Clean Up California Strategic Plan 1.

Background
The Client: The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is a group that represents the leading businesses in the chemistry industry, including the plastics foodservice packaging group and companies that make takeout packaging. Dart is a major player in the ACC, and an organization that we are working closely with to promote positive legislation for the plastics industry. Styrofoam (Polystyrene foam): In the United States and Canada, the word Styrofoam is often incorrectly used as a generic term for expanded polystyrene foam. This material is what coffee cups, disposable coolers, or cushioning material in packaging are made of. These materials are typically white and composed of expanded polystyrene beads. Another trade name for expanded polystyrene is Thermocol, originated by BASF. Existing law requires all rigid plastic bottles and rigid plastic containers sold in the state to be labeled with a resin code (1-7, ABS) identifying the type of plastic used to produce the bottle or container. The issue: Environmental advocates largely misunderstand the properties and actual environmental effects of polystyrene foam, and it has become the scapegoat for modern consumer waste contributing to the hot issue of Marine Debris in California. During the mid 1980s there began to be a strong anti-Styrofoam movement, which was continued by Captain Charlie Moore in 2005. As a result of this attitude, the state of California has attempted to pass several bans on polystyrene foam takeout containers during the past seven years. The literature for many of these bans includes a provision that would require takeout restaurants to discontinue their use of polystyrene in favor of biodegradable packaging materials, which are significantly more expensive than polystyrene. Many small and locally-owned restaurants operate on a very small margin, and it is possible that this kind of legislation could cause a significant financial burden on many restaurants. Restaurant owners carefully choose the materials they use for takeout based on what works best. They choose polystyrene because it is the only product that keeps cold food cold, and hot food hot. To this point, there is no better material for foodservice packaging. These bans have been unsuccessful thus far because of the many local restaurant owners who have raised their voices by sending handwritten letters to their senators and attending meetings. The ACC is against polystyrene bans because they are weak policy tools. If a ban on polystyrene foam were to be imposed in California, it may be true that the amounts of littered polystyrene would be reduced, however it is expected that other takeout packaging materials would replace it. Basically, we would just be switching one form of litter out for a more expensive form of litter, which actually does the environment no good.

In addition, there is a high demand for recycled polystyrene in Southern California and most recycling facilities in Los Angeles and the surrounding area are able to recycle polystyrene foam. There are also significantly fewer facilities in the Los Angeles area that recycle compostable or bio-plastics. As a frame of reference, more than 60% of Californias population is in Los Angeles County. Polystyrene Recycling: The following polystyrene foam items are accepted in residential curbside recycling blue bins in Los Angeles County and many other cities in California, provided that they relatively clean: Empty foam cups and containers Foam egg cartons Rinsed, single-layer, non-perforated foam meat trays Rinsed foam food trays/lunch trays Most packaging foam *Flame-retardant material or packaging peanuts are not accepted Furthermore, according to DART, the following California cities have included polystyrene foam in their list of accepted items for curbside recycling: Source: https://www.dart.biz/recycleCA

Alpine Arrow Bear* Bloomington* Bonita Bonsall Cerritos* Commerce (Partial)* Coronado Covina Crestline Dictionary Hill Downey* Eastvale* El Segundo Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fontana Fountain Valley Grand Terrace* Highland* Huntington Beach

Lake Arrowhead* Lomita Long Beach Imperial Beach Julian La Mesa Lakeside Lemon Grove Lincoln Acres Manhattan Beach Montclair* Mt. Helix National City Norwalk Ontario (Partial)* Paramount* Pasadena Pico Rivera* Pomona (Partial)* Poway Rainbow

Ramona Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Santa Fe Redondo Beach Rialto Rim of the World* Riverside* Riverside County (Partial)* Rolling Hills Estates Rubidoux* Running Springs* San Bernardino (Partial)* San Bernardino County (Partial)* San Marcos Santa Clarita

