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| Product Stewardship Newsletter – Vol. 4 Issue 2 |
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PSI Welcomes New Staff Members: PSI welcomes Alicia MBenga (Executive Assistant), Jennifer Nash (Director of Policy and Programs), and Fortunato Associates (Development Consulting Group). PSI’s Development and Communications Associate, Erin Linsky, will be attending graduate school this fall, but will continue to work for PSI on a part time basis. The PSI full staff and consulting listing is available on the PSI website.
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New PSI Board: PSI elections were held at the annual membership meeting on June 3rd in Boston. PSI thanks outgoing Board Members Jim Hull (Missouri Department of Natural Resources) and Terry Gray (Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management) and welcomes new Board Members Tom Metzner (Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection) and Theresa Stiner (Iowa Department of Natural Resources). For the composition of the 11-member Board, see the PSI website.
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13 New Members Join PSI: Over the past 2 months, PSI membership has increased with 2 new State Members, 5 new Local Government Members, and 6 new Adjunct Council Members. New Full Members include NY Department of Environmental Conservation, Delta Diablo Sanitation District (CA), Boulder County (CO), and Fairfax County (VA). New Affiliate Members include TX Commission on Environmental Quality, City of Spokane (WA), and City of Santa Cruz (CA). Adjunct Council Members include Environmental Packaging International, Excelsior Graphics Inc., the Metropolitan Environmental Trust, Chrysalis Environmental Solutions, Timber Trading Group, and UltiMed. Full lists of PSI Government and Adjunct Council Members are available on the
PSI website.
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2008 PSI Forum A Success! PSI hosted another successful
National Product Stewardship Forum, described by attendees as “Best conference I’ve been to in many years!” and “Excellent as always…with real information and tools for further efforts.” PSI’s Forum continues to be the nation’s leading event for convening diverse interests that contribute to product stewardship solutions. This year, the Forum focused on retailers and emphasized the need to measure performance in all product stewardship programs. A keynote address by Rand Waddoups, Strategy and Sustainability Director for Wal-Mart, highlighted the special role that retailers can play in product stewardship and inspired attendees with a message of the “potential for positive change.”
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PSI Launches 12 Email Lists: PSI has recently launched 12 new email lists for those interested in sharing information on product stewardship in general and on specific product categories. To join a list, go to the PSI website
, which includes detailed instructions and the full list of topics.
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BBJ Article Update: PSI Executive Director, Scott Cassel, now writes a monthly column
in the Boston Business Journal. Recent column topics included the need for performance goals, and the opportunity for business leaders to shape the environmental agenda. Stay tuned for the next edition!
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5th Networking Call Series Sees Record Number of Registrants: This June, PSI wrapped up its 5th Networking Call Series on topics ranging from electronics export, to the retail role in product stewardship, to pharmaceuticals. Over 350 registrants attended the six calls in the series and gave exceedingly positive evaluations. This was a 35% percent increase in registrants over the last series. The next Networking Call series will begin in September. To provide topic ideas, or for questions, contact PSI’s Alicia MBenga.
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PSI Partnerships Abound: PSI continues to develop partnerships with key companies and organizations to create a multi-faceted product stewardship network to enhance our joint success. With the help of PSI Board Member, Jen Holliday (Chittenden County, VT), PSI partnered with the Product Policy Institute to create a new Vermont Product Stewardship Council comprised of local governments working to further product stewardship in the state. For a list of partners, and for information on how to partner with PSI, go to the PSI website.
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 FLUORESCENT LIGHTING On April 23-24, 2008, the first national multi-stakeholder fluorescent lamps national dialogue meeting took place with over 50 registrants. PSI facilitated discussion on source control and end-of-life management options, tasking three workgroups to address infrastructure for collection and recycling, bans and enforcement, and financing options. The meeting agenda, summary, participant list, and presentations are available on the meeting webpage. The next meeting will take place at EPA Region 10 headquarters in Seattle, WA on July 15-16. To register for the meeting and for more information, go to the PSI meeting webpage.
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 PHARMACEUTICALS: Over 120 people registered for PSI’s first national multi-stakeholder pharmaceuticals dialogue meeting on June 19-20 in Sacramento, CA. With PSI facilitating, participants discussed a proposed Issue Statement, Project Focus, and Project Goals, and developed four workgroups based on stakeholder interests in research/study, source reduction, collection options, and regulations. The meeting agenda, participant list, and presentations are all listed on the meeting webpage, with a meeting summary to be posted soon. The next meeting is sponsored by King Pharmaceuticals, and will take place in Washington D.C. in the Fall of 2008. Registration information will be distributed when the dates and location are confirmed.
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 MEDICAL SHARPS: Late last month, PSI held the first national multi-stakeholder dialogue meeting on medical sharps in Boston. Over 40 stakeholders met to discuss the issues of source control, collection and transportation infrastructure, regulations and enforcement, and education and outreach. See the PSI website for a meeting summary, participant list, and presentations made at the meeting. The meeting resulted in two work groups -- a Data Workgroup to better define the issue, and a Pilot Project Workgroup to evaluate current methods of collection and determine if additional pilots are needed. Workgroups will present findings at the next meeting, which will likely take place in the fall of 2008 in California (exact location and date TBD). The Final Medical Sharps Action Plan is also available on the PSI website.
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PAINT: In accordance with the 2nd Paint Memorandum of Understanding, PSI facilitated its 10th national paint dialogue meeting on April 30-May 1 in St. Paul MN. Participants refined a work plan that is the road map to conduct the nation’s first state demonstration for the collection, reuse, and recycling of leftover latex and oil-based paint. To begin implementing a Demonstration Project in the state of Minnesota, producer responsibility legislation was introduced in the Minnesota Legislature in Spring 2008 to address paint industry anti-trust concerns and to level the playing field for all manufacturers. The legislation included a fee that was invisible to the consumer, although it would still appear on the invoice sent from the manufacturer to the retailer. However, even with full industry and government support, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty vetoed the bill on May 15. Paint dialogue stakeholders will continue to pursue a pilot program in Minnesota, although other states are also being considered for the pilot in the event that Minnesota is deemed not to be a viable option for the 2009 legislative session.
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 MERCURY THERMOSTATS: Four states have passed mercury thermostat legislation since 2004, including Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Iowa, and others are currently considering legislation. PSI helped to mediate the ME thermostat law in 2004, which formed the basis for model legislation that PSI developed through stakeholder consensus. The VT, NH, and IA laws were all developed from this model legislation created by PSI. For links to the four thermostat bills, current legislation, and for further information, see the PSI website.
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 PHONE BOOKS: In the Fall of 2007, following two PSI-facilitated meetings, the Association of Directory Publishers (ADP) and the Yellow Pages Association (YPA) issued joint Environmental Guidelines for their members that one reporter called "historic". The Guidelines include the ability for consumers to “opt-out” of getting phone books, the development of recycling best practices, and environmental production criteria. Over six states have introduced legislation related to phone book opt out and/or recycling provisions. PSI is currently working with ADP and YPA on a memorandum of understanding that will ensure that the program is effective. For more information, see the PSI phone book project webpage, particularly the phone book prospectus.
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