LWV-Wake’s Environment Committee, in collaboration with Toward Zero Waste, will host the November Timely Topics event, a discussion of the problem of plastic pollution in North Carolina and recent efforts to combat this problem.
One of those efforts is HB-28, the NC Managing Environmental Waste Act of 2023. Championed by Rep. Harry Warren (R, Rowan), the bill’s primary sponsor, and Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), HB 28 is a bipartisan bill that allocates funds to the NC Policy Collaboratory to study the issue of food service ware and that aims to reduce the use of single-use plastic throughout the state.
Leading the discussion will be Grady O’Brien, Policy Associate with the North Carolina Conservation Network and Leigh Williams, Co-Founder of Toward Zero Waste. Mr. O'Brien will summarize the current status of the bill and will outline the challenges faced by legislators and environmentalists who are working to eliminate plastic waste. Ms. Williams will describe her journey towards zero waste and provide tips for how we all can reduce the solid waste we create in our homes.
The Environment Committee will be offering light refreshments for attendees. In a spirit of sustainability, all serve ware will be either reusable or compostable.
This will be an in-person event and is open to the public. Registration is required. We hope to see you there!
Speakers
Grady O’Brien - Policy Associate, North Carolina Conservation Network
Grady’s work includes tracking the state legislature, analyzing federal funding opportunities, and following water infrastructure and regulatory programs. Previously, Grady worked at the North Carolina General Assembly for a member of the House of Representatives. Grady lives in Apex, NC with his wife, Carrie, and daughter, Neve.
Leigh Williams - Co-Founder, Toward Zero Waste
Leigh has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Clemson University. She started moving “toward zero waste” in September of 2015 after reading Bea Johnson’s book Zero Waste Home. Bea’s single jar of trash a year for a family of four didn’t seem possible for Leigh’s family but she knew she could do better and was inspired to try. Leigh Williams is a wife and mom of two teenage girls who lives in Cary, NC. On January 1, 2019, she started her own version of a trash challenge to see how long it would take her family of 4 to fill up their 95 gallon curbside bin. They pulled their bin to the curb that year at the end of November!
About
North Carolina Conservation Network (ncconservationnetwork.org)
NC Conservation Network is a statewide network of over sixty diverse conservation, community, and environmental justice organizations focused on protecting North Carolina’s environment and public health. Launched in 1998, the organization’s member groups engage in collaborative environmental policy decision-making at all levels of government, creating a North Carolina committed to improving and protecting the state’s vast natural resources.
Toward Zero Waste
Toward Zero Waste is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting waste-conscious living in North Carolina through inspiration, education, and action.