Where: Zoom. Registration is required for this FREE event.
When: Friday, July 15 12 PM to 1 PM
Only 5% of plastic waste in the US was recycled last year, according to the Department of Energy. This dismal statistic underscores the growing failure of recycling to keep up with the growing volume of plastic trash.
The Plastic Free July movement is an annual reminder that individuals can play an important role in the solution to plastic pollution. Since the movement’s inception in 2010, over 100 million people in 190 countries have pledged to refuse single use plastics in July (and beyond).
While individual consumer actions are critical, to truly tackle the plastic pollution crisis we also need policies that require corporations to create circular packaging programs that design waste out of the system. In California, we will likely have an opportunity to vote on the Plastic Pollution Recycling and Reduction Act this November.
Please join us for an informative session about plastics - recycling, reduction and policy - focusing on local and state efforts to reduce waste. Participants will be empowered to take immediate, collective action.
Speakers
HEIDI SANBORN
Executive Director
National Stewardship Action Council
Heidi is the Executive Director of the National Stewardship Action Council (NSAC), a non-profit she founded in 2015 to advocate for a circular economy. She previously had been the founding director of the highly successful California Product Stewardship Council, and prior to that advisor to the Chair of the California Waste Management Agency now called CalRecycle. Heidi has been a leader in the solid waste industry for over 30 years based in California, focused on tangible solutions to advance a circular economy. She is an internationally recognized thought leader and advocate for producer responsibility who has spoken around the world. Heidi has been frequently published and interviewed on National Public Radio and CBS Nightly News, and quoted in Time Magazine, the Guardian, and the Wall Street Journal.
In 2020, Heidi was appointed by the California EPA to the Statewide Commission on Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling and was elected the Commission Chair. The Commission submitted a report to the California legislature June of 2021 with 30 policy recommendations to improve recycling and apply to the entire U.S and maybe beyond. Additionally, she serves on the California Treasurer’s Green Bond Market Development Committee and the California Department of Consumer Affair’s Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS) Advisory Council, and the Advisory Board for the Solid Waste Association of North America representing Materials Recovery.
In per private life, she is an elected official representing 170K Sacramentan’s on the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Board, a public power utility that has a plan to achieve zero carbon emission by 2030 to lead the nation off fossil fuel powered electricity. She and her husband Brad have three dogs and spend their free time at their vacation home at Lake Tahoe.
KATHI KING
Climate Education & Leadership Director
Community Environmental Council
Kathi King joined CEC in 2008 and is Director of Climate Education and Leadership. She manages the waste reduction program, including the successful Rethink the Drink bottled water reduction program in local schools and parks. In 2021, she began teaching the UC Climate Stewards course through a partnership with University of California, a certification program that works to build a committed corps of local climate activists. Kathi also serves on the board of the Montecito Association, as Festival Director for the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival, and as Board Treasurer of the Montecito Village Fourth and Beautification Day Executive Committee.
Kathi holds a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications and Film from San Diego State University, and did post-graduate work in Environmental Studies at Santa Barbara City College, where she contributed to the single use plastic bag ban. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and walking on the beach with family and friends.
PENNY OWENS
Education and Community Outreach Director
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
Penny Owens has led Channelkeeper’s education programs since she joined our team in 2004. She also manages Channelkeeper’s single-use plastic reduction initiative and our MPA Watch program. Prior to her work with Channelkeeper, Penny worked as an educator for several organizations and as a research diver in California’s kelp forests. She has a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz. Penny’s knowledge of marine and coastal ecosystems is a natural complement to her diverse field experiences in environmental education. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors in the ocean, mountains, or among plants.
Moderator
NADRA EHRMAN
Director of Sustainability
Towbes Group
CEC Board Member
Nadra Ehrman is a property management professional with over 15 years of experience in both the non-profit and private sectors. She is currently the Community Manager/Director of Sustainability with The Towbes Group in Santa Barbara, CA and has been with the company for 11 years. Prior to moving to Santa Barbara, she lived in San Diego and worked for San Diego Youth Services and St. Vincent de Paul, providing housing and support services to at-risk youth.
In her current Community Manager/Director of Sustainability role, she oversees a wide range of business activities and has been a leader in promoting sustainable business practices. She assisted in several green certifications of residential properties and spearheaded many sustainability initiatives throughout the entire portfolio.
Nadra is a Katherine Harvey Fellows alum and currently serves on the State Street Advisory Committee. She is a former member of the IREM (Institute of Real Estate Management) Central Coast Chapter 102 Board, and the Green Business Alliance, a business networking arm of the Santa Barbara Green Business program.
She received her BA from UC Santa Cruz, a Master’s of Science in Social Entrepreneurship at USC and the Accredited Resident Manager (ARM) ® certification from IREM.
When not working or serving on committees, Nadra enjoys spending time with her 16-year old daughter and is also an avid visual artist and yoga, fitness and Afro-Brazilian dance enthusiast.
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