A client once summed up my personality by telling me that, "You're not afraid of controversy. You tell people what they need to hear, not just what they want to hear." That desire for the truth forms the foundation for all of my work related to packaging, the environment, and outreach.

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I’ve been involved with packaging and environmental issues since the early 1990's, when I helped establish plastics recycling programs for the City of Chicago’s outdoor festivals (e.g., The Taste of Chicago) and sports stadiums. At that time, I also started The ULS Report, a highly respected and widely read newsletter aimed at spreading the benefits of source reduction (ULS means Use Less Stuff).

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Soon after, I started working with famed garbologist Dr. William Rathje. Bill and I wrote a groundbreaking editorial for The New York Times, entitled Six Enviro-Myths. We also collaborated on the book Use Less Stuff: Environmental Solutions for Who We Really Are, published by Random House in 1998. Our work earned us Co-Citizens of the Year accolades from the city of Austin, Texas for our waste reduction initiatives.

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I was actively involved with the original Walmart sustainability initiative, serving on the Corporate Sustainability Index advisory team, Food/Agriculture Sustainable Value Network (SVN) and Waste SVN. I also spoke extensively at their Packaging SVN and participated in their Sustainable Dairy strategic planning initiatives.

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I am also the Executive Director and Founder of the environmental think tank known as SPRING, The Sustainable Packaging Research, Information, and Networking Group (www.springpack.net). The New Zealand Trade and Enterprise organization has also named me a Beachhead Advisor to their members who are looking to sustainably market and package their products for export to North America.

 

I write for a variety of packaging and related magazines including Packaging Digest, Plastics Today, Brand Packaging, Environmental Leader, Packaging Strategies, Packaging World, Packaging Europe, and Baking+Biscuit International.

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My clients include AMERIPEN, ITW, Dow Chemical, Pactiv, Walmart, the Foodervice Packaging Institute, BiologiQ, Allied Packaging, Rapid Bander, Procter & Gamble, the American Chemistry Council, and Eastman Chemical.

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Other career highlights include brand management at Procter & Gamble, advertising management at Doyle Dane Bernbach (Omnicom), publishing at Simon & Schuster, and creative development/management for Jim Henson and the Muppets.

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I earned a Masters of Management degree from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, triple majoring in Marketing, Finance, and Organization Behavior. I also received a BA in Social and Behavioral Psychology from Northwestern.

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The photography on this site was shot by me. You can see more of my photo work at www.rmlimagery.com.