The conference, which runs Monday, Nov. 5 through Friday, Nov. 9, will open with a banquet and keynote address from keynote speaker Tedd Ward, Director of the Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority. Ward has promoted the creation of jobs from discards and environmental design, ending welfare for wasting, and zero waste for the last two dozen years.
Other topics include homesteading, deconstructing a “cheap society,” composting, the current state of recycling, bicycle learning, and sustainability.
The Zero Waste Conference is a convention for engaged citizens looking to create active change in waste and consumption practices, hosted by HSU’s Waste-Reduction & Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP). The conference provides the opportunity for students, professors, scientists, activists, and community members to come together and exchange ideas, experience, and expertise.
Through various keynote speakers, workshops, forums, film screenings, and performances, the conference aims to fuse power and people to promote a comprehensive and inclusive zero waste approach. With an emphasis on upstream waste prevention, it promotes resource recovery and conservation, and ultimately minimize landfill-bound waste. Prepare yourself to be challenged, excited, and inspired!
Zero Waste Conference series of events:
Monday | November 5
Bagel Brunch and Mindfulness, 10 a.m.–noon, Nelson Hall East 106
Join us for a free brunch sponsored by Los Bagels, followed by mindfulness meditation and discussion on how to create space and time for yourself in a society that equates time to money.
Zero Waste Banquet, 6 p.m., Kate Buchanan Room
Join us for a free zero waste meal catered by Eureka Natural Foods. Vegetarian and vegan options will be available.
Tedd Ward: The Waste We Want, 6:30 p.m. Kate Buchanan Room
Discard recovery relies on training our communities to waste responsibly. We need to avoid stumbling over what is actually handed to us as we take steps to get what we really want. Tedd Ward has promoted the creation of jobs from discards and environmental design, ending welfare for wasting, and zero waste for the last two dozen years.
Tuesday | November 6
Trash Talk & Walk, noon-2 p.m., meet at the UC Quad at noon and again at 1 p.m.
Trash Talk is a way to get students on campus thinking about waste and the trash that is littered around campus, while also being a space for concerned students to share general ideas about creating any sort of institutional change on campus.
Homesteading with Nick Perdue, 3-4:30 p.m., CCAT
In this talk, Nick Perdue, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, will present his creation of a site map for his homestead that helps identify the spaces within his yard for growth, and visualize a regenerative and resilient design. The goal is to change the flow of materials within the homestead. He will talk about the creation of the map, how to use it, and what a map means within the context of designing such a system.
Speakers & Panel: Quantity over Quality? Deconstructing a “Cheap” Society, 6-7:30 p.m., Founders Hall East 118
This interdisciplinary speaker series and panel features a discussion between HSU professors and students. It will break down the idea of cheapness and what this means within the context of globalized capitalism. A variety of perspectives will be presented, ranging from economics to geography, followed by an interactive conversation with the audience. Presenters include: Laura Johnson, HSU Geography instructor; Will Fisher, HSU Economics instructor; John Meyer, HSU Political Science Professor and Department Chair; and Brittany Panela, Environmental Studies student (Appropriate Technology).
Wednesday | November 7
Composting Workshop, 3-5 p.m., CCAT
Join the WRRAP Compost Team for a breakdown on how the life cycle of compost works (using yummy edible materials, pretzel rods, Oreo crumbles, gummy candy, chocolate pudding). Also learn more about the process of the campus wide composting system, explaining step by step of how our team reduces food waste. Then learn how to do it yourself with making a compost bag for your personal composting needs at your home!
Panel: The Current State of Recycling: Local and Global Perspectives, 4-5 p.m. Gist Hall 225
This panel discussion brings together experts in the fields of recycling and zero waste to shed light on the current state of recycling. Attendees can share in the discourse on the global and local issues shaping the recycling industry, on what materials are currently recyclable, and what steps we must take to see a future without waste.
Panelists include Tedd Ward, Director of the Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority; Emily Benvie, Environmental Programs Manager for the City of Arcata; Sintana Vergara, Professor in Environmental Resources Engineering; Julie Stewart, Secretary for Humboldt Surfrider; Sarai Lucarelli, Zero Waste Humboldt Board Member; Megan Tolbert, HSU Grounds & Recycling Coordinator; and Maureen Hart, Environmental Consultant. The moderator is Morgan King, HSU Climate Action Analyst.
Documentary screening and discussion: Albatross, 6 p.m., Science B 133
Albatross (97 minutes) is a powerfully moving love story that brings viewers together into a shared space of connection and reverence. On one of the remotest islands on our planet, tens of thousands of baby albatrosses lie dead on the ground, their bodies filled with plastic. Returning to the island over several years, the Albatross team witnessed the cycles of life and death of these birds as a multi-layered metaphor for our times. The viewer will experience stunning juxtapositions of beauty and horror, destruction and renewal, grief and joy, birth and death, coming out the other side with their heart broken open and their worldview shifted. Stepping outside the stylistic templates of traditional environmental or documentary films, Albatross takes viewers on a guided tour into the depths of their own spirits, delivering a profound message of reverence and love that is already reaching an audience of millions of people around the world.
Thursday | November 8
Bicycle Learning Center Workshop and Discussion, 5-6 p.m., CCAT
People choose to cycle for many reasons. Some enjoy the health benefits, or emotional satisfaction. Some cycle because they have no other transportation, or to protest automobiles, and many other reasons. Regardless, cycling in an automobile dominated world indeed reduces waste, from petrol to rubber— bicycles are far less resource intensive than cars. Accordingly, cycling far less relies on a resource-exploitive capitalistic economy that we currently live in. Instead, the action of bicycling empowers individuals and promotes self-reliance. Join Bicycle Learning Center mechanics as we discuss these topics regarding cycling as action to reduce resources, waste, and reliance on capitalism.
Keynote: Sustainability Approached by CSU Chico’s Associated Students, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Founders Hall 118
Join Maggie Scarpa and Jared Geiser as they talk about the efforts they have taken within Chico State’s Associated Students to move towards zero waste.
Friday | November 9
Clothing Swap, noon-3 p.m., CCAT
Join us for a clothing swap in conjunction with CCAT’s Volunteer Friday. All clothes are free, and you do not need to bring clothes to take clothes!
Tinker Time, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., UC Quad
A series of hands-on, interactive, DIY, and zero waste activities all day on the UC Quad, hosted by The Sanctuary, the BLC, CCAT, Cooperation Humboldt, and more!