Recycler of the Year

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in Newport. The mission of their organization is to create unique and engaging experiences that connect you to the Oregon coast and inspire ocean conservation. The Aquarium is a living classroom for all learning styles and ages. As one of Oregon’s top tourist attractions, the Aquarium is a vital educational resource for the state, with over 40,000 students visiting the Aquarium each year. In recent years, they have started evaluating their role in how they can conserve oceans and minimize marine debris.

The Driving Diversity Program, nominated by Kristin Leichner of Pride Disposal, started shortly after he Portland Haulers Association (PHA) DEI consultant Johnell Bell, Founder/President of Espousal Strategies connected PHA with Worksystems. Worksystems brought along partners Interstate Trucking Academy and SE Works to join with PHA in building the program. Driving Diversity in Portland prepares participants for family-wage driving jobs with benefits at PHA member companies.

Lauren Norris, long-time leader of the Portland Master Recycler Program, recently retired. Colleagues and former Master Recycler students nominated Lauren to receive a Lifetime Achievement Awards. Genevieve Joplin of the City of Portland, presented and accepted the award on Lauren's behalf. This is what Genevieve had to say: 

Nominated by the City of Gresham, here is what award presenter Gretchen Sandau had to say about this group:

Nominated by Cathy Brown of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Eastern Region, she felt compelled to shine the light on this winner and their efforts that extend beyond materials and sustainability. While providing mental health support and well-being in their community, this organization has also led a grassroots effort in rural Oregon that targets an impactful material: food waste. 

Elaine Blatt and the Bad Apple Campaign was nominated by Sanne Stienstra of Oregon DEQ. Sanne had this to say as she presented the award: 

Original Story by Keely Chalmers from KGW, July 2018

photos from Looptworks

A Portland company is taking old Delta Airlines uniforms and "upcycling" them into something new and quite useful.

Many of the recycling/waste reduction coordinators that work with schools are jointly nominating Nancy Bond for the AOR Lifetime Achievement award. Nancy will be retiring in June after a long and successful career as a Resource Conservation Coordinator for Portland Public Schools. 

Free Geek stands out in the recycling ecosystem because of its unique circular model. By taking two massive societal problems—e-waste and the digital divide— and pointing them at each other, Free Geek uses one problem to solve the other.

The SRC Network is a networking group for those working in the sector of schools sustainability implementation in the Portland  Metro  region. They  meet  every  other month to share projects, resources and ideas, successes and challenges, troubleshoot issues and hear from speakers on topics that move their work forward.