Sustainable Oregon 2021 Agenda
Wednesday, 10/20
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8:00am-9:00am |
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9:30am-11:00am |
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12:00pm-1:30pm |
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2:30pm-4:00pm |
Person, Place, or Thing: Exploring Varied Dimensions of Materials Management |
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Thursday, 10/21
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8:30am-9:00am |
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9:30am-11:00am |
Materials, Climate, and Justice at the Intersection of Food and the Built Environment |
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12:00pm-1:30pm |
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2:30pm-4:00pm |
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Friday, 10/22
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9:00am-10:30am |
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11:30am-1:00pm |
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Session Descriptions
CANCELED Keynote with U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley: National Break Free from Plastics Pollution LegislationWednesday, 10/20, 8:00am-9:00am |
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The National Break Free from Plastics Pollution Act of 2021 has the potential to drastically reduce the production of single-use plastic products and packaging, and reshape entire segments of the plastics production and recycling industries. Join U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and his staff for a discussion about this bill, and how it will improve producer responsibility in the design, collection, reuse, recycling, and disposal of consumer products and packaging and reduce the harms that plastic packaging cause to people, animals, and the environment.
Speakers
- U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley
- Caitlin Buchanan, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley
- Rosalynn Greene, Metro (moderator)
Hot Topics in EPR: It's More Than Just RecyclingWednesday, 10/20, 9:30am-11:00am |
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In 2021, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs took a giant leap forward in Oregon and beyond. Join us for a look at what’s next for the recently passed Recycling Modernization Act, and hear an update on the new Drug Take-Back Program that launched this July. The session will also feature organizers and workers from informal waste workers associations in Oregon and New York to discuss how EPR policies can maximize the inclusion of workers in need of low-barrier work, advance equity in the recycling system, promote more sustainable product design, and be more accessible to workers with barriers to mainstream employment.
Speakers
- Taylor Cass Talbot, WIEGO/Groundscore
- Latrice Holloway, People's Depot
- Cheryl Grabham, Oregon DEQ
- Sanne Stienstra, Oregon DEQ
- Michael Lee, Oregon DEQ
Achieving Equity in Multifamily RecyclingWednesday, 10/20, 12:00pm-1:30pm |
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More than 22 million American households live in multifamily properties and more than half of those households do not have on-property recycling that is on par with their trash service, or comparable to the recycling service available to those living in single-family dwellings. Multifamily recycling programs often rely on individual private property owners to prioritize recycling services and educate residents, who frequently come from more culturally and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds. While Oregon’s state law will soon require all residents to be provided the opportunity to recycle, effective strategies are needed to reach beyond single-family homes to tackle this challenging sector. Learn how some communities in Oregon, Washington, and California are improving recycling for all multifamily residents.
Speakers
- Erik Makinson, Resource Synergy
- Sam Lake, City of Tacoma
- Asami Tanimoto, The Recycling Partnership
- Elaine Cole, Portland Community College (moderator)
Person, Place, or Thing: Exploring Varied Dimensions of Materials ManagementWednesday, 10/20, 2:30pm-4:00pm |
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The session will open with a description of overarching trends in current sustainability frameworks. This discussion will explore prevailing measurements priorities and what that tells us, and more importantly, what is not revealed. The three presentations will be connected to describe the social side of materials management with examples and an exercise. This will include an introduction of social cost accounting—a method used to estimate in dollars the economic damages of pollution—and how this method was used to assist in the efforts to develop and pass Oregon’s Recycling Modernization Act (SB582). The session will end with an online exercise that all AOR attendees can participate in to help us (DEQ and AOR) determine how the AOR community prioritizes the social side of materials management throughout the life cycles of materials.
