This panel explores how grassroots communities across diverse contexts are advancing Zero Waste through culturally rooted, decentralized practices that prioritize reduction, reuse, and regeneration. Drawing from her doctoral research on ecovillages in Europe and Latin America, Beatriz Martins Arruda examines how these intentional communities manage waste through participatory systems, composting, and shared responsibility—often without using the term “Zero Waste” but embodying its core principles. Complementing this perspective, Larissa Wright-Elson from Anchor Gardens in Anchorage, Alaska, offers a northern lens on localized Zero Waste through community composting, seed-saving, material reuse, and education tailored to environmental and logistical realities. Together, these stories highlight how community-driven action and regenerative design can foster resilient, place-based solutions that move beyond conventional waste management toward systemic transformation. Neil Seldman from Zero Waste USA and Dan Knapp from Urban Ore will comment on why Zero Waste is essential for circularity and sustainability in our economy by highlighting specific policies, programs and enterprises that embody Zero Waste and can be implemented in rural, small town and urban settings.
Moderator: Kevin Drew, Zero Waste USA Advisor and Zero Waste Consultant
Speakers:
- Beatriz Martins Arruda, Researcher in Civil Engineering, University of Campinas
- Larissa Wright-Elson, Network Connector, Anchor Gardens
- Neil Seldman, Cornucopia Project Manager, Zero Waste USA
- Dan Knapp, Founder, Urban Ore