UPDATED NEW SPEAKERS ADDED: Business Leaders Prepare to Talk Trash - Zero Waste Business Conference - San Diego

Posted Monday 02-15-2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, February 15, 2010

MEDIA CONTACT:
Adriana Herrera
ERA Communications
(619) 573-9372

Zero Waste Business Conference - San Diego
** Don't Let Your Bottom Line Go to Waste**

SAN DIEGO - What do the Del Mar Fair Grounds, Hewlett-Packard, and Toyota have in common? They all "talk trash" and increased profitability by diverting at least 90% of company waste from landfills, incineration, and the environment. On Wednesday, February 24, 2010, top business and environmental "trash talkers" will present zero waste strategies that increase profitability, benefit the environment, and increase public health at the San Diego Zero Waste Business Conference.

Presented by Zero Waste San Diego and Earth Resource Foundation, the one-day Zero Waste Business Conference will feature business experts from a variety of fields discussing the best practices in how to: reduce cost of waste management; increase savings in consumption of energy and materials; lower distribution costs; prepare to be in compliance with county and upcoming state commercial source separation requirements; and improve corporate image of environmental performance among regulators, customers and the public.

The conference will include sessions on Zero Waste Corporations Leading the Way, Hospitality: Zero Waste Providing Superior Experiences, and Special Venues & Events: The Zero Waste Zone. Sessions will include zero waste strategies presented by:

- Margo Reid-Brown - California Department of Resources, Recycling, and Recovery (CalRecycle)
- Ryan McMullan - Toyota Motor Sales
- Sue Beets - SBM Site Services, LLC/ Hewlett Packard
- Jo Licata - Hilton, San Francisco Hotel Non-profit Collaborative
- Leslie Lukacs - California Resource Recovery Association - Green Initiatives for Venues and Events Council
- Renee Robertson - City of San Diego
- Nancy Strauss - Del Mar Fairgrounds
- Laura Anthony - Zero Waste San Diego and San Diego Earth Day Fair
- Chris Gonaver - Environmental Services, City of San Diego
- Mayor Mark Lewis - City of El Cajon

Earth Resource Foundation Executive Director Stephanie Barger said, "Increasingly, companies are scrutinizing their operations for opportunities to protect profits and realizing that their waste represents valuable resources. This conference is designed to provide businesses with the strategies they need to minimize loss by reviewing their waste stream and fine-tuning their processes to become more efficient."

"The San Diego business community is developing a regional network of companies looking to increase profits by strengthening sustainability practices," said Richard Anthony, Board Member of Zero Waste San Diego. "Businesses in attendance will benefit from participating in conversations with companies that have successfully become at least 90% zero waste."

Taking place at the Marine Village, the conference begins at 9:00 am and concludes at 5:00 pm. Additional highlights of the conference include an address by Captain Charles Moore, founder of Algalita Marine Research Foundation and discoverer of the Pacific Garbage Patch, as well as networking opportunities, exhibits, awards luncheon, and post conference cocktail hour.

The conference is a fundraising event for Zero Waste San Diego and will help fund the organization's initiatives throughout San Diego County. Sponsors lending their support include EDCO, Waste Management, San Diego Earthworks, Allied Waste Systems, ERA Communications, and Sunset Waste Systems. Additional support is from the City of Chula Vista, the County of San Diego, and The Solana Center.

Conference registration is $275 and $100 for full-time students and small to medium sized non-profits. For registration information please call the Earth Resource Foundation office at (949) 645-5163 or visit http://www.earthresource.org.

The Marina Village is located at 1936 Quivira Way, San Diego, CA, 92109.

About Earth Resource Foundation
Founded in 1999, Earth Resource Foundation is an environmental, educational, non-profit organization developed to empower the general public with the resources needed to make environmentally sustainable choices and changes. The ERF mission is to redirect available human, technological, monetary, and academic resources to preserve, conserve, and restore the Earth's natural systems to a sustainable and healthy state. (http://www.earthresource.org)

About Zero Waste San Diego
Zero Waste San Diego's mission is to create, promote and implement programs that maximize management and conservation of resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming, and persuade citizens, businesses, and governments in the San Diego County region to adopt a zero waste philosophy. (http://www.zerowastesandiego.org)

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Editors Note: Pre-conference phone interviews available with select speakers available upon request

Request conference press kit here