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• STAR 2020 Bin Grant Program

  • Start
    Mon, January 06, 2020
  • End
    Fri, February 28, 2020

  

  Applications for the STAR 2020 Bin Grant Program open Jan. 6!

  STAR's Bin Grant Program has been revamped! Our program is now sponsored by Busch Systems, whose support enables us to provide four grants to applicants this year. Schools, small businesses, and other entities, such as non-profits, can apply to receive up to $1,800 in brand new Busch Systems bins.

  STAR members get a 10-point boost in the scoring, so if you're not a member yet, apply now!

  Applications will be accepted through Friday, February 28, 2020.

  Visit our website Bin Grant Program page for more details and to apply.

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• Great American Cleanup Supply Requests Now Open

  • Start
    Mon, January 20, 2020
  • End
    Wed, April 01, 2020
  • Location
    Statewide

  GAC SUPPLY REQUESTS ARE NOW OPEN

  Here is some great news from our friends over at Keep Texas Beautiful! Keep America Beautiful’s (KAB) Great American Cleanup (GAC) supply requests are now open! GAC is the nation's largest community improvement program, taking place annually from March through May.  Here's everything you need to know to participate in a successful spring cleanup:  What: GAC is a program to support the efforts of Keep Texas Beautiful and KAB Affiliates, nonprofits, volunteers, corporations, scout groups and communities to join forces to keep Texas clean and beautiful. Cleanup activities can include beautifying parks and recreation areas, cleaning waterways, picking up litter - anything that keeps your community beautiful!  Where: GAC events can take place in any public area in your community needing some attention.  Ways to get involved: You can get involved by contacting your local affiliate, joining a GAC event near you or organizing your own cleanup event. KTB provides supplies and resources for events, as well as an online toolkit to help make your cleanup successful. Your organization does not need to be an affiliate to request supplies for the Great American Cleanup.  REQUEST SUPPLIES

  
  

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• STAR Webinar - Reuse in the Entertainment Industry

  • When
    Thu, February 27, 2020
  •  
    12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
  • Location
    online

  
  

  STAR Webinar

  Reuse in the Entertainment Industry

  ~ Register Here ~

  Free and Open to the Public

  Interested in learning what types of reuse take place in the entertainment sector? Join the STAR Reuse Council as we hear from organizations in different parts of the country about how they’re helping promote reuse on Broadway, on the New York Fashion Runway, in the hills of three Colorado music festivals, and adaptive reuse of a sports arena to a mixed-use facility in Memphis.

  Featuring:

  Bliss Green-Morehead, Communications Coordinator & Harriet Taub, Executive Director of NYC Materials for the Arts

  Susan Sampliner, Co-Chair of the Broadway Green Alliance

  Tom Marshall of O.T. Marshall Architects, Project Manager for the Memphis Pyramid

   Amanda Tollberg, Sustainability Coordinator for Planet Bluegrass

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• Rethinking Recycling Webinar with David Allaway, Senior Policy Analyst of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

  • When
    Thu, March 19, 2020
  •  
    1:30 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT)
  • Location
    Online

  
  

  RETHINKING RECYCLING Webinar to Feature David Allaway, OR DEQ - March 19

  Register Here for NERC's free webinar about Rethinking Recycling. The webinar will be held on March 19 at 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. (eastern time).
  
  Join us for the webinar with David Allaway, Senior Policy Analyst of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to discuss many facets of recycling.  Some of the points to be featured in the webinar are: 
    
  Recycling is an essential element of a sustainable future, but is it sufficient? And are there unintended consequences for society and the environment if we maximize recycling, “zero waste” or “circular economy” without a larger policy framework? The State of Oregon has conducted groundbreaking – and sometimes provocative – research into the environmental benefits and limitations of recycling. In this webinar, David Allaway from Oregon DEQ will summarize that research and suggest a path forward that will help communities and policymakers improve and optimize recycling while simultaneously activating additional solutions that achieve higher order goals of conserving resources and reducing pollution. 
  
  If you have any questions about the webinar, contact maryann@nerc.org NERC's Assistant Director. 

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• SPC Impact 2020

  • Start
    Tue, March 31, 2020
  • End
    Thu, April 02, 2020
  • Location
    Austin, TX

  
  

  
  

  The Sustainable Packaging Coalition's annual conference will be in Austin this year, March 31–April 2, 2020!

  STAR Executive Director Jordan Fengel will be speaking on the panel, "The State of Recovery in the Great State of Texas" on April 2nd, 8:30am - 9:30am, in Zlotnik Ballroom 3.

