In 1989, galvanized by garbage, Louise started The Recycling Alternative. Ever since then, she has been talking trash and manifesting the 5R’s in a big way. A proponent of the ‘roll-up your sleeves’ school of life, Louise started the business with a hatchback, finding innovative and creative ways to compress large volumes of the paper she collected from early adopter offices, into a very small 2 door vehicle! Today she doesn’t have to worry about hatchbacks anymore, just a bunch of big trucks. The topic of trash seems to follow Louise wherever she goes and even when on holiday, she can be spotted trash touristing. You may find her flashing photo’s of unsuspecting recycling bins, lifting lids to inspect the contents, documenting recycling signs and public messaging in the ‘throw away’ battle abroad, visiting recycling plants, and frequently stopping recycling drivers as they go about their daily work, to grill them on their collection system. These trashy tendencies are frequently commented on by her travelling companions. In a parallel universe, Louise speaks a couple of other languages fluently (Spanish and Italian), has lived in a few countries, (Mexico, Italy, Spain, England, Scotland), completed degrees like Political Science, Spanish Literature and Education at university , loves to paint, sing and dance, and possesses a mean backhand. In the trash universe, she is forklift certified, can’t bear the thought of ‘throwing things away’, is by some people’s standards overly fond of cats (especially the ones at RA) and dreams of making and selling recycled paper one day (soon!).

Interests

Environmental Conservation, Food & Agriculture, Green Lifestyle, Human Rights, Renewable Energy, Social Change, Sustainability Education, Transportation, Waste Reduction, Wildlife & Habitat