Ten NCRA members have submitted ballot statements to serve on the 2018 NCRA Board of Directors. There are five positions to fill. Voting opens December 7 and closes December 21 at 11:59 pm. The election results will be presented to the Board of Directors on December 22 and to the membership soon afterward.
Custom voting links will be emailed to members on December 7. If you do not receive our email but believe you should (i.e. your membership is current as of December 6, 2017), please email the office and we will email the link again.
CANDIDATES 2018: Shova Ale Magar, Nik Balachandran, Alina Bekkerman, Susan Blachman, Tim Dewey-Mattia, Janette E. Drew, Alex Hoffman, David Krueger, John Moore and Laura Zamora
Shova Ale Magar
I spent the summer after high school teaching workshops at the district–level wastewater treatment plant in Kathmandu, Nepal. During a workshop one weekend, I was inspired by the enthusiasm and curiosity of the 50 community members who had given up their weekend to learn about the project. That weekend taught me that environmental stewardship begins at the individual level. Everyone has a role to play.
I feel this every day in my work as a municipal recycling coordinator at Waste Management Inc. The actions we take individually grow into collaborative communities, from policies to enforcement, to education and out to individuals doing their part.
My career has included managing Green Citizen’s electronics recycling center in Mountain View where I assisted about 50 people a day who came in to recycle light bulbs, MacBooks, and even the occasional talking teddy bear. As a volunteer co-organizer of Zero Waste Youth USA’s 2016 and 2017 Convergences, I negotiated and managed the venue for the day-long event with 170 attendees including students, speakers, and vendors in the field. Collaboration including individuals and communities moves us toward a zero-waste world.
I humbly offer my experience to serve on the NCRA board.
Nik Balachandran
I would like to submit my candidacy for a position on the NCRA board. An avid environmental advocate, I regularly participate in beach cleanups and successfully led a campaign to end prepared food displays at corporate cafeterias that are discarded at the end of the shift. For years I have been reducing, reusing more, thereby, decreasing the need to even recycle. Along the way, I have educated people on how and why this is important.
Recently, I decided to make Zero Waste part of my career. I have years of experience as a data scientist in tech startups analyzing vast amounts of sensor data for actionable insights. I saw a great potential to marry innovation, technology, and waste. So I founded Zabble to help businesses track and reduce waste, save money and protect the environment. Since then I have been able to really understand industry trends and legislation, meet and learn from numerous inspiring people. In August, I earned a certification from USGBC as a Zero Waste advisor.
I believe that I bring a fresh perspective to the industry and could really aid NCRA in continuing their Zero Waste initiatives. I am very committed to my work. Your vote would be greatly appreciated.
Alina Bekkerman
As a Zero Waste advocate, I believe the next two years are critical and require a significant paradigm shift from a consumer mindset to a low-energy lifestyle
I humbly submit my candidacy to join the NCRA 2018 board, in service to our broader community and NCRA members.
In 2014 I first had an epiphany about the importance of waste stream management and recycling education while abroad in Ecuador, where I started a small program call Proyecto Puerto López Limpio. Upon my return home, I was first introduced to Bay Area initiatives as a volunteer for RU in 2015. In 2016, I joined the Zero Waste Youth Convergence planning committee, helping with fundraising, communications, and logistics. I co-directed the 2017 ZWYC, and continue to serve on the planning team for the 2018 event in a supporting role.
I would like to join the NCRA board to help collaborate on event production and education initiatives for RU and throughout the year. I believe that together we are a stronger movement, and would like to help connect individuals, organizations, and communities, promoting programs that inspire and educate the Bay Area and beyond.
Susan Blachman
A long-time NCRA member and a great fan of RU, I attended the 2014 Zero Food Waste Forum and got hooked. Ruth Abbe, John Moore and I launched NCRA’s Zero Food Waste Committee and with help from Susan Miller-Davis wrote Commercial Food Waste Reduction in Alameda County, the first-ever study of wasted food prevention and recovery efforts and opportunities in Alameda County. I presented our findings at RU2017, BIOCYCLE REFOR17 and NCRA’s Introduction to Recycling.
I plan to support NCRA’s efforts to further prevent food and other organics from being landfilled. This would include organizing another Zero Waste Food Forum and sharing local jurisdictions’ SB1838 compliance strategies (SB1383 requires California to meet organic waste reduction goals, including edible food recovery).
I was a City of Berkeley’s Zero Waste Commissioner for 8 years, co-chaired the Golden Gate Pollution Prevention Committee, was on the Western Regional Pollution Prevention Network Steering Committee and helped found the Women’s Environmental Network. I’ve been a member of the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, the National Healthy Nail and Beauty Salon Alliance, and the California Product Stewardship Council.
Tim Dewey-Mattia, Incumbent
I was elected to the NCRA Board 2 years ago, and I kindly ask the membership for a chance to serve another term. I’m the Recycling & Public Education Manager for Napa Recycling & Waste Services – the local franchise hauler and operator of Napa’s Recycling & Composting Facility
I got my start in Zero Waste over 20 years ago – first with the Middlebury College recycling program, and then for non-profit recycling organizations in San Francisco. I’ve been at Napa Recycling for 12 years and work on program development, implementation and outreach…plus I talk about chickens & earthquakes at Recycling Update.
