Businesses share insight on finding solutions to plastic pollution
Arlington, VA – The Alice Ferguson Foundation convened more than one hundred fifty policymakers, nonprofit partners, and local business owners for a one-day conference on solutions to local trash pollution. Now in its 12th year, the 2018 Trash Summit, themed “Business Solutions to Plastic Pollution” featured speakers from organizations and businesses, including KCI Technologies, Marriott International, Farmers Restaurant Group, Elevation Burger, Busboys and Poets, Our Last Straw and others. The event featured a keynote speaker from As You Sow, a nonprofit that works directly with large multinational corporations on recycling and waste diversion.
Conrad MacKerron, Senior Vice President of As You Sow, delivers the keynote address.
The event included speakers from the Virginia State Senate, Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection, the District Department of Public Works, the District Department of Energy and Environment, Prince George’s County Department of the Environment and George Mason University, among others. Speakers discussed the science and practice behind new trash reduction and management initiatives aimed at removing single use plastics from area restaurants, and how creative partnerships between businesses and organizations can raise awareness and drive systems change.
Other topics featured at the event included research conducted by George Mason University Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center, discussion from businesses on source reduction procedures and policies, data from D.C, Maryland, and Virginia trash reduction efforts, and a conversation on waste-reduction best practices.
Presentations and other resources from the conference are available online here.
12th Annual Trash Summit: Business Solutions for Plastic Pollution was made possible with support from George Mason University and other sponsors.
The Alice Ferguson Foundation’s educational programs unite students, educators, park rangers, communities, regional organizations, and government agencies throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to promote the environmental sustainability of the Potomac River watershed.