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All the latest ideas and news from Upstream’s thought leaders and partners.

Erin Covey-Smith 3/27/25 Erin Covey-Smith 3/27/25

Bringing intention and purpose to investing

A Q&A with Kristin Hull of Nia Impact Capital.

Erin Covey-Smith 3/6/25 Erin Covey-Smith 3/6/25

Join the REAL sharing economy with a Library of Things

Friends of Upstream share the Library of Things concept, a community resource where useful items can be borrowed just like books that are in circulation for years.

image: Baltimore Tool Library

Erin Covey-Smith 2/27/25 Erin Covey-Smith 2/27/25

Keeping loss rates low in school cafeterias

A model from ReThink Disposable helps solve for loss rates when implementing reuse in school cafeterias.

Erin Covey-Smith 2/13/25 Erin Covey-Smith 2/13/25

Embracing Reuse in U.S. Packaging EPR Programs

A playbook for best-in-class Producer Responsibility Organizations for packaging EPR programs.

Erin Covey-Smith 2/7/25 Erin Covey-Smith 2/7/25

The state of EPR policy in the US

A table tracking how reuse is implicated in state EPR for packaging policies.

Erin Covey-Smith 2/6/25 Erin Covey-Smith 2/6/25

A year in the field with a local reuse service provider

Takeaways and lessons learned from an Upstream staff member who undertook a fellowship with a local reuse service provider.

Erin Covey-Smith 1/30/25 Erin Covey-Smith 1/30/25

School Case Studies

Schools around the US have successfully switched to reusable foodware. Here’s how.

Erin Covey-Smith 1/15/25 Erin Covey-Smith 1/15/25

A year of policy, advocacy, and network support

Upstream’s policy team shares 2024 highlights.

Erin Covey-Smith 1/15/25 Erin Covey-Smith 1/15/25

The role of reuse in a Just Transition

We know reuse plays a crucial role in a just transition to a more sustainable economy—but we’ve not yet explicitly stated how and why this is so.

Erin Covey-Smith 1/9/25 Erin Covey-Smith 1/9/25

Reflections on our first Grand Canyon site visit

Our team recently completed its first site visit to the Grand Canyon, where we are orchestrating an unprecedented shift to 100% reuse at all South Rim dining facilities.

Erin Covey-Smith 1/2/25 Erin Covey-Smith 1/2/25

Chart-Reuse case study: Facilitating TRUE Certification

A zero waste consulting firm wanted to monitor the environmental impacts of their clients. A Chart-Reuse case study.

Erin Covey-Smith 12/19/24 Erin Covey-Smith 12/19/24

A Year of Growth and Impact

Celebrating a year of growth and acceleration—and giving thanks to all who helped us get here.

Erin Covey-Smith 12/12/24 Erin Covey-Smith 12/12/24

Key takeaways from the Resource Recycling Conference

Upstream’s first appearance at this conference geared toward waste management professionals and government staff.

Erin Covey-Smith 12/4/24 Erin Covey-Smith 12/4/24

Expanding the conversation

Upstream's Cerise Bridges offers her “notes from the field” after attending a conference about Chicago’s new sustainability law.

Erin Covey-Smith 10/31/24 Erin Covey-Smith 10/31/24

US & Canada Reuse Incentives and Grants Tracker

Upstream's Reuse Funding Tracker monitors incentives and grants that could be used to support projects related to source reduction of disposable packaging and foodware.

Upstream 10/17/24 Upstream 10/17/24

Looking upstream: The linear economy & its social impacts

Reducing resource consumption and improving production processes can develop more resilient, equitable systems that prioritize long-term sustainability for the economy, people, and the environment.

Upstream 10/16/24 Upstream 10/16/24

Reuse & climate: action for governments to take

The importance of embedding reuse into climate action plans—and how measuring consumption-based emissions gives a far more accurate depiction of a municipality’s climate impact.

Upstream 10/10/24 Upstream 10/10/24

Reuse, climate solutions & a just transition

A conversation summary from the summer meeting of the Reuse Solutions Network.

Upstream 10/3/24 Upstream 10/3/24

What is the best way to message reuse?

Messaging strategies and talking points tailored to the four audience types that local advocates commonly target to promote reuse in food service.

Upstream 9/18/24 Upstream 9/18/24

The Conscious Cafeteria Report

A national pilot study on reusable foodware for healthier, more sustainable schools.

Upstream 8/22/24 Upstream 8/22/24

Stories of charting a path to reuse

Three case studies from early adopters of Chart-Reuse, showing how customized data helped them leverage their cause and make the case for reuse.

Erin Covey-Smith 8/22/24 Erin Covey-Smith 8/22/24

Chart-Reuse case study: Aluminum cans versus reusable cups

A reuse service provider wanted to show stadiums the difference in carbon emissions between reusable cups and aluminum cans. A Chart-Reuse case study.

Erin Covey-Smith 8/22/24 Erin Covey-Smith 8/22/24

Chart-Reuse case study: How do you convince high school administrators to switch to reuse?

Students from a California high school wanted help convincing school administrators to replace the disposable bowl used in the cafeteria with a reusable one. With a little purchasing data and Chart-Reuse, we were able to show the impact of switching to reuse.

Erin Covey-Smith 8/22/24 Erin Covey-Smith 8/22/24

Chart-Reuse case study: Advancing Skip the Stuff legislation in Upstate New York

When city legislators required local data to consider Skip the Stuff legislation, a small community organization turned to Upstream for help. A Chart-Reuse case study.

Upstream 8/14/24 Upstream 8/14/24

Putting reuse into practice

Upstream’s vision for reaching the “tipping point” where reuse services become a widespread, cross-sectional, intraoperative industry and an everyday utility.