NYSAR3 Committees
About the Conference Committee
The New York State Association of Reduction, Reuse and Recycling (NYSAR3) represents recycling professionals in New York State, including public officials, business professionals and individuals. As part of our organization’s outreach and education efforts we conduct an annual Recycling Conference and Trade Show in November. Our membership has sponsored and contributed to these annual events since 1990. Over the years, thousands of individuals have attended this leading edge conference and the trickle down of information and guidance reaches 100,000’s more new Yorkers.
A great deal of the work goes into this event from arrangements with the hotel, developing the agenda, finding speakers and attracting vendors and sponsors. The work of our membership is one of the reasons waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting have a strong foundation in NY.
We need support and assistance from our membership to assure that the Annual Recycling Conference continues to be a premiere event. Volunteers on the committee are always welcome!
Committee Members:
Debbie Jackson (Chair)
Jean Bonhotal
Gary Carrel
Gary Feinland
Ann Fordock
Lorinda Hill
Dan Lilkas-Rain
Kayla Montanye
Jan Oatman
Peter Pettit
Bodhi Piedmont-Fleischmann
Monique Quigley
Andrew Radin
Lisa Ruggero
Mary Schwarz
Kelli Timbrook
Dianne Woske
Melissa Young
Contact: Debbie Jackson at conference@nysar3.org
About the Elections Committee
The Elections Committee is responsible for administoring elections relevant to the Board of Directors and Bylaw revisions.
Committee Members:
Dawn Timm (Chair)
Dianne Woske
Contact:
About the Green Schools Committee
The Green Schools Committee is a program of the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling designed to provide public and private k-12 schools with seed, or start-up money for implementation of recycling and waste reduction programs. Since 2005, over 70 NYS schools have benefitted financially from the program, to say nothing of the environmental benefits achieved by instituting recycling and waste reduction programs in schools.
Committee Members:
Sayre Stevens (Chair)
Jamie Tuttle
Debbie Jackson
Kelli Driessen
Lorinda Hill
Theresa Mandery
Michelle Berglamp
Learn more about the Green Schools Grant Program
Contact:
About the Legislative Committee
For more than two decades, the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling (NYSAR3) -- and it members from the public and private sectors -- have played a leadership role in establishing environmental initiatives to reduce waste and increase recycling. A key part of that effort includes advancing legislation on the state level with a twofold purpose:
- Promoting public and environmental health, and
- Creating the sustainable materials management economy of the future.
NYSAR3’s legislative efforts help create a vibrant state economy and job growth by supporting statewide policies that capture more materials for recycling-related industries. Many of these materials, including plastics and electronics, were formally considered “waste,” and were headed for disposal, but are now the raw-materials for new products, and support tens of thousands of jobs throughout New York State.
Committee Members:
Learn more about NYSAR3’s support in recent legislative efforts
(Link to new page in resources "NYSAR3 Legislative Support")
Contact:
About the Media Committee
The Media Committee manages digital and print communications for the organization such as the NYSAR3 website and E-newsletter.
Committee Members:
Dianne Woske (Chair)
Lisa Ruggero
Savannah Betkowski
Ken Armellino
Dawn Timm
Kerri Scales
Contact:
About the Membership Committee
The Membership Committee leads the charge for recuriting and maintaining members of the organization.
Committee Members:
Theresa Evans (Chair)
Savannah Betkowski
Kelli Timbrook
Contact:
About the Recycling Leadership Awards Committee
Each year, NYSAR3 selects individuals and teams who have distinguished themselves by their exceptional contributions to recycling and waste prevention efforts in New York to receive Recycler of the Year awards. We all work with people who have labored tirelessly for recycling and waste reduction initiatives in New York and deserve the recognition. Taking the time to put someone’s achievements into words is much appreciated.
Award recipients typically demonstrate the following:
- A long-term commitment to waste prevention, reuse, recycling, composting, market development, or community involvement.
- Innovation in proposing or implementing new, modified, or unique technologies, processes, or promotion.
- Transferability of recycling or waste prevention programs, processes, or efforts.
The award(s) are presented at the Annual Recycling Conference & Trade Show.
Volunteers on the committee are always welcome!
Committee Members:
Debbie Jackson (Chair)
Andrew Radin
Terry Laibach
Marjorie Torelli
Download Recycler of the Year Application
View Past Recipients
Contact: Debbie Jackson
About the College Council
The College Council is a program of the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling designed to provide a forum for college students, staff and faculty to share information about common challenges and best practices related to recycling, waste prevention, and other environmental issues. The College Council is a membership-based program offering a number of members-only benefits, including its own listserve, an electronic newsletter, regional and statewide workshops, discounted memberships and conference registration fees.
Committee Members:
Lorinda Hill (Chair)
Dawn Timm
Kat McCarthy
Debbie Jackson
Kelli Driessen
Matt Lambert
Theresa Evans
Contact: Lorinda Hill
About the Organics Council
The Organics Recycling and Composting Council is a NYSAR3 group comprised of individuals who share a common interest to promote the importance of recovering edible food and diverting food scraps, yard trimmings, manure, and other organics from the waste stream through sustainable best practices, innovative policies and educational programs. It is currently comprised of five working groups including Education & Events, End Products & Marketing, Food Recovery, Infrastructure Development & Support, and Legislative.
Interest in organics diversion has grown tremendously over the past few years. With over 80 people involved in the Organics Council activities, the Council relies on five working groups to spearhead activities that work towards keeping organics such as food scraps, leaves and yard waste out of landfills. See below for more about these working groups. The Council continues to grow and expand its efforts towards supporting this important initiative across the state. In March 2015, a Community-Based Composting Summit with over 100 participants took place, connecting small to medium scale composters throughout New York State (NYS). In addition, the Council participates in ongoing organics diversion discussions throughout NYS, including participation in state meetings on proposed organics diversion strategies and development of NYSAR3’s legislative support memo on organics diversion policies and procedures.
Contact: Kat McCarthy, Waste Reduction and Recycling Specialist, Tompkins County Solid Waste
Working Groups
Education & Events |
Provides statewide information and guidance through outreach, education, and training on organics materials reduction, reuse/recovery, composting and anaerobic digestion opportunities and activities that will improve the environment. |
Contact: Jesse Kerns (Working Group Chair), Syracuse EFC |
End Products & Marketing |
Seeks to expand and educate on the end market use of stable organic residuals in New York State. Areas of focus include NYS Department of Transportation and NYS Thruway Specifications for use of compost, reviewing standards and labeling, and working with municipalities to utilize the finished product. |
Contact: Athena Lee Bradley (Working Group Chair) |
Food Recovery |
Supports and highlights successful strategies for reducing wasted food and promoting food donation by encouraging changes in behavior through education, practical tools, and information on starting or enhancing donation efforts. |
Contact: Gary Feinland (Working Group Co-Chair), DEC OR Pat Golden (Working Group Co-Chair), NYS Assembly |
Infrastructure Development and Support |
Acts as an information clearinghouse for infrastructure related issues and opportunities for organics diversion. In an effort to better understand the major barriers to collecting organic materials throughout the state, as well as to identify potential solutions, the working group has developed a benchmarking survey for waste haulers around the state. |
Contact: Currently seeking new Chair |
Legislative |
Supports organics diversion across the state by promoting, supporting, and furthering legislative initiatives related to organics. |
Contact: Kendall Christiansen (Working Group Chair), Gaia Strategies |
