Organizational Charter and 2000-2005 Organizational Plan

Mission & Organizational Charter

New Membership Guidelines

New Steering Committee Guidelines

Organizational Plan in a Nutshell

Download the entire Organizational Plan

GLRPPR Marketing Plan [PDF]

QA/QC Document for Topic Hubs and Sector Resources

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Organizational Charter

Written May 1994 - Revised August 1999

Mission Statement:

The Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable supports pollution prevention and beyond compliance activities through information sharing, issue discussion and program development among member organizations.

Goals and Activities:

Information Sharing -- Continue and build upon existing roundtable activities.

• Resource coordination and information exchange among technical assistance and regulatory programs (specific and well focused to meet the needs of a variety of programs participating);
  
• Technical resource coordination (including newsletter, regional publications, and other information exchange e.g., topic specific guide to regional resources);
  
• Network with peer organizations to represent roundtable activities and opportunities and to be aware of activities of other groups (e.g. ag hazwaste, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Non-governmental Organizations, National Pollution Prevention Roundtable and Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange);
  
• Conference organizing (twice annual conferences to promote networking on pollution prevention issues);
  
• Maintain membership roster;
  
• Enhance and support regional technical resources (e.g. Great Lakes Technical Resource Library, clearinghouse).

Issue Discussion

• Topic identification and agenda development for GLRPPR conferences;
  
• Develop methods for measuring program effectiveness;
  
• Assist with identifying regional priorities and discuss and address regional progress implementing pollution prevention;
  
• Provide a focal point for policy dialog and discussion of regional pollution prevention and beyond compliance issues by functioning in an advisory capacity.

Regional Program Development -- move beyond traditional activities to provide economies of scale and secure new investment in such areas as:

• Attracting funding for member organizations (would need 501c3 status);
  
• Developing and providing training for members and others;
  
• Establishing regional pollution prevention resources.

Membership:

Membership of the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable includes individuals from local, state, provincial and federal programs and industries that promote or implement pollution prevention in the Great Lakes Region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania).

Membership in the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable is open to anyone interested in pollution prevention and beyond compliance activities in the Great Lakes states. No membership fees are required although nominal fees may be charged for specific GLRPPR activities.

Organization:

The objective of this organizational structure is to provide continuity, guidance, and a commitment to conference GLRPPR goals as the organization evolves. The organizational structure may change as the GLRPPR determines which activities and directions best serve the membership.

The Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable is primarily a service organization without legal status at this time. A Steering Committee will be responsible for making decisions about the organizational activities of the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable. The Steering Committee seeks to represent the membership. Recommendations of the Steering Committee that will affect the mission and goals of the Roundtable are put before the entire membership for consensus approval.

The Steering Committee reaches its decisions through the process of consensus. As a service organization the Roundtable meets the variety of needs of its members. Consensus decision making allows all members' views to be addressed through the Steering Committee. Consensus is reached when the group has aired and accommodated, to the extent possible, the views of all the members. Members participating in a conference are polled for their opinions on each decision to insure that all voices are heard. Members of the Steering Committee who do not participate in a decision will have an opportunity to review and comment on the decision as part of the approval process for each set of previous conference minutes.

GLRPPR activities will not be hindered due to a lack of consensus. In cases where agreement does not seem possible, the Steering Committee may decide by consensus to vote on an issue. When a vote is taken, a 2/3 majority of Steering Committee members present is required.

The Steering Committee has twelve members. Six members will represent each of the six Great Lakes States and Ontario. The other six members will represent the constituencies within the GLRPPR and include one representative for each of: 1 )USEPA; 2) Environment Canada; 3) regional provinces of Canada; 4) regional, local, state and tribal regulatory agencies; 5) regional, state, local and tribal technical assistance programs; and 6) non-governmental programs (which may include industry representatives and citizens groups).

Steering Committee members will serve terms of two years with six of the members being chosen in each year. Terms will begin at the Chicago Winter GLRPPR Conference. The Executive Director shall notify the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable membership as to what Steering Committee terms will be expiring and seek nominations to fill the positions. The slate of nominees will be brought before the membership for approval. An open election of GLRPPR members will be conducted if more than one candidate is nominated for a position.

National Pollution Prevention Roundtable:

The Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable will maintain an active and constructive relationship with the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable.

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New Membership Guidelines

Membership Requirements:

For the past 4 years, GLRPPR has considered anyone who attended a conference to be a member. However, based on the 1999 member survey, that classification has not been understood by many of the members. At this time the GLRPPR Steering Committee feels it is necessary to establish more concrete membership goals and standards. Three levels of membership are outlined below.

The intention is not to require membership fees or exclude anyone interested in Great Lakes environmental issues from participating in GLRPPR. Anyone interested will be added to the GLRPPR Updates list server and on-line news. Formalizing membership terms will simply serve to promote ownership in GLRPPR and to help environmental professionals in the Great Lakes Region by better clarifying privileges of membership.

It is the intention of the Steering Committee that membership fees not add to the amount currently being charged to GLRPPR members. The fees will be offset by decreases in costs associated with attendance at conferences. To promote membership, services previously available to anyone will only be available to those who become at least Basic (no charge) members.

All memberships will be individual, rather than organizational. Therefore, anyone in an organization wishing to vote on Steering Committee members, receive the LINK newsletter or other privileges listed below will be required to become a member. Membership forms will be available on the GLRPPR web page, through the Executive Director and at conferences. Forms will include contact information, areas of interest and other basic information. The membership terms will be implemented beginning in January, 2000, and be explained at the Chicago Winter conference.

