31 Mar Waste-Wise Freeport Forum and Green Resource Fair
Wed. May 6, 6-7:30pm
Freeport Community Library
10 Library Drive, Freeport
From taxes to toxins, waste costs you, our community and our planet every day.
The system is broken and taxpayers are footing the bill.
But waste isn’t inevitable – it’s a design flaw we can fix!
Freeport Climate Action Now (FreeportCAN) and the Freeport Sustainability Advisory Board (FCAN) have joined forces to offer a FREE waste awareness and solutions forum where you will learn the hidden ways waste is costing you, and simple fixes that save money now.
Join us for a panel discussion featuring industry leaders from our community and around the state as they explore the waste problem, why it matters to you, and what can be done about it.
Local nonprofits and sustainable brands will be on hand at resource tables with products and information to help you reduce your waste and save money.
LEARN:
- Why waste matters beyond your trash can and why recycling is not the solution
- How taxpayers foot the bill for waste disposal and recycling and what’s being done in Freeport to lower your tax bill
- How state policy changes will help reduce the cost of waste and recycling for towns and taxpayers
- The hidden cost of food waste to Maine’s farmers, businesses and communities and ways to reduce it
- What bin does this go in? How to recycle the right way
- Practical steps and buying options for reducing your family's waste to save money now
You have questions, we have answers!
- Free pizza from Maine Beer Company and beverages
- Enter to win a Patagonia Black Hole Duffel Bag
- Get a free local recycling guide
Raffle - Patagonia Duffel bag!
Buy raffle tickets to enter to win a Patagonia Black Hole duffel bag. 55L, made with 100% recycled fabric. Retail value $175. Must be present to win.
Program
5:30 – Doors open, raffle ticket sales
Green resource tables available.
Buy raffle tickets to enter to win a Patagonia Black Hole duffel bag. 55L, made with 100% recycled fabric. Retail value $175. Must be present to win.
6:00 – Opening Welcome
Danielle Frechette, PhD, FreeportCAN
6:05-6:15 – Why waste matters in Freeport
Susana Hancock, Freeport Sustainability Advisory Board
Susana Hancock will give local context for how waste costs are driving up taxes here in Freeport, the financial and environmental burden on residents, and what you can do about it.
6:15-6:30 – The Truth about trash – what really happens to your waste
Bea Johnson, EcoMaine
Bea Johnson will shed light on what really happens to your trash and recycling. Learn the financial and environmental realities of the process, the cost of contamination, and how to recycle properly.
6:30-6:40 – Solutions in action – the power of resale
Miriam Tanner, FCS Thrift Shop
Miriam Tanner will show that change is easy – solutions are already working right here in Freeport with our resale shops. Learn how resale is part of the circular economy, by turning waste into value, and how you can benefit and participate.
6:40-6:50 – Beyond your grocery bill – the scale of food waste and the cost we pay
Gunnar Heckler, Agricycle
Gunnar Heckler will reveal the hidden scale of food waste, the financial cost to farmers, businesses and communities, and how waste is a systemic economic failure, but one we can fix.
6:50-7:00 – Fixing the system – state policy changes to stop waste at the source
Vanessa Berry, Natural Resources Council of Maine
Vanessa Berry will explain why individual behavior alone is not enough. She’ll give an update on new policies at the state level that shift the cost and responsibility for waste reduction upstream to producers, and what you can do to help change the system.
7:00 – Closing remarks
Danielle Frechette, PhD, FreeportCAN
7:05-7:15 – Panel Q&A
All speakers
7:15-7:30 – Raffle drawing
Must be present to win
Green resource tables available
Featured Speakers
Dr. Susana Hancock
Freeport Sustainability Advisory Board
Dr Susana Hancock studies the glaciated regions of the planet and works at the nexus of science and policy. Susana is the Global Mountains Director with the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative and also works with the secretariat for an international high-level policy group focusing on climate negotiations and policymaking through the United Nations, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other processes around the world. Susana has participated in seven polar and high mountain research expeditions, including a successful ski across Greenland and a less successful attempt to get to the North Pole on foot. Her polar work focuses around the interplay between atmospheric and oceanic current systems and the proliferation of certain chemicals.
