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Who are
we?
The Zero Waste Alliance is a
non-profit partnership of universities, government, business and other
organizations working to develop, promote and apply Zero Waste strategies.
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Our Mission
is to support organizations in the creation of a more sustainable
future.
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Our Objective
is to provide improved profitability, competitiveness and
environmental performance through the development and implementation
of practices that lead to the reduction and elimination of waste and
toxics.
ZWA is a national leader providing assistance to industry sectors and organizations for development and implementation of standards, tools and practices that lead to the reduction and elimination of waste and toxics for a more sustainable future.
| "Zero
Waste cuts costs, improves competitiveness and improves
environmental performance." |
Newsworthy!
- Zero Waste tops Newsweek's list of 10 fixes to save the planet. April 14, 2008. Read the article
- Oregon Sustainability Award for EPEAT Development was received June 1, 2007. Story and pictures
- ZWA's Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool selected as one of the Top 10 Green Business Stories of 2006 by GreenBiz.com!
- ZWA's Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool named in Presidential Executive order: "Annually, 95% of electronic products purchased must meet Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool standards where applicable." 1/24/07 View the Executive Order.
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Some of
Our Major Initiatives
What are
we about?
What
is Waste?
Waste
is a resource in
disguise.
It represents a failure of our processes and products and a loss of
money. We
recommend that the entire concept of waste should be eliminated from our
thinking and the word resource be substituted.
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Why
Zero Waste?
A
Zero Waste strategy will lead to faster innovation and movement far beyond
incremental approaches that don’t include an endpoint goal.
It is a bold vision that includes an endpoint goal.
While at the start the methods are unknown, without the goal the
results cannot be achieved.
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recognize that nature is cyclical and has no waste.
Our industrial pathways must follow this design set by
nature if we are to become sustainable.
Zero Waste supports sustainability by reducing extraction
from, and eliminating waste to, nature, improving economic
efficiency and making more resources available to all. |
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More
About Zero Waste
Take a Virtual Tour of the Case for Zero Waste!
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Zero
Waste Alliance Services
The
Zero Waste Alliance, with the assistance of its associates and broad
resource base, provides management support, training and education
and technical services to organizations wishing to improve efficiency and
profitability by reducing their environmental impacts.
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Management
support includes assessments and strategy development,
planning and assistance and guidance in implementing formal
environmental management systems, zero waste initiatives and
sustainability programs.
Training, and education is provided on the tools,
methods and concepts of Zero Waste and industrial ecology.
Of special interest are Life-Cycle Assessments, Full Cost
Accounting, Green Chemistry, Design for the Environment and
Environmental Management Systems. Delivery is through conferences,
workshops and speaker services.
In addition, because education of all people is a critical
requirement for a sustainable future, we have also initiated a
K-12 Sustainable Schools Program. The program features a
comprehensive approach to integrating sustainable practices in all
aspects of school operations and curriculum.
Technical services include identification of
more benign replacements for hazardous materials, research on key
topics of interest, development of custom training programs
and a resource clearinghouse to identify resources with the
capability to assist in the identification of solutions to
the most difficult problems.
More
about Services
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Benefits
of Zero Waste Strategies
Zero
Waste strategies have been adopted by large and small businesses and by
both foreign and domestic governments.
The results have included increased
profits resulting from significant cost savings, improved environmental
performance, and stronger local economies.
The result will be economically healthy organizations, healthy
communities and a healthy environment for future generations.
Zero Waste strategies support all phases of the sustainability
movement: healthy economy, healthy economics and a healthy society.
The
following companies have saved through using Zero Waste strategies to
reduce waste and improve efficiency:
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Interface, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia has eliminated over $165M in waste.
- Xerox
Corp., Rochester, New York has had a Waste-Free Factory environmental
performance goal since the early 1990’s.
The criteria include reductions in solid and hazardous waste,
emissions, energy consumption and increase recycling.
This program resulted in a savings of
$45M in 1998.
- Hewlett
Packard in Roseville, California reduced its waste by 95% and saved
$870,564 in 1998.
- Epson
in Portland, Oregon has reduced its waste to zero and has saved $300,000.
More
Case Studies
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Letter
from the Executive Director
Click here
to read a letter from ZWA’s Executive Director Larry
Chalfan, former-CEO of Oki Semiconductor Manufacturing, the first company
in Oregon to become ISO-14001 certified.
Zero Waste Alliance
121 SW Salmon Street, Suite 210,
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 279-9382, Fax (503) 279-9381
www.zerowaste.org
The Zero Waste Alliance is a program of
the
International Sustainable Development
Foundation,
a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
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