Santa Fe Torrance Valley Center Springs Tracy Vista Spring Valley Upland* Yucaipa Los Angeles (includes the following communities: Arleta, Arlington Heights, Atwater Village, Bel Air, Beverly Crest, Beverlywood, Boyle Heights, Brentwood, Cahuenga Pass, Canoga Park, Century City, Chatsworth, Cheviot Hills, Chinatown, Crenshaw, Crestview, Cypress Park, Del Rey, Eagle Rock, East Hollywood, Echo Park, El Sereno, Elysian Park, Elysian Valley, Encino, Fairfax, Glassell Park, Granada Hills, Hancock Park, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Harvard Heights, Highland Park, Hollywood, Hyde Park, Jefferson Park, Koreatown, Lake Balboa, Lakeview Terrace, La Tuna Canyon, Leimert Park, Lincoln Heights, Los Feliz, Mar Vista, Mission Hills, Montecito Heights, Mt. Washington, North Hills, North Hollywood, Northridge, Oaks, Pacific Palisades, Pacoima, Palms, Panorama City, Pico Union, Playa Vista, Porter Ranch, Poway, Rancho Park, Reseda, San Marcos, San Pedro, Sawtelle, Shadow Hills, Sherman Oaks, Silver Lake, South Carthay, South Robertson, Studio City, Sunland, Sun Valley, Sylmar, Tarzana, Toluca lake, Tujunga, University Hills, Valley Glen, Valley Village, Van Nuys, Venice, Watts, West Adams, Westchester, West Hills, Westlake, West Los Angeles, Westwood, Wilmington, Wilshire Center, Winnetka, and Woodland Hills)

*The material recovery facility servicing these cities sorts foam for recycling even though the city may not have included foam on their list of recyclables.

Foam Ban Legislation: The current legislation (SB 529) has been tabled this summer, so the ACC has a unique opportunity to go on the offensive and promote positive solutions for the issue of marine debris, rather than just always fighting against bans. Recycling Education: There is no easy solution for the issue of marine debris, and we definitely would not argue that polystyrene is the greatest material on the planet. It is true that it is not a decomposable material if left in the natural environment. The better solution for the issue, is to promote recycling and properly disposing of waste. The best age and demographic to target is youth, because they are not already set in habits and they are the easiest people to influence with regard to habits and lifestyles. Solid waste curricula focus mainly on knowledge and include, to a lesser extent, attitude change and action strategies." -The Journal of Environmental Education Volume 24, Issue 3, 1993. Basically, there is a lot of talk about problems in the environment but very few solutions discussed or attempted. Curriculum needs to focus more on solutions and actual action to fix the problem. Source: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00958964.1993.9943498#preview

"Children who feel they have control over and responsibility for their own actions and behaviors have strong pro-environmental attitudes." -ERIC, Amy Malkus & Lynn Musser. Basically, this data shows that tf given the education and instruction, children will view the environment as something they are connected to, and take responsibility for the cleanliness and/or dirtiness of the environment. Source: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICEx tSearch_SearchValue_0=ED357865&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=E D357865 "Teaching kids and teenagers about recycling and familiarizing them with the process of setting up recycling infrastructure will ensure that the next generation can double or even triple current recycling rates."-1800recycling.org. Developing an education program that teaches kids between the ages of 8-11 has the potential to double or triple recycling rates in the future, which means that the future generation is more likely to keep the environment clean and not litter if we teach them that importance now before they are apathetic and set in their ways. Source: http://urbanmining.org/2011/06/17/reduce-reuse-reteach-thenecessity-of-recycling-education/login_auth.asp http://1800recycling.com/2011/05/reduce-reuse-reteach-necessity-recyclingeducation/ Tualatin River Rangers example from Oregon: This interactive environmental education program teaches students about the water cycle, watersheds, surface water pollution, water conservation and wastewater treatment. The program is geared towards 4th grade students but can be adapted as necessary. The River Ranger program is designed to be presented by environmental educators to inform the public (children and adults) about how they impact water quality through their use of sewer and storm systems. The presentation and activity book are designed to provide clean water fundamentals in a manner that incorporates active group and individual participation as well as take home activities. When we make our free River Ranger presentations in the Tualatin River basin, our focus is on the Tualatin River. However, a "generic" version is available for groups wishing to spread a positive environmental message to children. The program consists of a set of 15 posters that aid in telling the story of water as it travels through our homes and into the treatment facility and finally into the rivers and streams. Source: http://www.cleanwaterservices.org/Residents/JoinTheCycle/InYourCommunity/River Rangers.aspx

