Federation Conference Boasts 717 Attendees - June 2009
The May 3-6 conference at the Sagamore at Bolton Landing on
Lake George was the 10th year the Federation held its ever-growing
event at this location. Product stewardship and sustainability
were emphasized by all activities from speaker sessions to on-site
composting, recycling, reduction of the carbon footprint, and
reusable bottles and grocery tote bags given to each attendee.
Russ Rutkowski, conference chairman, noted some changes in the
layout of the event helped to accommodate attendees and exhibitors
alike. Exhibitors were located in the former tennis center,
now refurbished as a hall designated especially for this type
of activity. This freed up the main conference center for sessions,
which ranged from landfill gas, alternative fuels, ewaste recycling,
pharmaceuticals, zero waste, school and college recycling, legal
and economic impacts of solid waste and recycling. Pete Grannis,
NYSDEC commissioner, gave closing comments as the keynote speaker
on Wednesday morning, noting impending changes with the expanded
bottle bill, the state solid waste management plan and the importance
of incorporating product stewardship.
