Recent Headlines
The New York State Center for Sustainable Materials Management Launches New Website
The Center for Sustainable Materials Management (CSMM), housed at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) and in collaboration with Syracuse University's Center for Sustainable Community Solutions (CSCS), is thrilled to announce the launch of its new website that will serve as a virtual hub for information about the CSMM team, initiatives, research, publications, partners, and resources.
The mission of the CSMM is to inspire, lead, and connect a diverse group of people and organizations that will collectively challenge the concept of "waste," by redefining and reimagining how we procure, produce, consume, manage, and market materials.
The CSMM vision is to make New York State a driving force of the future by galvanizing and leading all sectors of the State to apply the principles of sustainable materials management, propelling the State to become the least resource consumptive and most circular in the country.
With core funding from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), CSMM's collaborative work focuses on waste reduction and product stewardship, closed-loop and responsible purchasing, expansion of recycling markets, outreach and education, and research to manage non-recyclable paper materials. These project areas are being worked towards through the practical lenses of community engagement, outreach, policy development, public education, research and technical assistance.
CSMM partners with various universities and associations statewide including Syracuse University (CSCS), Alfred University, University at Buffalo, Stony Brook University, Green Business Certification Inc., New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling, Product Stewardship Institute, and the New York State Product Stewardship Council all in effort to collectively challenge waste and elevate solutions together.
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "New York State's continued partnership with the Center for Sustainable Materials Management is working to solve some of our most pressing recycling challenges. This new website created by the Center is easy to use and connects our partners and stakeholders with their communities to help them recycle more efficiently and learn about current areas of research and engagement that will facilitate improvements in recycling programs that will benefit efforts to reduce waste statewide."
"The Center for Sustainable Materials Management is pleased to serve as a convener for these efforts to engage key stakeholders. We look forward to continuing the critical work of reimagining ways to strengthen our economy and environment through statewide collaboration and coordination in SMM" said Kate Walker, the NYS Center for SMM's Executive Director.
By visiting the user-friendly and easily navigable site, you can learn more and sign up for CSMM emails to stay up to date with the latest news on sustainable materials management collaborative efforts across New York State.
About the New York State Center for Sustainable Materials Management (Center)
The New York State Center for Sustainable Materials Management (Center) was established at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) in the spring of 2020 through a NYS Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) grant administered by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The Center places ESF, DEC, and their partners in a leadership role regarding materials (waste) reduction, reuse, and recycling in New York and the US. The Center focuses on the breadth of the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) framework. SMM is an approach to promote sustainable materials use, integrating actions targeted at reducing negative environmental impacts, while preserving natural capital throughout the life cycle of materials, taking into account economic efficiency and social equity. Natural capital is preserved through SMM by increasing resource productivity, reducing material throughputs, and reusing/recycling materials to such a degree that depletion of natural capital is minimized, and ecosystem services maintained. The objective is to maximize positive and minimize negative environmental, economic, and social outcomes across the entire life cycle, as well as at every stage of the cycle.
About SUNY ESF
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.
About the Syracuse University Center for Sustainable Community Solutions (CSCS)
The Syracuse University Center for Sustainable Community Solutions (CSCS) has a 27-year history of serving U.S. EPA Region 2 – which includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and eight tribal nations – by providing stakeholders with outreach, education, technical assistance, and training to facilitate the development of sustainable and resilient communities. Collectively, CSCS staff have decades of experience implementing sustainable materials management solutions through USDA, EPA, and other grant-funded opportunities. Through strong, longstanding partnerships with organizations such as the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling (NYSAR3), CSCS has worked with numerous communities, organizations, and individuals to adopt waste reduction, pollution prevention, reuse, and recycling best practices.