2. Situation Analysis

For the past several years, the plastics industry has been successful in postponing or tabling foam ban legislation. For the first time in about 7 years, the client (ACC) finds itself in a unique situation where a foam ban bill is not an imminent threat. With no direct opposition, the ACC is able to shift its focus from always being on the defensive, to promoting positive solutions for the marine debris issue. Environmentalists often see the plastic industry in a negative light. Historically, the plastics industry has been a scapegoat for litter in the form of marine debris and landfill overpopulation. Environmentalists will try to leverage this history against any cause - positive or negative - led by the plastics industry. Because of this, the ACC, DART or any plastics organization is unable to be the face of a program directly without immediate opposition.

3. Core Problem/Opportunity
Without direct opposition, the foam industry has the opportunity to institute positive recycling programs to promote the use of foam as environmentally friendly. If we do not capitalize on this time of opportunity, we will be back on the defensive until a ban on foam inevitably occurs.

4. Goal and objectives

Goal: To promote good public policy regarding plastics and discredit bans as an effective policy tool. Objectives: Educate 500 kids about the recyclability of foam by August 31, 2013. Receive letters against SB 529 from 100 of restaurants by August 31, 2013. Postpone ban against polystyrene 6 in Manhattan Beach, Culver City and Glendale. Increase the amount of foam recycled by 20 percent by August 2014. Decrease amount of foam in marine areas by 20 percent by May 2014. Get 5 environmental groups to support Clean Up California before August 2013. Increase the number of restaurants participating in the Rinse and Recycle Your Foam At Home program from 700 to 100 by August 2013.

5. Strategies and Tactics

Clean Up California We have developed five lesson plans of varying lengths, geared toward teaching elementary school children about the importance of recycling and properly disposing of waste. Within the education, we talk specifically about the recyclability of polystyrene, which many people do not know is recyclable. The end result of this program would be that we are able to report to policymakers that x amount of children have participated in the Clean Up California education program and have been taught about the importance of properly disposing of waste, including cleaning and recycling Styrofoam. Lesson plans, instructional videos and information about

recycling are available on our programs website www.cleanupcalifornia.com. This tactic fulfills objectives a, d, e and f. Mission Statement: Clean Up Californias mission is to empower children to take responsibility for the condition of streets, oceans, rivers and waterways. If children feel they are responsible for the environment that surrounds them, they will take care of it. Through our educational presentations and activities, children understand they can be part of the solution by properly disposing waste. Slogan: Blue is the new Green. The Clean Up California program teaches that the best way to ensure a clean California is a recycled California Hence, Blue is the new green. With advances in modern technology, more materials are recyclable than ever before. This makes recycling even more environmentally friendly. Now is the time to adopt a blue lifestyle so we can help clean up California. Our lesson plans illustrate the importance of separating garbage between the waste and recycle bin. Teaching kids and teenagers about recycling and familiarizing them with the process of setting up recycling infrastructure will equip the next generation to double or even triple current recycling rates (1800recycling.com). A higher recycling rate paired with proper disposal of other waste will mean cleaner streets, oceans, rivers and waterways throughout California. Join us in cleaning up California today for a better California tomorrow. Make kids recycling rangers when they listen and participate in the presentation and include blog posts about what is happening at each presentation. The website would give anyone the opportunity to read about recycling and properly disposing of waste. Potential Partners for Clean Up California: Soccer leagues during the summer Boys & Girls Club YMCA Summer Camps Boy Scouts of America and Girls Scouts (Environmentalism merit badges) Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR) o *Already have a relationship with FoLAR and discussed them implementing our recycling lesson plans. Los Angeles Department of Sanitation Kids Ocean Day LA Conservation Corps Keep California Beautiful LA River Corps SWOT Analysis

