Discussion Forum – “Beyond Plastics: Transatlantic Dialogue for a More Sustainable Future”

Plastic pollution knows no bounds. Plastic pollution negatively affects ecosystems and communities across the world. As two strong industrialized nations, the U.S. and Germany are leading the search for comprehensive solutions. To promote cross-national collaboration and open dialogue surrounding this topic, the GACC South is hosting the “Beyond Plastics: Discussion Forum”.

This forum is the culminating event to the “Beyond Plastics: Transatlantic Dialogue for a More Sustainable Future” cultural encounter program. This week-long trip brings German delegates from Berlin, Germany to the City of Atlanta to  familiarize themselves with US culture, visit local institutions, and learn first hand about initiatives on the topic of urban plastic waste management in Atlanta.

The “Beyond Plastics: Discussion Forum” will serve as a platform to discuss urban plastic reduction and sustainable ways to handle plastic waste in urban communities. Speakers and panelists will include visiting German delegates from the City of Berlin as well as their counterparts in the City of Atlanta.  Topics of discussion will include:

• An in depth look at public and private initiatives in Atlanta and Berlin
• Discussion of urban waste reduction policies
• Plastic waste management and public involvement
• Future outlooks on plastic waste management

GACC invites all interested parties to join us as we discuss these issues in depth. Registration will open at 4pm. The program will start promptly 4:30pm and last approximately 2 hours and will be followed by networking over catered drinks and hor d’oeurves.

This event is cosponsored and hosted by the Atlanta Global Studies Center.

The Transatlantic Program is supported by the of the Federal Republic of Germany with funds from the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK). Furthermore, this project is in partnership with the Berlin Senate Department for the Environment, Urban Mobility, Consumer Protection and Climate Action.

Speakers:

Jennifer Wilson | Manager of Sustainability Initiatives | Georgia State University

Michelle Wiseman | Director of Waste Diversion & Outreach | Mayor’s Office of Resilience

Dawn Brown | Sr. Manager Stadium Tours & Education Programs + Sustainability | Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Visiting Berlin Delegation/ Berlin Speakers:

Matthias Beninde | Head of Department/International Affairs | Senate Department Berlin for Enviroment, Mobility, Infrastructure and Consumer Protection

Simone Bröschke | International Affairs | Senate Department Berlin for Enviroment, Mobility, Infrastructure and Consumer Protection

Tamara Fischer | Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency | Senate Department Berlin for Enviroment, Mobility, Infrastructure and Consumer Protection

Tobias Jänecke | Docent for Sustainable Design | University of Applied Sciences Potsdam

Julia Seeliger | CEO and Co-Founder | Klara Grün UG

Ellen Weiland | Officer of Sustainability and Municipal Projects | East German Savong Banks Association

Dr. Sonja Witte | Head of Strategy Staff Unit | Berliner Stadtreinigungsbetriebe AöR City of Berlin’s Municipal Cleaning Operations