, & David Carpenter, MD, professor of environmental health sciences at the University at Albany.

Edited from 4 hours recorded to 2 hours for those who missed it or want to review his slide show or see yourselves on "TV". . .