Strengths Polystyrene is recyclable in California and more recycling programs are being developed throughout the state DART has made an effort to make foam recycling more available, and to use energy conservation measures in their production of foam Grassroots tactics have proven to be successful in tabling foam ban legislation We have a database of about 800 restaurants who promote Recycle Your Foam At Home and we are working to maintain and increase that list of restaurants. Recent data shows that there is less foam litter in Los Angeles Weaknesses We have a small team trying to do a states worth of work Lack of understanding and support from the community concerning the recyclability of foam Lack of evidence of how many people actually recycle their foam at home There is a negative attitude towards the effects the plastics and foam industry in has on the environment Opportunities Institute positive recycling programs for polystyrene Promote the use of polystyrene as an environmentally friendly option with many uses once recycled Appeal to a wider audience other than Restaurants, such as schoolchildren Turn Clean Up California into an ACC or DART-funded 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Threats People dont know that polystyrene is recyclable, or may be apathetic about it Environmentalists are extremely passionate about fighting foam Many businesses may face a financial burden if forced to purchase more expensive food packaging If we expand beyond a grassroots effort, environmentalist groups may target us Key publics: Educators o Description of Public: Public and private elementary school teachers, coaches, youth program leaders (ie summer camps, etc), environmental education groups and school administrators in Los Angeles County. Average salary of $70K. o Self-interests: Desire to keep students interested and engaged in the learning process without winding them up or interfering with the rest of the school day. They also want material/activities that are packaged and simple to replicate and implement to save them time, but

consistent with curriculum. They dont want to drop propaganda, but do want to be in line with what other environmentalist groups teach. How our plan fits self-interests: We provide a package that works inside and outside, is free and is also easy to implement. The curriculum will also teach according to state curriculum requirements. Action desired: We want educators to adopt our curriculum, and report their numbers back to us. We can possibly link this to the lunch trayrecycling program that Samantha Martinez is working on. Key Message: Using our curriculum will help you empower students to make a difference because its already put to gether to meet your goals and interests, is already packaged, appeals to kids and easy to implement Secondary messages: "Solid waste curricula focus mainly on knowledge and include, to a lesser extent, attitude change and action strategies."-The Journal of Environmental Education Volume 24, Issue 3, 1993

"Children who feel they have control over and responsibility for their own actions and behaviors have strong proenvironmental attitudes."-ERIC, Amy Malkus & Lynn Musser "Teaching kids and teenagers about recycling and familiarizing them with the process of setting up recycling infrastructure will ensure that the next generation can double or even triple current recycling rates."1800recycling.org

LA Sanitation Bureau o Description of Public: Key/intervening public, responsible for solid and liquid waste disposal in LA city and surrounding communities, also responsible for watershed and clean water programs. o Self-interests: Mission statement: an organization that sets the benchmark for outstanding service and responds to the challenges of tomorrow. Want sanitation to seem hip and cool/sexy so people support them and use their services, increase awareness of new to the blue and polystyrene recycling. o How our plan fits self-interests: We are giving them a sexy program to promote their blue bins, which puts them on the forefront of taking care of tomorrows programs and prom oting health and safety by disposing of waste where it belongs.

