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| This event is sponsored by the Council of State Governments, Maine State Chamber of Commerce, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine . |
Please join legislators, government, business representatives, solid waste officials, and environmental advocates for "The Product Stewardship State Legislative Forum." This free forum, taking place in conjunction with the Council of State Governments Eastern Regional Conference, is an exciting opportunity to learn about how product stewardship – an innovative policy approach to reinvent the way we make, use and dispose of consumer products – is sweeping the nation and what it means for you, your state, business, local solid waste district, and our environment.
When: Tuesday, August 17th, 2:15 to 5:15 p.m.
Holiday Inn By the Bay, Spring Street,
Portland, Maine
Council of State Governments Eastern Regional Conference
Who: Legislators, business leaders, economic development and environmental agency program staffers, local/state government and solid waste officials, NGO environmental protection organizations
Register Online:
To register for the Product Stewardship Forum only, please call Beth at (207) 430-0106. Online registration is closed, but you can still call to register for this event. The Product Stewardship forum is free and open to the public. We do ask that you register in advance.
If you would like to register for the Council of State Governments Eastern Regional Conference, please click here. (*Note: if you are registering for the conference, please also register for the Product Stewardship Forum.)
If you would like to register for the entire day of Conference events for Tuesday, August 17th, click here. The day rate ($150) includes: attendance at Energy and Environment and other committee meetings, the keynote luncheon, Product Stewardship Forum, an evening reception, and the State of Maine dinner event.
Lodging Information:
The Council of State Governments has secured reduced room rates at the Holiday Inn by the Bay during the conference. Here’s the link to register: www.epicintl.net/csgevent/portland10/.
The city of Portland offers many different destination hotels, and others are listed here for your convenience: www.mainehotels.org/cities/Portland/.
For more information about the forum or how to register, please contact Matt Prindiville at mprindiville@nrcm.org or (207) 430-0144 or Maine State Representative Melissa Walsh Innes at melissawalshinnes@gmail.com or (207) 318-8742.
Background:
Many states and provinces are passing laws to involve manufacturers, retailers and consumers in taking shared responsibility for the impacts to human health and the natural environment that result from the production, use, and end-of-life management of consumer products and packaging, especially products that contain toxic materials. The policy concept, known as product stewardship, has become one of the dominant policies governing production and solid waste in the European Union, Canada and Japan and has led to numerous laws around the world that direct manufacturers to set up and finance collection and recycling programs for consumer products and packaging.
This forum pulls together some of the best minds working on product stewardship in North America as speakers and workshop leaders in order to shed light on new policy developments, challenges and opportunities and what it means for business and government. This forum is open to all CSG Conference participants as well as the public.
Speakers and Panelists:
Sierra Fletcher is the Director of Policy and Programs at the Product Stewardship Institute. PSI is a national, non-profit organization which pursues initiatives to ensure that all those involved in the lifecycle of a product share responsibility for reducing its health and environmental impacts. Prior to joining PSI in 2007, Sierra worked on oil spill prevention and response issues with industry, government, and nonprofit stakeholders in Alaska, as well as other multi-stakeholder environmental initiatives and policy research in the U.S., Middle East, and Cambodia. She has also taught environmental education in coastal Maine and worked in business development at a Washington, DC renewable energy and energy efficiency consulting firm. Sierra has a master’s degree in environmental policy and conflict resolution from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and an undergraduate degree in anthropology from Yale University.
Neil Hastie is President & CEO of Encorp Pacific (Canada). Encorp Pacific was founded in 1994 and is an industry operated, not for profit, Product Stewardship Corporation acting on behalf of 250 brand owners of non-alcoholic beverages and in excess of 1000 brandowners of beverage alcohol. The company is responsible for the administration, consumer education and recycling programs for all non-alcoholic containers and all wine, spirits and non-refillable import beer and cooler containers in British Columbia. It operates a network of 170 independently owned depots and transportation and processing infrastructure servicing a population of 4 million. Encorp Pacific recycles 175 million pounds annually of mixed aluminum, plastic, glass and fibre board containers with an annual cash flow of C$140 million. Encorp, as a service provider, manages the recycling of dairy containers on behalf of the Dairy Council of BC and end of life electronics on behalf of Electronics Stewardship Association of BC.
