Moral Economy Project Symposium and Outreach

GRRN`s Mission

Our mission is to eliminate the waste of natural and human resources -- Zero Waste. We utilize classic activist strategies to achieve corporate accountability for and public policies to eliminate waste, and to build sustainable communities.



GRRN`S Purpose

We advocate for corporate, government and individual responsibility for waste. We set ambitious standards for Zero Waste goals and policies.



We prioritize corporate accountability because global corporations are the primary engines of environmental and social destruction. The key tool to achieve corporate accountability for waste and ultimately Zero Waste, is extended producer responsibility [EPR] -- the principle that manufacturers and brand owners must take responsibility for the life cycle impacts of their products, including take back and end of life management. Other key elements of Zero Waste are to invest in community recovery systems, redesign products and processes to eliminate waste, end subsidies for wasting and create jobs and sustainable self-reliant communities.



Our strategic reach extends beyond the professional recycling community. We communicate our messages to corporate and government decision makers and the general public. We provide opportunities for on-going meaningful participation in campaigns and build coalitions to achieve zero waste policies, businesses and communities.



GRRN seeks to revitalize and redefine the grassroots recycling movement by creating strategic opportunities to link activist campaigns beyond recycling. We believe that fundamental social change [change that challenges the status quo] originates from the grassroots, and works upwards. We sponsor top quality research and produce expert policy reports to support our activist campaigns. We distribute the best information and resources from around the world.



Who We Are

GRRN is a network of waste reduction activists and recycling professionals with pragmatic experience in implementing successful programs and operations. We are the voice of all those who recycle and want to waste less and do more. We are building the next generation of informed, active citizens to change the world.



We use grassroots activism to initiate change, and professional expertise to follow through. We bring activism to the professional recycling and solid waste community; waste reduction expertise to the activist community; and challenge corporate and government decision makers to achieve Zero Waste.



The GrassRoots Recycling Network was founded in 1995, inspired by a challenge to develop clear, simple messages and take them to the American public. The initial effort was launched by leaders from the Sierra Club Solid Waste Committee, the California Resource Recovery Association, and the Washington DC-based Institute for Local Self-Reliance.