nonprofit spotlight Betsy Sisley, a community organizer for Toward Zero Waste, lets water drain from an empty can before she deposits it in the trash bag held by her husband T.J.
and feeling good about that,” she said. “‘Every small change matters’ is what we have on our website, and we really believe that. “If everybody lived this way and tried to live this way, think about the impact we would have.” The grassroots organization spread throughout North Carolina, largely through social media. There are now 18 different TZW groups across the state, some with a few dozen members and others with more than a thousand. Cary, Apex and Morrisville all have community Facebook groups. Lots of folks were joining, changing their lifestyles, but it felt like the group wasn’t accomplishing enough, Williams says. They wanted to expand individual awareness and actions to influence policy changes at schools, businesses and government. With that goal in mind, Toward Zero Waste became a nonprofit in January 2020. “It just made more sense to be a nonprofit, and to be able then to take advantage of grants that would allow us to be able to make bigger impacts,” Williams said. “It has allowed us to get a foot in the door into more places — talking with town governments and engaging with other nonprofits or organizations.”
Toward Zero Waste WRITTEN BY AMBER KEISTER PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONATHAN FREDIN
BEFORE THEY EVER MET, Dargan Gilmore and Leigh Williams had each decided that they had to do something about climate change. The day after watching the environmental documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” Gilmore and her husband traded their car for a hybrid. The Raleigh woman also read Bea Johnson’s guide to sustainable living, “Zero Waste Home,” and joined a Facebook interest group. That’s how she connected with Williams, who was also moved to action by Johnson’s book. “We both made huge shifts in the amount that we’re sending to the landfill and decided to get together and try to raise 76 SEPTEMBER 2021
awareness,” said Williams, who lives in Cary. “We couldn’t be the only people who were concerned about this.” The two women launched Toward Zero Waste in 2016 to promote waste-conscious living, raise awareness of sustainable practices, and encourage lifestyle changes. Including the word “toward” in the group’s name was “very intentional,” says Gilmore, because the climate crisis can seem overwhelming. “People don’t know what to do, and we want people to be comfortable making little steps
Among her duties as the Cary community director, Andrea Rushing organizes volunteers for projects like the litter sweep.
