By Alan Housley / LoadMan VP of Marketing.
Anyone who is responsible for sustainability programs in their institution, municipality, business, university or military base should benefit from these postings to further their knowledge of sustainability best practices; especially for waste materials and their effects on environmental sustainability.
Environmental Sustainability Planning
Sustainability initiatives range from lighting and energy management, storm water cleanliness programs, green home building guidelines, educational programs, waste reduction and recycling, construction and demolition waste limits, and refuse derived fuels (RDF).
Zero waste is the waste material goal discussed seriously in municipalities, universities and military bases environmental sustainability plans. Zero waste programs are being implemented in facilities, towns, cities, campuses and businesses all over the world. 
Zero waste is real and it is achievable.
There are nearly 3,500 county governments and over 36,000 municipalities (i) (cities, towns, townships) in the United States. Not all, but most of these cities and counties have some type of Environmental Sustainability Report/Plan. Six or seven years ago, these sustainability plans were mostly a paper exercise that would be reported to a council and literally gather dust for a couple years until someone was tasked to update it to meet some mandate or other annual planning exercise. Today, these same Environmental Sustainability Reports & Plans are guiding documents whose main purpose is to drive the reduction of GHG (Carbon Footprint) – at even greater dramatic rates.
Why have sustainability initiatives become so important to Municipalities, Universities, Institutions, Businesses and Military?
• Saves money – Increasingly higher landfill fees for municipal solid waste (MSW)
• Saves precious resources – Water, trees, open land and fuel; Improved living environment for residents, businesses and business consumers
• Reduces greenhouse gases – Meet state, county and city mandates for reducing carbon footprint
• Creates green jobs – It takes 10 people to recycle material, compared to one person to dispose of it (ii)
• Progressive municipal branding -Attracting businesses and residents
• Less landfill space -Greater availability of municipal recycling facilities (MRFs)
• Setting the example -And engaging communities (iii)