Susana is the co-founder of FCAN and has been on the board of FSAB since 2022. Locally, she is also on the boards of Democracy Maine and Wolfe’s Neck Center. She enjoys playing piano and cello, and is also a former internationally-competitive elite rower, and she likes to use both art and sport to inspire climate action.
Beatrice Johnson
EcoMaine
Senior Environmental Outreach Coordinator
Bea joined ecomaine as an Environmental Educator in July 2023. Since graduating from the University of Maine with a degree in Ecology, Environmental Sciences, and Political Science, she has built a strong career in environmental sustainability. Prior to ecomaine, Bea worked as the Sustainability Coordinator at Sugarloaf, where she served as president of the Sugarloaf Area Sustainability Initiative. In that role, she implemented a successful community recycling station, maintained the community compost facility, managed greenhouse gas accounting for the resort, and helped guide the mountain toward its net-zero by 2030 goals.
With a passion for both education and the environment, Bea has found her niche in teaching communities about sustainable waste management. She enjoys inspiring others to take simple, meaningful steps to reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future. Now serving as Senior Environmental Outreach Coordinator, Bea leads the education team at ecomaine, working collaboratively to expand outreach and promote sustainable waste practices.
In addition to her work at ecomaine, Bea is a Board Member of the Maine Resource Recovery Association (MRRA), where she collaborates with industry stakeholders to advance waste management solutions across the state. Outside of her professional work, Bea feels most at home outdoors—whether sailing in Pemaquid, Maine, swimming, hiking with her dog, or skiing.
Miriam Tanner
FCS Thrift Shop
Program Manager
Miriam joined Freeport Community Services in 2019 as the Manager of the Thrift Shop, and in 2021 became Program Manager for the Thrift Shop.
Her background is in the art world, and she previously held the role of Gallery Director and Curator in her home state of Utah.
With a passion for helping others, before joining FCS, she was a weekly volunteer with Preble Street’s women’s shelter, Florence House. Miriam is motivated by the mission of FCS, as well as the power of reuse and recycling to help our environment by turning waste into value. She’s inspired that not only does buying resale mean less production and waste, but also the process funds the programs at FCS, helping our community.
Outside of her professional work, Miriam enjoys spending time with her family, reading, swimming, and creating art.
Gunnar Heckler
Agricycle
Account Management & Growth
Gunnar Heckler has worked at AGRI-CYCLE ENERGY (a Maine Based company) for a little over 3 years, working to reduce food waste across our state, and footprint as whole. Growing up and going to school in Maine (Glenburn and Farmington respectively ), taught to from an early age to value our natural resources, protect our environment, and save money; especially when it’s so easy to do.”
Vanessa Berry
Natural Resources Council of Maine
Sustainable Maine Program Manager
Vanessa got her start with NRCM as a member of the NRCM Rising Leadership Team in 2019. She uses her expertise in talking trash and sustainable materials management to build public support for policies that promote the Solid Waste Management Hierarchy. Prior to her role as the Sustainable Maine Outreach Coordinator, Vanessa spent nearly four years working directly with municipalities, schools, and local organizations to provide education and support on their waste reduction and diversion strategies.
She graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and with a master’s degree in Sustainability Science from Unity College. Since purchasing her first home in Gardiner in the spring of 2021, she spends much of her free time enjoying the natural wonders of Maine along the Kennebec River with her partner and their energetic canine companion.
Moderator:
Danielle Frechette, PhD
FreeportCAN
Danielle is a Marine & Freshwater Ecologist with a focus on endangered & protected species, human dimensions, and impacts of climate change.
Outside of work Danielle volunteers working on communications with Freeport Climate Action Now.
Thank you to our sponsors!
