The Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) will not be holding a conference this year. We are excited to pivot to focus on regional events with upcoming Beyond Waste Summits in Spring 2025!

Reflections from the PLAN Administrative Circle after one year of operating as a Worker Self-Directed Non Profit.

Former interns Alex and Sofia drew on their previous experiences with PLAN to now organize with the global Break Free From Plastic movement.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo want you to believe that individual consumption of single-use plastics is fueling the plastic and climate crisis, when really they are to blame. Read more from Sofia, who wrote this blog post during their internship with PLAN in 2021!

PLAN's Spring in Review! We mobilized students for Earth Day actions, hosted our first in-person Beyond Waste Student Summit since 2020, shared solutions through campus visits, began a comprehensive re-release of our digital resources, and celebrated wins like the first campus completing all 3 stages of the Atlas Zero Waste Project.

Campaigns

A Break Free From Plastic case study from the University of Texas, Dallas.

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Our Plastics Campaign Director Young recaps our inaugural event at Marshall University, and how students of the STOP Fellowship converged for a transformational experience.

At the end of 2023, we are recognizing student perseverance, embracing change & growth, and celebrating all of you that have supported us on this journey. This has been a year of transitions and celebrations for PLAN!

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Thanks to a partnership with EARTHDAY.ORG, PLAN was able to award $10,000 of micro-grants to 16 campuses across the US for student-led actions around Earth Day. Students hosted clean-ups, petitioned for their campus to break free from plastic, created art pieces, advocated for plastic-free legislature, hosted events like a Sustainability Field Day, and more!

Read more about the panels, field trips, and community-building activities during the 2023 Students for Zero Waste Conference at Swarthmore College.

PLAN is excited to formally announce its transition to a Worker Self-Directed Non-Profit (WSDNP). The transition comes as we celebrate our 10 Year Anniversary in 2023. Learn more about our new structure!

Atlas

The diversion metric is a flawed tool that should be universally rejected as a measurement for zero waste. While the metric can serve useful as part of a larger data set, it DOES NOT measure a holistic zero waste system. Here’s why!

Atlas

We see countless colleges and universities focusing their resources on educating their student body on the importance of recycling and how to correctly sort their trash, but with no real improvements in diverting trash away from the landfill or decreased contamination rates. Why is this the case?

Atlas

It isn’t that we think we’re too good to dig through your trash. But waste audits – and the kind of information we get from them – are not a part of the Atlas assessment for a couple of reasons.

We are excited to release the first annual list of Top 10 Zero Waste Campuses in the United States (as assessed by PLAN’s Atlas Zero Waste Certification™ Program)!

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A Year in Review of the 2023-24 STOP Cohort, from our Fellowship Coordinator, Roo.

As we enter an exciting transition to a Worker Self Directed Non-Profit, our outgoing Co-Executive Directors take a moment to reflect and offer personal notes about their time with PLAN.

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Fall updates from our 2021-22 Students Taking on Oil & Petrochemicals cohort.

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Updates from our 2020-21 Students Taking on Oil & Petrochemicals Cohort.

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Spring updates from our 2021-22 Students Taking on Oil & Petrochemicals cohort.

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Reflections from our Campaign Director Young about the STOP Fellowship and organizing in areas directly impacted by waste infrastructure,

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The Students Taking on Oil & Petrochemicals Fellowship is a paid opportunity for students located in the Ohio River Valley that are interested in learning about and taking action against the petrochemical industry in our region. Learn more about the program in these reflections from previous cohorts of Fellows.