Gary Liss
REVISED MEMO TO NRC
Many of us have been working to develop a National Recycling
Policy through the National Recycling Coalition since 1978 (see attached
history). The draft Advocacy Message could become the basis of a National
Recycling
Policy if NRC acts now to adopt and promote it.
This is a unique time in American politics. The environment has become a
major issue in this year's Presidential and Congressional campaigns.
Republicans have joined Democrats to call for the elimination of corporate
subsidies. The President has just released a comprehensive plan for
Sustainable Development. And the American people in numerous polls reiterate
their strong support for environmental protection.
There is, then, a unique opening to promote source reduction, reuse,
recycling and composting as central to advancing widely shared goals of
environmental protection and sustainable development. Congress and state
legislatures need to reduce or eliminate environmentally harmful subsidies
for extracting oil and minerals and for cutting trees, and at the same time
invest in conserving resources and creating jobs through recycling and source
reduction. The Draft NRC Advocacy Message has the potential of
communicating these important messages.
We urge NRC to adopt the Advocacy Message at the May Board meeting, to
immediately begin promoting the Message to Presidential, Congressional, State
and local candidates, and to work to get the Message incorporated in
Republican and
Democratic party platforms.
It is time for the NRC to act and lead. We hope that the NRC rises to this
historic challenge.