Addison nonprofit SCARCE to host sustainability meeting to connect local governments, businesses

To bridge the gap between sustainability professionals who work in local government and in businesses, environmental nonprofit SCARCE will host a gathering across businesses, municipalities and other groups Thursday.

Organizers say the meeting will be an opportunity to open the door for much-needed collaboration in a space that has far-reaching impacts.

“They always say there's no silver bullet to solving the climate crisis. You want to get as many ideas out there and do as many different things as you can, because all the little bits are going to add up to one big impact,” said Amy Glawe, a senior environmental, social and governance manager at Reynolds Consumer Products. “The more people we can have involved, the more people that we can get in on the discussion that understand where we're going and why, the better.”

Glawe is hosting the meeting alongside SCARCE to foster connections across sectors. She hopes to form a long-lasting group of people in the Chicago area’s sustainability space through the global organization International Society of Sustainability Professionals.

“I know a lot of people in government that are doing sustainability things, and we don't necessarily know anybody in the business sector that's doing this kind of work — or we may hear about it, but we're not really connected to it,” said Peter Adrian, recycling coordinator at the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County. “And yet these are businesses in our communities and in our neighborhoods.”

The Illinois Environmental Council, an advocacy group that works on environmental policy in Springfield, will also share relevant updates at the meeting.

With both local corporations and governments watching the state legislature closely to understand how environmental legislation will affect them, Glawe said she hopes the emerging collaboration will be a chance for professionals from all sectors to step out of their everyday silos.

“Stuff is changing in sustainability pretty much by the day,” SCARCE executive director Kay McKeen said. “Sharing what works for your community or what's worked for your business, I think it's always valuable to bring people together and share what we're doing.”

The meeting will take place Thursday at SCARCE headquarters, located at 800 S Rohlwing Road in Addison, from 6-8 p.m. Sustainability professionals of all backgrounds can RSVP to Glawe at amy.glawe@reynoldsbrands.com.

• Jenny Whidden is a climate change and environment writer working with the Daily Herald through a partnership with Report For America supported by The Nature Conservancy. To help support her work with a tax-deductible donation, see dailyherald.com/rfa.