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New Steering Committee Guidelines

Steering Committee Roles and Responsibilities:

The GLRPPR Steering Committee is made up of 12 members from the Great Lakes States. In the past the roles of the Steering Committee have been very loosely defined and the work has been unevenly distributed. Following is a more detailed view of the roles and responsibilities of Steering Committee membership in an attempt to make the positions more valuable to Steering Committee members and the GLRPPR membership as a whole. These roles will become effective at the Chicago Winter Conference.

Programmatic Focus Areas:

1. Summer Conference Planning -- The Steering Committee representative(s) from the host state will take the lead on planning the summer conferences. This will be a short term position, usually occupying 6 months to 1 year prior to the conference. It may be done in conjunction with another Focus Area.
1. Work with the GLRPPR Executive Director to select dates and location;
2. Outline the conference agenda and select speakers to highlight regional programs and accomplishments;
3. Provide a list of potentially interested participants to the Executive Director;
4. Identify potential training sessions or tours that might be appropriate;
5. Work with the GLRPPR Executive Director to determine all other conference logistics.
2. Regional priorities and progress ­ This position will be responsible for tracking issues of importance to the region. This position should be held by a Steering Committee member in the second year of his/her term.

1. Facilitate discussions at the Chicago Winter conference about issues of regional importance;
2. Meet with US EPA Headquarters and Region 5 to determine their priorities and to share GLRPPR membership priorities;
3. Facilitate conference calls and list server discussions;
4. Help GLRPPR Executive Director draft a white paper identifying priorities for the next year and progress from the previous year.
3. National Pollution Prevention Roundtable Board Representative ­ The Region 5 representative to the NPPR Board will be chosen from those who have been GLRPPR Steering Committee members and those familiar with GLRPPR activities. During the NPPR representative's term, this member will also server on the GLRPPR steering committee by reporting on NPPR activities of interest to the region during the monthly conference calls. As the NPPR Board terms span three years, this member will serve a three year term on the GLRPPR steering committee as well. This may be in addition to or in conjunction with the two year GLRPPR Steering Committee term.

Topical Focus Areas:

1. Steering Committee members who choose topical focus areas will:
1. Lead a work group dealing with topic specific issues;
2. Plan sessions and topics for Chicago and the summer conference;
3. Organize interim conference calls and conferences;
4. Facilitate list servers if desired;
5. Draft position papers for vote;
6. Maintain a work group membership roster;
7. Develop articles for LINK and web content with the help of the work group;
8. Report to the Steering Committee about activities.
2. Topics may include:
1. Regulatory Integration ­ P2 in regulatory settings;
2. Local Government ­ P2 in local government;
3. Information/Outreach ­ Information and outreach issues including training, web technology, libraries and other information access points;
4. Technology / Technical Assistance ­ methods and implementation strategies of P2 programs in industry from a government perspective;
5. P2 Tools and Techniques ­ P2 tools and techniques, focusing on case studies, implementation processes, success stories and other areas of interest to industrial members;
6. Mercury/PBT ­ pollution prevention options and strategies for mercury and PBTs in the Great Lakes;
7. Other topics of interest to Steering Committee and GLRPPR members.

Should a Steering Committee member no longer be able to meet these expectations for any reason, mid- term substitutions will be accepted.

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The Organizational Plan, in a Nutshell

Structural Changes:

• Membership will be formalized. Those interested in becoming members will now be required to fill out a membership form. Membership will entitle individuals to GLRPPR services previously available to everyone.
• The Steering Committee roles will be formalized. Roles, privileges and responsibilities will be more concrete.
  

Goals and Activities:

The Web Page:

• The directory of P2 resources in the Great Lakes will continue to be maintained on the web page. The information will also be available to members through the Help Desk Librarian.
• A virtual Clearinghouse of non-copyrighted P2 materials in the Great Lakes will be made available on the web and through the Help Desk Librarian. The Clearinghouse will also list other state and regional groups with clearinghouses.
• Topic specific collections of resources in the Great Lakes Region will be developed and made available.
  

LINK Newsletter: Revisions will be made to improve quality and content.

Networking:

• GLRPPR Staff will continue to participate in P2Rx, NPPR and regional or local conferences or conferences as appropriate in an attempt to better understand the needs of the region.
• GLRPPR Staff and Steering Committee will investigate implementation of an Awards Program for outstanding P2 Programs and People.
• GLRPPR will explore training resources in the Great Lakes, including collecting training materials that could be made available in the region and developing training materials to meet needs identified by the work groups.
  

Conferences:

• The Chicago Winter conference format will become more discussion oriented, including an issue identification and work group focus.
• The summer conferences will rely more heavily on the state's steering committee member and host organizations. They will attempt to showcase local and state activities.
• Special sessions will be explored where applicable.
  

Membership:

• The Steering Committee will work to increase the breadth of membership and evaluate the composition of the membership every 2 years to ensure we are reaching our targets.
• A Steering Committee position will be created to work on Regional Progress and Priorities, including facilitating a discussion at the Chicago Winter conference, working with the Executive Director to author a white paper and communicating with US EPA about regional priorities.
  

Grant and Funding Opportunities:

• Mini-grants will be provided through the P2Rx grant to develop P2 information tools.
• Regional grant opportunities will be listed on the GLRPPR web page.

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Organizational Plan (.pdf)

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