Reducing Consumption Coordinator
The Environmental Paper Network-North America is seeking a candidate to join our network team and help shape the future of paper consumption in North America and beyond. The Reducing Consumption Coordinator will lead our “Paper Use Efficiency Project” and work closely with Environmental Paper Network staff and member organizations on strategic educational and advocacy efforts to achieve reductions in the consumption of wasteful and high-volume paper products and to help facilitate our network members’ in collaboration toward this goal.
Under the supervision of the EPN-North America Director, the Reducing Consumption Coordinator will play an active role in Environmental Paper Network initiatives. Projects may include, but are not limited to:
- Organize and facilitate regular virtual meet-ups of a Working Group of Environmental Paper Network members with active projects focused on reduction
- Help to gather, track and evaluate data on paper consumption, especially in areas and sectors where our members are working
- Actively collaborate with plastics reduction campaigns on joint efforts to reduce single-use packaging through corporate and government action.
- Lead the production of original fact sheets and update and enhance content on SolvingPackaging.org
- Outreach to media, including press releases
- Creatively utilize social media and develop original web content and articles highlighting the campaign and promote solutions
- Contribute to EPN’s all-staff approach to social media
- Work with partners to help scale their communications and strategy
- Organize and participate in joint actions and synchronous publications/events to maximize impacts
- Attend/present at relevant industry related conferences (virtual for the duration of 2021)
- Work with Development Coordinator to seek additional sources of funds for paper waste reduction
- Develop and conduct surveys, reports and evaluations
Qualifications
The successful candidate will be a motivated, well-organized individual with a talent for creativity and social media that can develop a work plan and deliver on-time results; possesses strong communication and writing skills; excels when working in a team environment; and is a problem-solver.
Project Description
The project is a multi-year partnership with our members with a goal to deliver more efficient use of paper and reductions in volume, thereby reducing waste of raw materials used in making pulp and paper, including trees, energy and water, and reduce climate change and other polluting emissions.
The project goals are:
- Provide coordination and acceleration for our network members’ planned campaigns to reduce wasteful paper consumption in 2021/2022.
- Complete outreach and research on existing corporate responsibility policies related to packaging, identify best practices for avoiding “regrettable substitutions” of paper when reducing plastic packaging, and dialogue with leading plastic reduction campaigns to develop and promote a common set of demands/recommendations.
- Build our members’ capacity by providing tools, educational resources and communications supporting paper waste reduction initiatives and campaign activities
The Reducing Consumption Coordinator will participate in and help support an international working group comprised of representatives of member organizations that are campaigning on this issue in order to create synergy through an intellectual cohort, sharing of resources, speaking with one voice where possible and supporting each other’s campaigns.
Background
Even in the age of the so-called “paperless office,” Americans still consume more paper per capita than anyone else on earth. On average, a person in the United States uses more than 700 pounds of paper every year. That’s about five times more than a person in Asia and 30 times more than a person in Africa. Globally, paper consumption is already increasing, and with a societal shift to reduce plastics occurring, the demand for paper packaging and single-use paper items is expected to continue to grow.
To fuel this consumption, the U.S. paper industry is the fourth largest industrial emitter of greenhouse gases, the largest industrial user and polluter of water and the third largest industrial consumer of energy. Paper is also the single largest component of our landfills. And rising global demand for paper is driving fiber sourcing deeper into intact forest landscapes around the world. Reducing wasteful consumption of paper products and ensuring fair access is the first goal of the Environmental Paper Network’s Global Paper Vision and delivers the greatest conservation and climate benefits. The paper with the least environmental impacts is the sheet that wasn’t wastefully used.
Organization
The Environmental Paper Network is an international collaborative project of more than 150 organizations that have endorsed the Global Paper Vision and are working for social and environmental transformation in the production and consumption of pulp and paper.
EPN is currently organized into three non-hierarchical hubs, each with its own Steering Committee and staff, EPN-North America, EPN-International, and EPN-China.
Additional Information
Working with our team you will gain skills in network-building, collaboration, outreach and communications, a deeper understanding of forest, paper and sustainability issues, and more. There is great potential to work with cutting edge sustainability, communications and advocacy experts.
Location: Asheville, NC but possible to work remotely
Compensation Type: Paid, hourly ($25/hour)
Job Status: Part-Time – 20 hours per week
Experience Level: Open to all qualified and motivated applicants
Period of Employment: 12 months
Equipment: Not provided (monthly equipment stipend)
Application Materials
Deadline for applying is September 1, 2021. Interested applicants should email a brief cover letter and resume to:
Kim Porter, EPN Development Coordinator, kim@environmentalpaper.org
Subject Heading: Reducing Consumption Coordinator
Environmental Paper Network
www.environmentalpaper.org
PO Box 7091, Asheville, NC 28802
828-251-8558