  SPC Impact 2020 is the flagship spring event from the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. With the backdrop of the beautiful University of Texas Austin, event attendees will immerse in 3 days of the latest on sustainable packaging topics, like:

  • Tilting the Balance for Reusable Packaging
  • Key Partnerships in Technology Development: How Petrochemical Companies are Key to Making Chemical Recycling Circular
  • The Next Frontier: Carbon and Climate Positive Packaging
  • The Next Generation: Challenging the status quo in the sustainable packaging industry
  • Targeting the Tube
  • Finding Common Ground in Paper and Plastic
  • Balancing your Packaging Strategy: When are Bioplastics the Right Materials for your Package
  • Digital Print in Packaging and its implications for Sustainable Packaging
  • Sustainable Packaging Uprising in the Fashion Industry
  • Film Recovery, Current and Changing Landscape in Policy and Market Needs
  • Technology, Forests, and Climate Change
  • From Farm to Shelf
  • Redefining Recycled Content with Innovative Solutions in a world of Chemical Recycling
  • Completing the package: Inks, Adhesives and Coatings
  • Faster, Better, Easier: at the Intersection of Convenience, Sustainability and Tech in Food Delivery
  • The Latest Trend: Sustainability in Polybags for the Fashion and Apparel Industry
  • The State of Recovery in the Great State of Texas

  Plus, a lot more sessions, panels, tours, masterclasses, ideas lab, workshops, working groups, evening social events and deep dive sessions.

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• Best Management Practices for Community Composting Webinar

  • When
    Tue, March 31, 2020
  •  
    1:00 PM - 2:15 PM
  • Location
    online

  
  

  Best Management Practices for Community Composting

  March 31, 1 - 2:15 p.m. EST
  

  Registration is required.

  
  

  This webinar will focus on the nuts and bolts of community composting, from siting and feedstock collection to system management and composting through the winter.  During the webinar, siting considerations, choosing a system, determining site capacity, and system management will be addressed. Lessons learned through case studies of community composting at rural sites, community gardens, and housing developments will also be shared.  

  This webinar is the second of a series on community-scale composting. The first webinar focused on the people involved in establishing sustainable community composting sites. A recording of the first webinar is available.  See Best Management Practices for Community Composting Team Building Webinar Recording & Resources.

  This webinar series is made available with funding from a USDA Rural Utilities Service Solid Waste Management Grant.

  For more information, contact Natasha Duarte, Composting Association of Vermont.

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• Earth X Expo & Conference

  • Start
    Thu, April 23, 2020
  • End
    Sun, April 26, 2020
  • Location
    Fair Park, Dallas, TX

  
  

  
  

  

  EXPO – APRIL 24-26

  CONFERENCE – APRIL 23-26
  

  FILM – APRIL 17-26

  
  

  EarthxConference is a series of conferences that convene for the purpose of cultivating relationships and forming partnerships between mission-driven advocates, investors, accelerators, researchers and other concerned world citizens. The conference goals are to educate, promote and instigate activities that sustain environmental initiatives with a substantial, positive impact on all living things and on our planet.

  STAR's own Executive Director Jordan Fengel will be speaking at the Conference! Check back here for details.

  
  

  EXPO is a major annual public event held around Earth Day in April to celebrate progress, hope, and innovation. Topping 137,000 in 2018, it has grown to become the largest event in the world of its kind. EXPO-Earthx2019 brings together environmental organizations, businesses, academic institutions, government agencies, speakers, interactive programming, and subject matter experts along with live music, art and food. EarthX creates a fun and engaging atmosphere for thought and experiential learning.

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• 3rd Annual Texas Reuse Tour

  • Start
    Thu, April 30, 2020
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • End
    Fri, May 01, 2020
  •  
    2:00 PM
  • Location
    Multiple Reuse Organizations in San Antonio
  • Spaces left
    42
  • Registered
    6 registrants

  Register

  
  

  Please join the STAR Reuse Council for the 3rd Annual Texas Reuse Tour, this year visiting San Antonio, April 30 - May 1!

  What? 2020 STAR Reuse Council tour of San Antonio! Join us for the 3rd Annual Texas Reuse Tour, as we spend 1.5 days visiting local reuse businesses, sharing knowledge and networking among reuse professionals from across the state. For the first Texas Reuse Tour, we checked out awesome businesses and buildings in Houston, and last year we had an amazing time visiting multiple locations involved in reuse in Ft. Worth. This year, we head to San Antonio, home of the Alamo, to scope out the fantastic people and places involved in material reuse!

  When? Thursday, April 30 (all day) and Friday, May 1 (half-day)

  Who? Professionals in the reuse, circular economy, or zero waste field, students, or any other individuals interested in expanding their reuse knowledge.

  Why attend? Last year we had over 20 professionals from across the state gather in Ft. Worth. Come discover what San Antonio has to offer and what ideas you may be able to bring home!

  • Tour 7+ reuse businesses of varying size, function, and mission to understand challenges, successes, operating processes for each business
  • Exchange ideas and network with professionals from private and public sectors involved with reuse activities
  • Hear from participants in a reuse panel during lunch on April 30
  • Brainstorm with industry professionals on adaptive reuse, growing reuse and art, and other topics

  Where are the tours?
  

  • Pearl Brewery Complex
  • Stella Education at Confluence Park
  • Spare Parts + Mini Art Museum
  • Project MEND warehouse
  • Goodwill San Antonio
  • H-E-B Recycling & Redistribution Center

  Registration info! 

  • $50 for STAR Members
  • $60 for non-STAR members

  What's included in registration?

  • All-day transportation on April 30, an opportunity for continued networking throughout the day, tours of multiple reuse businesses, and lunch. 
  • May 1 access to additional reuse tour locations in the morning via self or carpool transportation (recommended); lunch is not included on May 1. 

  Traveling from out of town? We will work with a local hotel to secure a small room block for attendees. Booking details will be provided closer to the event date.

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