Where did Zero to Go come from?

I'm really into waste reduction, recycling, and connecting the community to local environmental resources that will help them to recognize the power of  sustainability. How I got this way...

I'm an alumnus of AmeriCorps, which I did in Colorado twice. I led groups of teens in trail building and maintenance, and community service projects with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. During my second year with the Youth Corps, I built and worked on trails on 14,000' mountains for 5 months. These experiences taught me about the impact of humans in delicate ecosystems, and about caring for and protecting parks as state budgets are slashed, and about hard work. 

I went on to work for Outward Bound for 3 years, organizing alumni of the organization in the US to join together and give back to their communities through service. While organizing these folks to make a difference in their communities, I also gave back to mine. I was a volunteer and then a board member of the Hudson Valley Materials Exchange (in Newburgh, then in New Paltz), a place for all kinds of materials for the arts and other fields, to have a second chance. I saw how much was being repurposed instead of being thrown away, and have never been able to see consumer goods the same way. I left my job to pursue my passion for recycling, repurposing and spreading awareness ways to help the environment where I live. So, I started my own group in Beacon called Zero to Go, which is geared towards awareness of local resources for recycling, repairing, and reusing many different materials and products locally. It is part of my project to encourage Beacon-based businesses to switch away from styrofoam to recyclable alternatives. Many thanks for the help of Justin Riccobono and Kathleen Flynn for their help with these endeavors!


I'm a member of the City of Beacon Conservation Advisory Committee, which is working on organizing an electronics recycling day for the City of Beacon. Also, I'm the board secretary of the Sargent-Downing Garden and Nursery, located at the Settlement Camp. More info here.

I just joined the Hudson Valley Sloop Clearwater for an intensive week of volunteering on the sloop, and taught 12 groups of students (mostly 4th-5th graders) about the Hudson River and about the organization. A post is coming soon about this adventure!