Eric Lombardi

Background

About Eric Lombardi

I have had the honor of doing pioneering work at the forefront of the Zero Waste Movement across the world since the mid-90's. In my experience, there are three key players needed to build Zero Waste/Zero Carbon Communities: the government, some community advocates and the business sector (in particular, the Social Enterprise sector), and I most enjoy bringing the three together to experience success within their mutual enlightened self-interests. My work now is to help build a global community-of-practice that is working to establish social enterprise as a credible business sector that delivers community benefit impacts in a powerful, long-lasting and economic way. Brief Bio: After 24 years of building the largest Zero Waste Social Enterprise in the I have recently re-focused my efforts to helping to grow the global Social Enterprise Movement. As the great Paul Hawken said in his book The Ecology of Commerce,"it isn't the Earth that needs saving, it is Business, because Business is killing the Earth." I see local governments frozen in place all over the world unable to make the changes necessary to create Zero Waste/Zero Carbon Communities, and thus it is up to the new "fourth sector", the double bottom-line business hybrids, to partner with government and become the implementers of change. My expertise building a socially-responsible Zero Waste social enterprise is available with the aim of sharing our success in Colorado with the world. As an experienced public speaker, policy advocate, businessman and strategic community planner, I am working to connect the people, data and best practices from around the world to facilitate the building of Zero Waste/Zero Carbon Communities through scaling up Social Enterprises and their local ecosystems. As the Executive Director of Eco-Cycle from 1989 to 2014 I grew this "nonprofit business" to become one of the largest community-based recycling social enterprises in the world with a staff of 80 and processing tons of diverse recycled materials per year. I was invited to the Clinton White House in 1998 as one of the Top 100 USA Recyclers, and was a co-founder and past President of the U.S. GrassRoots Recycling Network. I was a co-founder of the Zero Waste International Alliance, based in Wales, and served from 1997-2004 on the U.S. National Recycling Coalition’s (NRC) Policy Work Group, and was an executive Board member of the NRC from 1991-1995. In 1992, I co-founded the U.S. Nonprofit Recyclers Council.