Last Thursday, I had the privilege of moderating the Materials Management & Circularity breakout session at the Hudson Valley Climate Solutions Summit, hosted by Sustainable Hudson Valley!
Our session was packed with insightful discussions and valuable contributions from experts working on composting, C&D, recycling, refrigerants, event waste management, repair cafes, textile waste, and broader materials management plans. In just one hour, we brainstormed actionable steps towards realizing a circular economy in the Hudson Valley. Here are some key takeaways:
🔄 Reuse Innovation Center:
- Finalize ownership structure and gather key stakeholders (Dave Bennink) to create this center/collective (stoked to continue this conversation Marc Rider)!
- Identify funding pathways.
- Incorporate workforce training, circularity design training for businesses, and a makerspace/innovation hub.
- Collaborate with others in the state (Diane Cohen et al.) to create a statewide network of reuse innovation spaces and win funding together.
📜 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):
- Push for support at the HV Climate Summit to pass EPR in the special session in July (and to double check if this is on the docket).
- Push municipalities to come together to push for this to be passed.
- Engage the business community to support this (Bob Rossi & New York Sustainable Business Council maybe room to collaborate here?)
- Should we push to have DEC mandate this or explore if it could it be an executive order?
🌱 Composting Mandate:
- Use successful city models like the City of Kingston as a roadmap to mandate composting for all communities in NYS.
- Find outlets & end markets for compost per community.
- Identify infrastructure and human capital needs per community.
- Create contamination mitigation strategies and strategic plans to identify intended impact (GHG reduction, money saved, etc.).
Big shout out to Marc Rider, Julie Noble, New Yorkers for Cool Refrigerant Management - Michael Helme, Lisa Radhika Kaul, Wren Kingsley, kate schmidt, Joanne Louis-Paul, Emily Hauser, and many more for making this discussion so lively and impactful! And to Melissa Everett, Joanne Louis-Paul, and the entire Sustainable Hudson Valley team for putting this event together!
Let's keep pushing forward to make the Hudson Valley a leader in the transition to a just, circular economy! ⭕
#Sustainability #CircularEconomy #ClimateAction #HudsonValley #MaterialsManagement #Reuse #Composting #EPR
I love what you guys are achieving around reuse. How do we get you involved in our projects where strip out is involved?