Lobbying for Recycling at the Tennessee State Legislature General Assembly

I recently went to a fantastic conference in Franklin TN hosted by the Tennessee Recycling Coalition (TRC). Aside form the regular perks of a conference (netowrking, exposure, education etc.) this conference had a unique, hands on experience. They wrapped up the conference by inviting people to come to the Recycling Day at the Legislature. TRC, in partnership with the South East Recycling Development Council (SERDC) sponsored a breakfast for the senators and representatives of Tennessee.

I am neither a lobbyist, nor the son of a lobbyist. But today, I actually "lobbied" for the House Bill 945 which is seeking to prohibit aluminum cans and plastic bottles from going it into the landfills of TN. What an experience! Most of the politicians I talked with were either neutral or against it, but there was one politician from district 74 who I was really impressed with.

Representative John Tidwell took quality time out of his schedule to explain several aspects of the political process to me. He highlighted several factors related to implementing this kind of bill that most people don't think about. He even told me some pointers about lobbying in that venue. This guy is a true statesmen, and takes his job as a representative seriously. While I was disheartened by the majority of the politicians attitude towards recycling, I walked away from this experience with a great deal of respect for this representative, and the character he brings to his office. He demonstrated a keen awareness of the systemic challenges of recycling in TN, and the plethora of options that could be pursued to divert waste form the landfills. Needless to say, if you go to his profile page at the previous link, this guy is not fresh into game. He is a seasoned politician. However, his years had not diminished his passion or his burden for the state of TN. You could tell he wrestles repeatedly with the issues facing our state, and his district.