Action desired: let us use their name and put something about our program and curriculum on their site, find groups for us to shop the program to, and report numbers, film videos for us. o Key Message: Supporting our program will encourage proper waste disposal and will show the LA Sanitation Bureau as actively reaching out to the next generation. LA River Revitalization Corp o Description of public and defining self-interests: Mission to protect and revitalize the river, restore a functional ecosystem, reintroduce steelhead trout, etc. Their objective is to create healthy, vibrant communities with greater open space, enhanced green infrastructure, and better recreational facilities. o How our program fits self-interests: Education will help kids learn the importance of keeping waste out of the river so the environment will thrive, so they and their families will keep the river clean and eventually people want to come to the river. o Action desired: Teach our curriculum, report back, support the issue, outreach to other government agencies, be our advocate or potentially our face, support our program rather than ban legislation o Key Message:Our program will add another facet to your organization by empowering younger students to care for the rivers revitalization. FoLAR o Description of public: Specifically Shelley Backlar, head of education and field trip programs for FoLAR. Teaches about history of the river and what lives there. She is more moderate than most environmentalists- doesnt believe in the effectiveness of bans. Used to be the Executive Director of FoLAR, stepped down because she wanted to be in charge of Education program and reduce responsibilities. Shes very laid back and easy to work with and appreciates initiative. o Self-interests: Want to and restore the natural and historic heritage of the Los Angeles River and its riparian habitat through inclusive planning, education and wise stewardship, keep the river clean, make the river a center of the community, reintroduce native species. o How our program fits self-interests: We reach their 3 objective of teaching people how they are connected to the watershed by teaching students to dispose of waste properly so it doesnt end up in the rive r. o Action desired: Support our legislation instead of bans, let us use their face, adopt our curriculum into their field trip curriculum o Key message: Our program will help fulfill your third objective of teaching students how they are connected to the river and its watershed, which will empower them to keep the river clean. Secondary publics: Los Angeles Area Politicians
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Description of public: LA area Senators Hernandez, DeLeon, Knight, Lara, Padilla, Liu, Price, Pavley, Lieu, Huff, Calderon, McLeod; Mayor Garcetti; LA City Council; LA area Assembly members, Gorell, Smyth, Fuentes, Blumenfield, Brownley, Feuer, Gatto, Portantino, Prez, Mitchell, Davis, Bradford, Hall, Butler, Lowenthal, Rurutani; Office staffers (intervening). All policymakers have responsibility for different districts, various demographics. We keep it general because we are targeting all of them generally. Self-interests: Want to look good, get support, be re-elected, have their own laws passed, help their constituents How our program fits self-interests: We are giving them positive results that show good things happening so they can support the movement. This makes them look good for supporting an effective program and gives them a reason to support proactive programs rather than ban legislation Action desired: Not support ban-based legislation Key message: Our recycling education program is more effective than bans because it empowers children to make a difference and find innovative new solutions rather than replacing one form of waste with another. Description of Public: Specifically targeting elementary-age kids between 7-10 years of age. They are still in the sponge stage of learning, and are very passionate about the learning process. Self-Interests: Having fun, making the world a better place, receiving praise and approval for doing a good job, feeling important. How our plan fits their self-interests: This curriculum will empower students to make California a cleaner place and have an impact on the world. Action desired: Dispose of waste properly and teach others to do so as well Key Message: If you recycle you will be cool, and also help the environment, which is really cool. Secondary Messages: Only you can make a difference.

Kids:
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Other tactics/Past Intern Projects:

Rinse and Recycle your Foam at Home:This is a program that more than 700 restaurants have joined over the past 2-3 years, encouraging their customers to rinse their polystyrene foam takeout materials and recycle them in their residential blue bin. Basically, each restaurant puts a sign up in their window or counter, and then Samantha maintains a list of participating restaurants. This tactic fulfills objectives d, e and g.

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 Testimonial Video: Restaurant owners participated by telling their stories, explaining their use of foam and justifying the benefits of that product. Senator Letters: Depending on the bill, interns in past years have gone to restaurants, informed restaurant owners about the bill and its possible effects on the restaurant, and asked for handwritten letters asking their state and local representatives not to support ban legislation. This years bill was SB 529, which asked for incredibly high recycling rates of all takeout materials, which would end up banning all of the materials (not just polystyrene) if the rates were not met. This bill was tabled in early June 2013.This tactic fulfills objective b.

6.

Evaluation Sustainability- how are we going to keep this program running when were gone? o Teachers must report the number of students in their class for our records o This will become a part of FoLARs presentation, and they will become our advocate and share their numbers with us As we develop relationships with other organizations, we discuss with them their responsibility to share data with us.

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