The Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative Team

The ZWA Sustainable Oregon Schools team has many years experience working with schools and in sustainability. The team is now merging their expertise in these areas into this unique initiative.

Lori Porter Stole, Sustainable Schools Manager

Lori has been involved with sustainability, recycling, waste prevention and product stewardship issues for about 10 years. Most recently she has focused on sustainability in K-12 schools, and designed a sustainability program for Oregon’s 3rd largest school district, which is currently being implemented. She was key to defining the Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative as a comprehensive, long-term school sustainability plan, and is now managing that program for the Zero Waste Alliance.
Prior to her work with schools, Lori was part of the organizing team for the Western Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative, or WEPSI. This multi-stakeholder process worked toward a product stewardship solution for dealing with the growing electronics waste stream.

Lori has a BS degree in chemical engineering from the University of Washington and worked for more than a decade in the semiconductor and plastic industries, in the US and in Germany, as an engineer and project manager. Currently she is a board member of Recycling Advocates and serves on the Portland Metro Area Solid Waste Advisory Committee.

Larry Chalfan, Executive Director, Zero Waste Alliance.

Mr. Chalfan is the Executive Director of the Zero Waste Alliance, a partnership of individuals, universities, businesses and government organizations dedicated to helping organizations become more competitive while they become more sustainable. The ZWA provides management support, technical solutions, training and education. In addition, the ZWA is one of seven EPA designated Local Resource Centers in the country, for assistance to public agencies in the development of environmental management systems.

He is a 30-year veteran of the semiconductor industry and previously was President and CEO of Oki Semiconductor Manufacturing, the first company in Oregon to achieve ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system. In 1997, to work toward sustainability, Oki added the System Conditions of the Natural Step to its ISO 14001 structure and Mr. Chalfan personally provided training for all staff.

Mr. Chalfan received MS and BS degrees in Electrical Engineering from Oregon State University. Current and past board service includes the Oregon State University College of Engineering and Bioengineering Advisory boards, the Resouce Innovation Group board and the Advisory Committee of the Oregon Natural Step Network. He has been a recipient of the Sustainable Oregon Award and was inducted into the OSU Engineering Hall of Fame. Mr. Chalfan is a frequent speaker on sustainability topics.

Bob Filbin, Program Assistant

Bob comes to the Zero Waste Alliance with a background in natural science and grassroots sustainability efforts. Named a Morris K. Udall scholar in 2004 for environmental excellence, he has been involved with a myriad of environmental projects, including the Massachusetts-based Cape Wind Project, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Mars Ice Project, and Energy Action’s Campus Climate Challenge.

Most recently, Bob worked as a watershed organizer at Springfield Technical Community College in Massachusetts, where he taught classes on stream monitoring, K-8th grade environmental education, and grassroots organizing. In addition to ZWA, he is currently writing a guide on Sustainable Grocery Shopping.

Bob has a B.A. in Natural Science from Colgate University.

Brett Luttrell, Program Assistant

Brett is currently a senior at Portland State University studying Community Development and Sustainable Urban Development. He is also co-chair of PSU’s Community Development Student Group and is currently working with students at the University of Washington to create an annual regional sustainability symposium.

After graduating, Brett hopes to enter PSU’s MURP (Masters in Urban & Regional Planning) program and learn to design cities that are more ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable.

Brett moved to Portland in 2005 from Anchorage, Alaska where he spent 11 years working for Bombardier Aerospace and L3 Communications in the aviation material management field.