Dear AOR members,

Welcome to the new year! January has been anything but boring, as we’ve been slipping and sliding our way into 2017. As we brush off 2016 and focus toward the future, we reflect on a tough year for some. 2016 was a year that pulled at many of our hearts and minds as we grappled with some tough issues: climate change (hottest year on record), international connectivity, domestic job development, and building a more inclusive, understanding and open society. All of these issues are clear and present today in 2017. As a small group of association members, AOR seems like a drop in the sea when it comes to some of these big issues.

Let’s go there anyways. Float with me for a second to imagine a vision for 2017… (cloud drifting, bird chirping, etc.) We live in a neighborhood where respect and the creation of positive engagement happens to every citizen. We use our abilities to ask the tough questions and do the hard work it takes to come together to create a system of sustainable materials management. We live in a state where consumers and producers share the responsibility of the full-life cycle of the materials we use in our lives. We live in neighborhoods where we share our tools and kitchen supplies with our neighbors. We create art from scraps of discarded materials, once thought to not have value. We live in communities that farm and cook together. We set aside and build with salvaged wood. We welcome the folks who moved next door with warm homemade cookies and make hearty meals for families welcoming the newly born. When it snows, we shovel the sidewalks for our older/wiser and physically challenged neighbors. We separate our food and recycling in our kitchens to be collected by our neighborhood haulers for a beneficial use in a composting or recycling facility. We are quick to listen and quick to attempt to understand. We think in terms of the collective, not just the individual. We think in terms of generations, not just in fiscal years. We come together for the good of the community. Please join me in participating in this vision at work, at home and play. We have so much to benefit by coming together.

Okay, floating back to earth (same cloud drifting, bird chirping, etc.). The AOR Board has a vision too and a mission to hosting educational events, enhance our understanding and connections to diverse perspectives, and lobby for legislation that support sustainable materials management. The AOR Board and volunteer members have been working hard to bring you valuable events and information to connect you to others working in materials management. We have a balanced budget, a world-class conference, tours, and one-day educational forums that cover the topics that you want to learn more about. Soon, we’ll have a newly revamped Recycling 101 online course that we will market to teachers and rural Oregonians thanks to the supporting partnership with Recycling Advocates and a generous DEQ grant.

The AOR Board is working hard for you, but we can’t do it without your guidance and help. AOR is always seeking volunteers at events and with committees. Please contact Amy Roth and let her know what your interests are and she’ll help you find an opportunity to help. Volunteering with AOR is fun and creates a community that we all can benefit from.

Thank you, hope to see you at our conference in Salishan!

Pete Chism-Winfield, AOR Chair