September 2009 

Letter From Laura

Letter from Laura Laura Gerlach, Vice President Retail Operations, RILA September has been an exciting month for sustainability at RILA! With ESCC and RSI’s fall meeting both taking place next week in Dallas, we’re looking forward to a week of informative speakers, great education and terrific networking. More >>

Executive Profile

Executive Profile: Kevin Hagen Kevin Hagen, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, REI Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, REI More >>

Feature Articles

Retail Hazardous Waste: The Costs of Non-Compliance Tom Carney, General Manager, StrongPak, a Stericycle Company Enforcement of environmental regulations related to hazardous waste in the retail industry is on the rise. Since 2005, state and federal agencies have fined the retail industry over $61 million for improper management of hazardous waste. More >>

TIA: A Champion for the Environment Taly Walsh, Vice President Marketing & Business Development, Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Complying with environmental regulations on a global scale requires a one-stop shop. The TIA, along with electronics and IT companies, have compiled critical information on one convenient website – www.eiatrack.org. More >>

President Obama's Speech on Climate Change President Barack Obama, President, United States of America No nation, however large or small, wealthy or poor, can escape the impact of climate change. Rising sea levels threaten every coastline. More powerful storms and floods threaten every continent. More >>

Reputation in the World of Social Media Ruth Kinzey, Corporate Reputation Strategist, The Kinzey Company With Twitter’s 40 million users daily and with usage continuing to grow, it is not surprising that companies are looking to leverage these tactics to cost-efficiently add customers, enhance service, and directly communicate with key audiences. More >>

RILA Update

RILA’s Sustainability Community to Convene in Dallas Next Month , , Retailers that lead the way in environmental sustainability and compliance will convene in Frisco, Texas in early October for two RILA events, which will be held in conjunction with one another. More >>

RILA Members Support Sustainable Supply Chains Autumn Lotze, Retail Operations Coordinator, RILA RILA's Logistics Conference Steering Committee is well underway in developing the program for Logistics 2010. More >>

San Jose Approves Plastic Bag Ban Joe Rinzel, Vice President, State Government Affairs, RILA The San Jose City Council voted last week 9-1 to have an ordinance drawn up that would ban most plastic and paper shopping bags by January 1, 2011 - and took steps to bring other Santa Clara County cities along with them. More >>

Senate Introduced Climate Change Bill Today Kelly Kolb, Vice President, Supply Chain, RILA Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) introduce their version of a climate change bill later today after months of negotiations. More >>

RILA Joins Others in Correction of NRDC/Sierra Club Letter to Oberstar Kelly Kolb, Vice President, Supply Chain, RILA RILA, along with other associations, sent a letter to Chairman Oberstar offsetting charges that ports are in need of authority to administer regulations and requirements for the success of clean air programs. More >>

EPA Retail Industry Portal Available , , RILA announced in May the launch of the EPA's Retail Industry Portal, a one-stop shop for retailers searching for environmental compliance and sustainability information. More >>