The Illinois Recycling Association (IRA) and the Illinois Land of Lincoln Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) are jointly hosting the Illinois Recycling and Resource Management Conference & Trade Show titled "Destination Sustainability" on June 4 – 6, 2012 at the Clock Tower Resort in Rockford, IL.

Also partnering in this year's conference are Construction Materials Recycling Association of Illinois and Building Materials Reuse Association of Illinois. The Grass Roots Recycling Network (GRRN) will hold their National Zero Waste Conference on Sunday, June 3rd also at the Clock Tower Resort.

All-in-One Registration packages for both conferences are available. This will be a comprehensive conference which concentrates on recycling, sustainability, reuse and zero waste. Whether sponsoring, exhibiting or attending we invite you to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

This conference is sure to draw hundreds of Government, Business and Industry professionals from Illinois and across the nation. Participants will be able to choose from a variety of concurrent sessions, exhibits and tours dealing with the economic and environmental issues surrounding resource management.

This conference is geared to members of the industry responsible for the critical decisions, strategic oversight and involvement in recycling, composting, reuse and zero-waste. From program planning and implementation to education, technical assistance, or facility operations, this conference will lay the foundation for any attendee who is seeking to establish support networks, information resources and cutting-edge program applications.

Keynote Speaker
ERIC LOMBARDI

Eric Lombardi is the Executive Director of Eco-Cycle, Inc. (www.ecocycle.org), and is a specialist in resource recovery, social enterprise and public-private project development. Eco-Cycle was a national pioneer in the recycling industry and is now the largest community-based Zero Waste organization in the U.S.A. with a staff of 70 and processing of over 55,000 tons of diverse recycled materials per year (2010). Lombardi is an authority on creating comprehensive community-based programs and is often a keynote speaker and consultant on the social and technical aspects of creating a "Zero Waste - Or Darn Near" society.

Lombardi is an international consultant, keynote speaker and workshop leader for government and private sector clients across the USA, New Zealand, England, Italy, France, Scotland, Romania, American Samoa, Wales and Saipan. His work has covered the Waste/Climate Connection, the creation of recycling facilities, the collection and marketing of "hard to recycle" (HTR) materials such as electronic scrap, the benefits of a social enterprise approach, the politics of growing community recycling programs, and the strategies for long-term recycling business survival.

Lombardi was invited to the Clinton White House in 1998 as one of the Top 100 USA Recyclers, he co-founded and served as the Board President of the national GrassRoots Recycling Network (www.GRRN.org), and is a co-founder of the global Zero Waste International Alliance, based in Wales (www.ZWIA.org). He served from 1997-2004 on the National Recycling Coalition's (NRC) Policy Work Group, is a past Board member of the Colorado Association for Recycling (CAFR), and was an executive Board member of the NRC from 1991-1995. In 1992, he co-founded the U.S. National Nonprofit Recyclers Council.

He has an advanced degree from Washington University (St. Louis) in Technology and Human Affairs, and has been working at the interface of where society/technology/business come together to bring beneficial change to all the stakeholders.