Jennifer Holliday has worked in the environmental field since 1985 and has developed and managed the household hazardous waste program for the Chittenden (Vermont) Solid Waste District, the largest solid waste district in Vermont, since the program started in 1991. She has served on numerous advisory committees concerning solid waste in Vermont. Currently she serves as the Vice-Chair of the State of Vermont’s Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution. Committee members are appointed by the governor to advise the Legislature and public on matters related to mercury pollution. Jen has been a strong advocate for product stewardship in Vermont including educating local and state government officials on product stewardship and lobbying for EPR legislation. She is a founding member and Chair of the Vermont Product Stewardship Council formed in 2008 to work on EPR initiatives in Vermont. On a national level, she has been an active participant in the PSI Paint Dialogue as well as collaborating with other product stewardship leaders in the United States and Canada on product stewardship initiatives. She has served on the PSI Board of Directors since 2006 and on the Executive Board for the past two years.
Melissa Walsh Innes is an elected State Representative in the Maine Legislature, and currently serves on the Joint Standing Committee on Natural Resources. Melissa has successfully sponsored new laws that protect working mothers and elderly patients, as well as co-sponsoring Maine’s CFL EPR law. Melissa especially enjoys her work on environmental issues, voting to increase protections for Maine people, wildlife and the environment through her committee work. Her current focus is on safer chemicals policy at the state and national level as well as promoting the sustainable management of materials through product stewardship. Melissa is the sponsor of Maine’s first-in-the-nation Product Stewardship Framework Law, and currently works with legislators, businesses, NGO’s and consultants around the world to help foster a constructive dialogue in this policy area. Melissa has a degree in Social Work from the University of Southern Maine, and has worked in the Yarmouth school system for 4 years. She was formerly the Principal of Breathing Space Organizing. She is also the past Chair of her town’s Energy Conservation Committee, and has helped youth empower themselves through green initiatives by forming the ‘Earth Savers Club’ in her hometown.
Mark Kurschner is the president of Product Care Association. Product Care’s slogan is "Product Stewardship Solutions." It is a Canadian non profit industry association managing extended producer responsibility programs for household hazardous and special waste. Product Care currently operates all or part of paint/HHW stewardship programs in five provinces. Product Care is also the program manager for Canada’s first industry managed electronics stewardship program, SWEEP, the Saskatchewan Waste Electronic Equipment Program. On July 1, 2010 Product Care launches the British Columbia fluorescent lamp program. In a new direction, Product Care is working with PaintCare as program manager of the first US paint stewardship program in Oregon, which also has a July 1 start date. Mark is based in Vancouver, Canada (home of the 2010 Winter Olympics!).
David Littell is Commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, where he heads an agency of 410 scientists, engineers, biologists, and environmental specialists who protect Maine's water, land and air resources. As Commissioner since 2005, he has advanced environmental initiatives ranging from first-in-the-nation product stewardship laws to Maine’s Climate Action Plan to Maine’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan. He has also led initiatives including a Governor’s Task Force to reduce toxic chemicals in consumer products and children’s products in particular with implementation of the Toxic Chemicals in Children’s Product law.
Gerard Maclellan is the Executive Director of Atlantic Canada Electronics Stewardship (ACES), Canada's most comprehensive end-of-life electronics recycling program. Gerard is a former Executive Director with Nova Scotia Environment (NSE) and has a comprehensive background in developing and administering environmental waste management stewardship programs. With more than 30 years of experience at NSE, Gerard has worked with government agencies throughout the Atlantic Provinces. His wealth of knowledge regarding environmental policy and sustainability targets will enable ACES to continually exceed its mission and mandate to responsibly recycle electronics. ACES is a not-for-profit association representing brand owners, manufacturers, retailers and other stakeholders committed to collecting and recycling electronic waste in an environmentally responsible manner. ACES' goal is to divert material from export or landfill in full compliance
with local, provincial and federal requirements.
Matt Prindiville is the Clean Production Project Director and Legislative Coordinator at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. NRCM is Maine’s leading, membership-supported, environmental advocacy organization, promoting science-based, solutions-oriented policy on multiple issues including energy, land conservation, river restoration, and promoting a sustainable economy. Matt joined NRCM in 2003, and has been at the forefront of product stewardship and safer chemicals policy in Maine and the United States, helping to pass first-in-the-nation EPR programs for electronic waste, mercury-containing thermostats, fluorescent light bulbs and the nation’s first product stewardship framework law. Matt has also worked to phase out the use of lead, mercury, and toxic brominated flame retardants in consumer products and has helped advance the nation’s first comprehensive chemicals assessment program at the state level. Prior to NRCM, Matt conducted campaign planning, organizing and issue advocacy for non-profit organizations and political campaigns.
Heidi Sanborn is an independent consultant providing product stewardship/Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and integrated waste planning services and solutions to public, non-profit, and private sector clients. Her strong skills at bringing partners and stakeholders together in a collaborative process have lead to successful project development and implementation at the local, state, and national level. Located in Sacramento, California, Heidi has most recently been instrumental in the design and development of product stewardship strategies for individual jurisdictions, states, and organizations throughout the United States.
View the full agenda