Speakers
- Minal Mistry, Oregon DEQ
- Peter Canepa, Oregon DEQ
- Tom Lang, Oregon DEQ
- Angie Marzano, Lane County Waste Management (moderator)
Board ElectionsThursday, 10/21, 8:30am-9:00am |
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Materials, Climate, and Justice at the Intersection of Food and the Built EnvironmentThursday, 10/21, 9:30am-11:00am |
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Both our food systems and the materials we use in the built environment have significant environmental and human impacts, and the burdens associated with these systems largely fall on BIPOC, low-income, rural, and other frontline communities. This session will bring a broader perspective on "materials" and explore opportunities to address the climate crisis, environmental justice, and social justice by looking at the materials that sit at the intersection of food and the built environment. Topics will include glass pozzolan as a substitute for cement in concrete mixes, hempcrete as an emerging building material, and pathways to address both the climate impacts of agriculture, as well as equitable access to healthy foods through food waste diversion and food sovereignty.
Speakers
- Bill Beamer, make x Concepts
- Elaine Blatt, Oregon DEQ
- Nancy Dong, Golden Bungalows
- Patrick Grasso, Pozzotive
- Edward "Eddie" Hill, Black Food Sovereignty Coalition//Culinary Collaboratory/Black Farm Bureau
- Amanda Ingmire, Oregon DEQ (moderator)
Oregon’s 2050 Vision in ActionThursday, 10/21, 12:00pm-1:30pm |
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The 2050 Vision for Materials Management in Oregon envisions a future where we produce and use materials responsibly – conserving resources, protecting the environment, and enhancing well-being. This session brings together several presenters who are implementing projects on the ground that are advancing the 2050 Vision and moving us closer to a sustainable, healthy future for all people and the environment. Hear about three innovative projects that effectively incorporate the concepts of the 2050 Vision and learn how your organization can integrate similar concepts into your work.
Speakers
- Stacey Foreman, City of Portland
- Athena Petty, New Seasons Market
- David Allaway, Oregon DEQ
- Kelly Bell, Lane County
- Jill Hrycyk, Metro (moderator)
Plastics Recycling From A to ZThursday, 10/21, 2:30pm-4:00pm |
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Why is plastics recycling so complicated? We've crafted this session to help you better understand the ins and outs of plastics recycling. In this session we'll walk you through each step of the plastics recycling value chain from collection to the creation of new products, highlighting problems, opportunities, and solutions at the local and national levels. We'll delve into the importance of design, producer responsibility, market effects, consumer behavior, policy, and more.
Speakers
- Ali Briggs-Ungerer, The Association of Plastic Recyclers
- Kate Eagles, The Association of Plastic Recyclers
- Bryce Hesterman, RRS
- Tiana Lightfoot Svendsen, U.S. Plastics Pact
- Carolina Martins (moderator)
Markets Panel: Change is the ConstantFriday, 10/22, 9:00am-10:30am |
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Ever since the implementation of the National Sword, the end markets for recyclable commodities have been in a constant state of disruption and recreation; and the economics of recycling have changed alongside. With these changes in global markets, we've also seen an increased public interest in recycling, and some improvements have been made in domestic capacity, including increased North American consumption of the materials valued in the supply chain. Come join the experts at one of AOR's most anticipated annual sessions as they discuss market trends and how the different materials are handled in their related market environments.
Speakers
- Bret Biggers, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
- Sean Daoud, PNW Metals
- Eadaoin Quinn, EFS-plastics
- Vinod Singh, Far West Fibers (moderator)
Never Stop Learning: Where You Are, In Your LanguageFriday, 10/22, 11:30am-1:00pm |
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If recycling systems are to achieve their ultimate goals - have high recovery rates and low contamination - they must have both outstanding collecting systems and outstanding customer education and outreach campaigns. This session will focus on outreach and showcase the adaptability of community educators in reaching out to target audiences despite language and physical barriers experienced in the past few years. From creating content for social media and electronic resources to presenting culturally and linguistically appropriate community resources and pivoting to virtual engagement, these experts are demonstrating what outstanding outreach can achieve.
Speakers
- Meg Johnson, Waste Connections
- David Ives, Waste Connections
- Deveron Musgrave, City of Eugene
- Alex Reyna, La E-Kiss
- Recycling Information Specialist, Metro
Thank You to Our Sustainable Oregon 2025 Sponsors
Title Sponsor
Scholarship Sponsor
