Changing Consumer Behavior to Achieve Zero Waste Goals

October 25, 2023 from 12:45 pm to 1:45 pm

Speaker: Moderator: Christienne de Tournay Birkhahn • Speakers: Ignas Bolsakovas, Nathalie Owen, Jessica Shrout

Times are listed in Pacific Standard Time

Despite widespread knowledge that reducing consumption, followed by reuse, are key strategies in moving toward zero waste, these crucial components of the waste hierarchy continue to take a back seat in policies, programs, and implementation. Our panelists will explore ways to effect behavior change – both upstream and downstream – to achieve zero waste goals: how technology can drive and accelerate adoption of reusable food service ware packaging systems and make them the “norm”; how one municipality’s zero waste program is changing culture among staff, leadership, visitors, and vendors to keep Reduce and Reuse at the forefront of their Zero Waste efforts by embedding the “upstream” message everywhere; and doing a deep-dive into how people are currently talking about zero waste on social media, ways to join the conversation, and how haulers, communities, and other entities can leverage these platforms to their advantage and improve local knowledge of sustainable practices.

    Moderator: Christienne de Tournay Birkhahn, Zero Waste USA

    Speakers:
    Ignas Bolsakovas, Co-Founder, FoodWare, Using Technology to Drive Behavioral Change to Adopt Reuse & Zero Waste
    Nathalie Owen, Zero Waste Lead, Fairfax County Government, From Afterthought to Priority: A Reduce and Reuse Culture Change
    Jessica Shrout, President, Circle Three Branding,  Talking Trash on Social Media