During the USCC State Chapter Leaders’ 3rd Quarter Meeting, Chris Snow, USCC’s new Director of Public Policy, presented on the USCC’s Advocacy efforts and commitment to its State Chapters and Members.
The USCC’s role in advocacy is rooted in its Mission Statement and Vision, and so that’s where we start at USCC when discussing Advocacy.
The USCC’s Mission is: The US Composting Council advances compost manufacturing, compost utilization, and organics recycling to benefit our members, society, and the environment.
And our USCC Vision is: We believe compost manufacturing and compost utilization are central to creating healthy soils, clean air and water, a stable climate, and a sustainable society.
So now that we know what we are advocating for, the next step is implementation. Advocacy is a method of gaining public support for causes, bills, policies, and/or regulations. It involves taking strategic actions to drive change and can include a wide range of activities, including education, community organizing, and lobbying.
The USCC has many resources to assist its State Chapters and Members with the many issues affecting them and their ability to expand composting in their States and communities. These resources can be grouped under four main categories:
1. USCC Website
2. USCC Staff
3. USCC Committees, Subcommittees, and Subgroups
4. USCC Working with Other Groups with Similar Missions
The USCC Website has an Advocacy Page which includes:
We have such a wealth of information on the USCC Website to assist with Advocacy that it can take a considerable amount of time to take in and see it all! If the working through the resources on the website feels like a daunting task to undergo on your own, we'd recommend the next resource for State Chapters and Members to take advantage of: USCC Staff.
Your first lines of support are the Executive Director and the Director of Public Policy, but the ability to assist you in your advocacy issues truly extends to all the USCC Staff. We are all here to help you, no matter what your needs are. From compost use to member support to professional development to data and marketing, use USCC Staff as a resource to connect you with what you need to be effective. No matter what you are going through in your community or state, it has probably already happened in another community or state that the USCC has been involved with; we can share this collective experience with you. We are also here to lead in developing and responding to Federal legislation and regulations, with the assistance of our Washington lobbying firm.
The USCC also relies greatly upon our Committees, Subcommittees and Subgroups or Taskforces to review and respond to the policy issues facing our industry. Our Legislative and Environmental Affairs Committee (LEAC), which often has 30-40 USCC Members attending the Monthly meeting, takes the lead in reviewing the major federal and state laws and regulations affecting the composting industry. LEAC is assisted by the State Legislation Subcommittee that takes deeper dives into specific State Legislation and Regulatory changes. We also have our PFAS Task Force and Compost Claims Workgroup focusing on these specific topics to guide our Committees and USCC Staff.
The USCC is also following or working collaboratively with many other National and Regional groups with similar or overlapping Missions and Visions.
These organizations include:
To summarize all of the above, the USCC’s advocacy efforts cannot be fully successful without you: the State Chapters and USCC Members! Together we can bring real change and advance compost manufacturing and use across our States and Communities.
Please send me invitations to your State Chapters’ Advocacy Committee Meetings. I cannot make it every month, but I want to be a regular visitor over the course of the year. Let’s work together!
Chris Snow, Director of Public Policy
csnow@compostingcouncil.org
941-920-4281