The progress we have achieved in recycling is important for many of the reasons today's speakers have discussed. Not only does the collection of otherwise wasted materials result in the manufacture of new products while preserving resources, creating jobs and potentially reducing environmental impacts, recycling provides a gateway through which every human being can take a relatively simple and occasionally profitable step into the arena of making a difference.

But it is ultimately not in the area of recycling where the greatest, most lasting difference can be made. Although recycling is often the key that opens the door, the awareness waiting on the other side is that waste prevention is a much more powerful tool than recycling, not only for its potential to reduce what goes into the landfill, but as a metaphor for cultural and social change. Just as the last century has measured its wealth based on its ability to consume and waste resources, whether measured in tons, gallons, acres, board feet or human lives, the next century must shift the way success is measured if we are to survive. Wealth must be measured in terms of the restoration of human and natural resources, in order to rebuild the planetary savings account we have squandered in the process of developing the industrialized world.

Are we capable, as individuals and as a society, of making that commitment, that shift in world view? I think that has yet to be determined.

As part of waste awareness week in Humboldt County, we sponsored an art contest for local students. The theme of the contest was "Imagine a world without waste". What we discovered was that the older students couldn't imagine a world without waste that had people in it, while the younger students still had the ability to believe that we can learn to coexist with our natural environment. This gives me hope.

Waste prevention is the key. Learning to walk on the planet and leave only footprints behind is a challenge which we must all accept in order to do our share for those young students. Individuals understand this. Despite all our modern conveniences, the old motto of "Waste not, want not" still strikes a chord close to our hearts. Businesses inherently understand the value and importance of improving material and operating efficiency, and are beginning to recognize the competitive advantage of responsible environmental waste prevention practices like design for the environment, durability, and design for disassembly.

We appreciate the efforts of the EPA and others to legitimize waste prevention through the creation of measurement tools which calculate waste reduced, dollars saved, and environmental impacts avoided. Even without the ability to count what isn't there, we know that waste prevention is an effective tool for reducing disposed waste.

But more importantly, waste prevention is an attitude, a state of mind, a commitment and a way of life. Whether we can measure it or not, whether we can see it or not, we understand its contribution to the process of changing hearts, minds, and behavior which is critical to our ability to move closer to zero waste.