A special message from Pat Franklin
In honor of Roger Diedrich's 20th year with CRI
Roger has been a tireless supporter of CRI over the past 20 years as well as an advocate for container recovery and recycling for more than 30 years. He has been an active member in the Sierra Club, at the local, state and national levels, holding numerous offices and heading many committees, working on a variety of environmental issues.
Roger and I first met in the early 1980's and with the help of several other activists, formed a county-wide coalition to stop the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from overturning our local container deposit ordinance, one of several local ordinances passed around the country in the late 70's and early 90's. We succeeded in our efforts, only to have the ordinance struck down by the State Supreme Court. We then pulled together activists from across the state to form a statewide coalition to push for a deposit law in Virginia.
A small group of about 6 individuals, including Roger and me and Carol Waite, began forming the Container Recycling Institute in 1990 and the organization was incorporated in February of 1991. He has been a vital board member and friend of CRI for over two decades. I wish him well in his many other activities and causes.
Pat Franklin is CRI's founder and first executive director.