As NCRA board member and co-chair of the Outreach & Activities Committee, I’ve helped coordinate events, organize facility tours, & fundraise for Recycling Update. I believe NCRA can and should be a leader on the hot topics of the day, including increasing organics diversion through more infrastructure and program participation and finding solutions to the current recycling market woes.
NCRA and our members are Zero Waste pioneers, and I am honored to help carry that forward. We are a collaborative, exciting, and down-to-earth bunch, and I’d be pleased to continue to serve on the Board.
Janette E. Drew
I welcome the opportunity to be of service to NCRA. I believe that recycling, stewardship, and excellent governance are perfect partners for our community. I am passionate about our environment and the preservation of our beautiful area for future generations to enjoy.
I am grateful to live in an area that takes its waste management seriously and constantly seeks to implement best practices on an ongoing basis. NCRA’s efforts ensure that there is a voice and a platform for recycling concerns to be heard and in particular, actions be taken.
My contributions:
- Trustee of a national nonprofit managing billions of member assets
- Member, Socially Responsible Investing
- Trustee of a local nonprofit providing care & support to at risk families
- Member, Finance committee
- Commercial Finance and banking background
- Various leadership roles: President, Chairperson, Secretary, Executive
- Participant, Clean the Bay
- Master Recycler graduate, RecycleSmart’s inaugural program, 2016
I am a 19 year resident of Contra Costa County and have held various local and national community relations roles. I have successfully built and maintained good relationships between the organization and interested parties including governing bodies, community organizations, clients, and other stakeholders.
Alexandra Hoffmann-Bradley, Incumbent
My Zero Waste career began a decade ago as a Recycling Coordinator for Waste Management. I later worked in electronics recycling, now I’m focused on climate change and textiles. I’m proud to have written two SFE Zero Waste grants totaling $100,000. I’m currently developing textile recycling programs and outreach for local schools. My passion for recycling ignited when I won a school contest for the beverage recycling program in the 80’s and I want to ignite that same passion in everyone I meet!
I’ve loved serving on the board these past 2 ½ years. I worked on the ZW Advocacy Committee’s plastic bag ban campaign. Next year I’m interested in getting a grassroots lobbying team together to send to the Capital.
I’m Co-Chair of the Activities Committee playing a large role in organizing mixers, mentorships, tours, and RU. I ensure everyone is fed and happy at our events. I’m pumped up about RU 2018 and Zero Waste Week, as it’s NCRA’s 40th anniversary we have some phenomenal ideas to celebrate Zero Waste. I hope that you will put your faith in me to continue to see those through as I still have much to contribute. Humbly asking for your vote.
David Krueger, Incumbent
I have served on the NCRA Board of Directors since May 2015. I’ve been the Treasurer for the past year and participate in NCRA’s Zero Waste Advocacy Committee. Recent accomplishments include working on NCRA’s campaign to ban single-use plastic shopping bags, organizing a tour of the West Contra Costa composting facility, and writing support letters for the Altamont composting facility and for increased processing payments to Buyback centers. I have over 25 years of professional experience in the recycling industry, having worked for cities, haulers, consulting firms, and a college recycling program. If re-elected I will work to increase networking and educational opportunities for NCRA members and to update our administrative systems and procedures. I respectfully ask for your vote.
John Moore, Incumbent
I have served on the Board for the past 10 years and consider it an honor to do so. When I first joined the Board I realized that NCRA needed to develop younger leadership and membership and I am gratified to see that this is happening. With the urgency of climate change and its focus on greenhouse gas emissions, the NCRA Zero Waste mission is more relevant than ever. While the battle to stop counting ADC as diversion was won, methane-producing organic material keeps being landfilled despite the beneficial alternative of compost and the drive to recover surplus and edible food.
NCRA has a special place in the fabric of California advocacy of the 3 Rs. I would like to see NCRA continue to be in the forefront on climate change issues arising from disposal of post-consumer materials, recovery of edible surplus food to be delivered to the food insecure, and to stem the tide of plastic pollution. I request your vote so that I may continue to be part of the leadership towards these goals.
Laura Zamora
I want to be a candidate for the opening board member position. I am a High School Environmental Science Teacher in Alameda. I work tirelessly to engage my students in environmental science topics and citizen scientist projects. On campus, I am working to make the campus more sustainable by building a sustainable garden and I am currently working with the Environmental Awareness Club to start adopting a Zero Waste campaign.
I am also a leader in the educator community- I am a lead teacher with the California International Studies Project. I teach other educators about Environmental Justice and how they can implement action projects designed around Environmental Justice in their community.
It would be an honor and a privilege to be considered for this board member position. I believe it is imperative to include the educator community because we have the ability to shape and influence our youth to live more sustainably.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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