[GreenYes] CA Adopts Zero Waste as a Goal

[Gary Liss <gary@garyliss.com>]

Apologies for Cross-Postings

In a stunning victory for advocates of Zero Waste, the CA Integrated Waste 
Management Board (CIWMB) has adopted Zero Waste as one of its seven goals 
in the adoption of its Strategic Plan on Tuesday, November 13, 2001.

The Draft Strategic Plan (November edition) posted on the CIWMB website 
(http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/agendas/mtgdocs/2001/11/00006552.doc)
was adopted with only some minor word changes.  Once those word changes are 
incorporated, the final adopted Strategic Plan will be posted to the CIWMB 
website.

Some excerpts from the Strategic Plan are pasted in below.  There's lots 
more good reading, so go to the CIWMB website and check it out.

Thanks to all those who wrote in support of Zero Waste!  For more 
information, contact CIWMB Public Affairs Office at 916-341-6300.

Gary Liss
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Excerpts from CIWMB Draft Strategic Plan of November 2001:

Page i
"Key themes in this 2001 Strategic Plan are sustainability, product 
stewardship, energy recovery, environmental justice, and safe disposal of 
waste. As we look ahead, we must focus on changing not only our actions, 
but also our very understanding about resources. Waste is a resource that 
Californians are using inefficiently. As natural resource stewards, our aim 
is toward a zero-waste philosophy which focuses on the most efficient use 
of our natural resources in order to reduce waste and protect the 
environment. The Board is committed to working in partnership with local 
government, private businesses, and product manufacturers to develop a 
future modeled on resource stewardship and waste minimization."

Page 3
"Our Vision
A sustainable California, where our unique natural environment is preserved 
for future generations.

Our Mission
To reduce waste, promote the management of all materials to their highest 
and best use, and protect public health and safety and the environment, in 
partnership with all Californians."

Pages 4-5
"Our Priorities
The Board's strategic priorities are based upon the mandates contained in 
AB 939, which include diversion of waste from landfills based on a 
hierarchy that prioritized waste reduction and recycling over all other 
options; enhancing public outreach programs and environmental education in 
schools; improving landfill safety; and protecting public health and safety 
along with the environment. A more detailed discussion of why these goals 
were chosen and what we hope to achieve in each of these areas is contained 
in the section of this plan entitled "Our Goals, Objectives, and 
Strategies." Following are the Board's seven strategic goals:
1.	Increase participation in resource conservation, integrated waste 
management, waste prevention, and product stewardship, and manufacturer 
responsibility to reduce waste and create a sustainable infrastructure.
2.	Assist in the creation and expansion of sustainable markets to support 
diversion efforts and ensure that diverted materials return to the economic 
mainstream.
3.	Educate the public to better understand and participate in resource 
conservation and integrated waste management strategies.
4.	Manage and mitigate the impacts of solid waste on public health and 
safety and the environment, and promote integrated and consistent 
permitting, inspection, and enforcement efforts.
5.	Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Integrated Waste 
Management Board in pursuit of its mission.
6.	Continuously integrate environmental justice concerns into all of the 
Board's programs and activities, including administrative and budgetary 
decisions.
7.	Promote a "zero-waste California" where the public, industry, and 
government strive to reduce, reuse, or recycle all municipal solid waste 
materials back into nature or the marketplace in a manner that protects 
human health and the environment and honors the principles of California's 
Integrated Waste Management Act."

Page 7
"Our Vision, Mission, and Values
In developing our vision statement, the Board is looking toward a 
desirable, achievable future, where materials used in all aspects of 
manufacturing and the production of goods and services are managed to 
create sustainable systems-systems that reduce environmental impacts and 
that value, invest in, and reward long-term environmental benefits. This is 
a future where Californians buy green, build green, grow green, drive 
green, and live green. Through these efforts, our collective environmental 
footprint is reduced despite increased population and the accompanying 
infrastructure demands. Ultimately the ability of future generations to 
meet their needs in a sustainable system is not compromised. Thus, our 
mission reflects the drive to change how we produce waste, in effect, what 
waste is, by managing materials differently. Our values express our 
operating philosophies and guide how we work together to fulfill our vision 
and mission.

Together, the vision, mission, and values chart the course for the 
continuing culture change we wish to achieve in the coming years. "




Gary Liss
916-652-7850
Fax: 916-652-0485

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