Race to Zero Waste

06/18/2026

Plastic Free July will be here before we know it! Do you have plans?

Planning an event for Plastic Free July? Or want to find what’s going on in your community?

Check out our events map: plasticfreejuly.org/get-involved/find-events-near-you

From plastic free picnics to film screenings, and from quiz nights to workshops, it’s a great way to get even more people along to your event, or to find out what’s happening near you.

06/18/2026

Check out this from almost 4 years ago! Can you figure out the action that helps reduce waste? The Rs of Zero Waste will help you figure out some of them, but not all of them start with R!

Try it out! Broward Clean Air Pål Mårtensson ZeroWaste.Org Zero Waste USA Zero Waste International Alliance Zero Waste Canada Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Linda Christopher GreenEducation.us

06/16/2026

Tomorrow is !

World Refill Day is a Global Day of Action dedicated to inspiring a reuse revolution across the world.

We're refilling our Race to Zero Waste stainless steel cups, hbu?

06/08/2026

The benefits of following zero waste principles just keep going!

Think about all the ways reducing waste benefits the ocean and its inhabitants. From the smallest little phytoplankton to the great blue whale, reducing extraction and downstream pollution preserves their habitats.

This , remember to start at the top of the Zero Waste Hierarchy with and !

06/05/2026

Happy World Environment Day! 🌎🌍🌏

Check out the blog for few ways following zero waste principles help protect the environment and mitigate climate change!
https://racetozerowaste.org/blog.html/article/2026/06/05/how-zero-waste-habits-can-protect-the-environment

06/05/2026

Welcome, Margo Stoney, to the Race to Zero Waste Board of Directors!

Margo is a creative professional who is dedicated to using graphic design to save the planet.🎨🌎

She runs a design studio called where she collaborates with conservation and environmental nonprofits to develop visual storytelling pieces that raise awareness, increase impact, and make environmental causes easier to understand and more accessible to everyone.

Margo is involved in sustainability and zero waste in her local community, Missoula, Montana, where she serves on the fundraising and events committee at Home ReSource – a community sustainability nonprofit.

She is:
👣A member of Leave No Trace,
🏞️A member of The Conservation Alliance's Brands for Public Lands program,
🗑️Passionate about organizing litter cleanups
and picking up trash everywhere she goes.

In her free time, Margo likes to snowboard, hike, and travel to new places while looking at wildlife and sketching in her notebook along the way.

We are excited to have her on our board!

06/04/2026

Welcome, Laura McKaughan, to the Race to Zero Waste Board of Directors! 💚

Laura McKaughan is an environmental consultant with 20 years' experience in planning and implementing recycling and zero waste programs.

She has extensive experience working on projects throughout Northern California to assist customers with AB 341, AB 1826 and SB 1383 compliance. Laura joined Alameda County Industries as their Sustainability Programs Manager in July 2021.

Additionally, Laura founded Envirolutions, LLC and has served as Principal of this consulting firm since 2014. In this capacity, she has assisted restaurants, hotels, multi-tenant commercial complexes and multifamily dwellings in implementing effective waste diversion programs.

Her previous experience includes:
📚️MBA in Environmental Entrepreneurship
🌱Associate Director of Green Programs at the San Francisco Conservation Corps (SFCC)
🏫Sustainability Coordinator for Student Housing at Stanford University
♻️President of the Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA) from 2012-2018
♻️President of the board of the California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) from 2021-2024
♻️Member of Alameda County Recycling Board from 2020-2025
🧠Being on CRRA’s Technical Council for Behavior Based Strategies since 2025

Thank you, Laura, for bringing your expertise to the Race to Zero Waste!

06/03/2026

Welcome, Dr. Samantha Romanick, to the Race to Zero Waste Board of Directors!

Dr. Samantha (Sami) Romanick is a molecular biologist with an interest in studying the effects of microplastic exposure to human health. 🔬

Dr. Romanick currently works with the Environmental Working Group (EWG) as an Analytical Chemistry Fellow to start up a plastic program, focusing on plastics in food and consumer products. 🧬

In this position, Dr. Romanick hopes to push policy⚖️ with evidence-based science on the human health harm of microplastics and plastic pollution.

Since 2014, Dr. Romanick has made a commitment to do her part to help curb plastic pollution.

She:
💪Takes action on a personal level,
🧼Started a small retail business to offer alternatives to household single-use plastics,
👩‍🏫Teaches K-12 and college students about the plastic waste problem,
📚️Directed her own scientific career at the University of Rochester to study how microplastics affect human health,
🌎️Founded the Microplastic Workgroup of Western New York,
🌐Is a member of the nonprofit Physicians and Scientists Network Addressing Plastics and Health (PSNAP),
👩‍⚖️Is a board member of Save Our Sodus (SOS).

We are excited to have her on our board!

06/03/2026

Welcome, Lael Giebel, to the Race to Zero Waste Board of Directors! 💚

Lael has 17 years of Sustainability experience and is currently the Director of Global Sustainability at KnowBe4, where she:

🌍️Designs and manages global sustainability programs across 12 countries,
🌐Architects KnowBe4’s Zero Waste and Net Zero Carbon roadmaps,
✍️Authored KnowBe4’s comprehensive Zero Waste Plan,
👩‍🏫 Leads employee engagement through the "EarthBe4" green team and specialized sustainability training.

Prior to her corporate work, she served as Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Dunedin, where among other things, she spearheaded the municipal Sustainability program. ♻️

She:
📗earned her MBA in Sustainability in 2011
📘has been a LEED AP since 2009
📙is a TRUE Zero Waste Advisor
📕is the author of two sustainability books, the second of which will be released soon.

We are excited to have her on our board!

06/01/2026

Share Love, Not Hate
For this year's Pride,
Go zero waste!

A little waste reduction from each of us goes a long way, so let's remember to show the Earth some love as we celebrate Pride this month 💚🌍️

🌈Don't get swept up in rainbow capitalism at the expense of Mother Earth!