Jennifer Letz Shares Fire Camp Waste Reduction Strategy with Sustainable Business Group
Jennifer Letz, the Sustainable Operations Specialist for the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests in Central Oregon, will be speaking about managing waste at a fire camp (and its parallels to managing waste at any offsite meeting) at the September 28th meeting of the newly formed Central Oregon Sustainable Business Group.
Bend, Oregon – September 10, 2012 – The Environmental Center, EarthShare Oregon, and American Licorice are collaborating to develop and support a team of leaders from the business sector that will inspire and advance the sustainability efforts of the economic community in Central Oregon.
The next meeting of the group will take place on September 28th, from 9AM to 10:30AM at American Licorice on 2796 NW Clearwater Drive in Bend. The discussion will feature Jennifer Letz, the Sustainable Operations Specialist for the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests in Central Oregon. The meeting will conclude with a roundtable discussion, facilitated by Moe Carrick of Moementum consulting, where participants will have an opportunity to discuss best practices in waste reduction and topics they would like to see the group explore in future meetings.
Jennifer Letz earned a master’s degree in Sustainable Management from Prescott College, has previously worked for the National Park Service, in the solar industry, and as a freelance writer. Jennifer is the chair of the US Forest Service’s Greening Fire Team and is the Sustainable Operations Specialist for the Region 6 (Oregon and Washington) Fire and Aviation program. She is a member of the International Society of Sustainable Professionals.
Forest managers, well aware of the impact of climate change on the nation’s forests and inspired by local interest in sustainability, recognized the potential of adding a sustainability expert to their ranks. In 2009, the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests became the only forests in the nation to hire a full-time sustainability expert. Forest leadership also recognized it was time to become sustainability leaders – not only within the Forest Service but in Central Oregon. Since 2009, Jennifer has partnered with co-workers, local organizations, and private companies on a number of projects, including improving energy awareness and efficiency in forest-owned facilities, starting a number of employee vanpools, helping fleet managers integrate electric vehicles, advising on the designs of new building, and transforming Lava River Cave into a “green” recreation site. Jennifer has also applied her years of wildland firefighting experience to help with integrating sustainable decision making in to local and national fire management programs.
About the Environmental Center
The Environmental Center’s mission is to embed sustainability into daily life in Central Oregon. We translate sustainability into practical action in order to create a healthy future for people and the planet.
Our programs incorporate education and advocacy to advance our vision of a sustainable Central Oregon. They include: zero waste of materials, energy and water; advocating for a regional public transit system; youth education; advocating for and supporting sustainability initiatives by local governments and businesses, and operating a community campus that demonstrates sustainability in action.
Find us on the web at www.envirocenter.org or at our public facility at 16 NW Kansas Avenue in downtown Bend, Oregon.
About EarthShare Oregon
EarthShare is Oregon’s only environmental federation for workplace fundraising. EarthShare Oregon (ESOR) is a federation of 70 leading local and national non-profit conservation groups that provides a convenient way for Oregonians to support conservation and healthy communities. Through EarthShare workplace campaigns, conservation groups reach new audiences and supporters in nearly 100 public and private organizations in Oregon. Since our founding in 1989, we have raised over $10.5 million for conservation. EarthShare Oregon’s member groups working in Central Oregon include 1000 Friends of Oregon, Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, Native Plant Society of Oregon, Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides, Northwest Earth Institute, Oregon Natural Desert Association, Oregon Wild, Renewable Northwest Project, The Environmental Center, The Nature Conservancy in Oregon, and The Wetlands Conservancy.
About American Licorice Company
An industry leader in the manufacturing and marketing of confections, the American Licorice Company is one of the original licorice manufacturers in the US confections industry. Since its establishment in 1914, American Licorice has brought happiness to consumers with their Red Vines®, Snaps®, Sour Punch®, Super Ropes®, Extinguisher® and Natural Vines® confections. Additional information is available online at http://www.americanlicorice.com.