List any previous leadership positions held with the National Recycling Coalition or state recycling organizations and describe what you accomplished in those positions.
NRC Board of Directors:
As a member of the Board’s ROC Listening Group outreach in 2007-8, connected with individual State organizations and attended ROC meetings to engage on issues and understand priorities of the state recycling organizations.
If you currently serve in a volunteer leadership position with another organization, please explain your role and accomplishments.
Resigned Board position with Recycling Council of Ontario effective Sept 2007.
What special abilities would you bring to NRC’s leadership?
Based upon relationships built with state recycling organizations through Board position, ROC participation, and cooperative recycling projects conducted with state organizations, I have developed a good understanding of the potential for effective NGO / private sector collaboration.
Many years in commercial and project management have been successful due to my ability to communicate, actively and fairly advocate and debate, collaborate, and develop consensus. I have a reputation for being results-oriented and a team-worker, at all levels of endeavor.
What do you think are the most important recycling issues facing the NRC or recycling on the national level?
The biggest issue is public access to recycling. It’s about providing access where space is limited (ie. Major cities, multi-family residences, public spaces, public transportation), and conversely, it’s about providing access in situations where logistics are a challenge (i.e. rural communities, highways & byways).
Another important issue is infrastructure and economics – so much of today’s recycling collection and processing is based on waste systems and diversion – this infrastructure needs to be converted to focus on material recovery as the first priority. Innovative systems for rewarding the right behavior (material conservation and recovery) and recognizing the true cost of waste must be reinforced.
What steps should the NRC take to strengthen its role and relationships with our affiliated state organizations?
The NRC Board of Directors should seat the current ROC chairperson with full attendance and voting rights, and key NRC Board Committees should solicit active participation from ROC.
What individual or group in the field of recycling has had the most influence on you?
Bill Heenan – who demonstrates every day how to work cooperatively toward common goals in recycling!
How would you “sell” the importance of an NRC membership to a person who is unfamiliar with the NRC?
It’s the one place where all recyclers can come together to share best practices and experience to promote improvement in recycling. As a chorus , our voice of recycling can be heard.
14. How is the work you do as a professional compatible with NRC’s mission?
Coca-Coal Recycling is dedicated to the recovery of 100% of the recyclable materials generated by sales of Coke products. In my role in Business Development, it’s about collaborations with stakeholders from the public and private sectors to reach milestones along the path to the 100% goal.
In terms of providing access to recycling, CCR has just initiated a website where the public can procure recycling bins.
The NRC Board of Directors is comprised of individuals with a concern for the common good of the Coalition. Discuss how you would help the Board reach consensus among a group of peers with varied interests and/or positions on a specific issue.
Inclusive, open discussion is the key to consensus. From what I have experienced in my term on the Board of Directors, I believe we can and must do better going forward! In my experience, when a group like NRC has membership with fundamental differences on issues of policy, marketing strategy and governance, it is essential to keep the dialogue between Board and membership open, active and frequent.
What would be your personal goals as a member of the NRC Board of Directors?
The NRC needs to embrace strategies which will provide real measurable growth of recycling to remain relevant. The Model Cities Program, for example, can generate impact which not only elevates recycling in these cities, but can also elevate the profile of NRC with Government and the Public.
The Board of NRC needs to be more accessible to the membership, and visa versa. The RO Listening Program was a small, but important means to stimulate meaningful dialogue, but we now need to lever the resources of the membership to create momentum for recycling across the country.