The Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) is pleased to award the first Garbageman’s Invitational Master’s Scholarship, funded by Garbageman’s Invitational, to Serena Pozza, a master’s student at Yale University. The Garbageman’s Invitational was founded in 2010 by Kerry Holmes (Vice President of Sales, Consolidated Fabricators), Mike Melideo (Owner, Consolidated Fabricators) and Ray Burke (Vice President, Clean Energy). These three men set out to create a unique annual networking event for their customers and prospects in the solid waste and recycling industry throughout the United States and Canada. The sponsors of the Garbageman’s Invitational felt strongly that there should be an element of “giving back” to the industry. One hundred percent of any donations made to EREF through the Garbageman’s Invitational fund graduate students pursuing excellence in solid waste management research and education.
“As the leader in solid waste research and education, EREF was an easy choice as the charity to benefit from the event. EREF, with its presence throughout North America, is well aligned with the Garbageman’s Invitational’s goal to attract more industry leaders throughout the United States and Canada,” said Kerry Holmes, VP of Sales at Consolidated Fabricators.
Serena’s EREF research, “How Closed-loop Production Systems Can Reduce Waste,” aims to best understand what business and regulatory incentives – in the United States and globally – may drive companies to create closed-loop systems. Additionally, she will study and quantify the economic, societal and environmental benefits of such systems using a system boundary that is not limited just to the companies driving the closed-loop system effort, but also to other entities that may be partnering with the companies and helping them in their endeavor.
Serena is currently studying Environmental Management and Business Administration at Yale University, focusing on industrial ecology and green design. Serena is particularly interested in what new products and business models can bring about a closed-loop system and achieve zero waste. She wants to apply her knowledge of industrial ecology, life-cycle assessment and green chemistry into creating business incentives to push change towards a circular economy.
After graduating from Warwick University, Serena worked for the European Commission in China on issues related to renewable energy and energy efficiency in buildings. She then worked at the World Economic Forum, where she learned about the power of industrial innovations and partnerships in the sustainability space.
EREF scholarships recognize graduate students pursuing excellence in solid waste management research and education. Recipients are chosen based on credentials and potential contributions to the solid waste industry and its scientific community.
Students must meet the following criteria to receive an EREF scholarship:
- Will be this year or are now a full-time master’s or doctoral student, and
- Have a clearly demonstrated interest in solid waste management research. EREF defines solid waste management to pertain to municipal solid waste, construction & demolition waste, industrial waste (e.g. coal ash), WTE ash, etc. Note: this definition does not include agricultural wastes or wastewater treatment plant sludge.
Applications for 2017 EREF scholarships are due May 3.
For more information on the EREF scholarship program, visit www.erefdn.org.