Deborah Stewart Anderson is an educator, environmental activist, and community
advocate. An experienced community educator and organizer, Deborah has worked in
diverse areas of community service. Deborah has a Master’ degree from Wayne State
University’ college of Education in Instructional Technology. She has led local nonprofit
work in Literacy/GED programming, and has educated her community concerning
climate change, environmental health, waste reduction i.e., recycling, composting,
reduce, reuse, refill and recycle. Deborah is a trained Climate Reality Leader since 2020
and helped start the Greater Detroit Chapter for Climate Reality in Detroit. Deborah
joined the Michigan Environmental Council in early 2020 to coordinate the Zero Waste
Detroit program for which MEC was the fiduciary. Zero Waste Detroit was organized in
early 2007 to address the issues and eventual closure of the Detroit Incinerator. ZWD
became a collaborative force which included several environmental and environmental
justice organizations in coalition building to bring community attention to the incinerator
and community health. Zero Waste Detroit’ latest work has been to deliver contracted
recycling education, outreach, engagement and education to city residents, commercial
and multifamily buildings for the city’ Residential and Commercial Recycling program.
Zero Waste Detroit now embarks on building a stronger more diverse organization since
becoming its own 501c3 in September of 2023. Deborah and ZWD look forward to its
continued work with Global Alliance for Incerator Alternatives (GAIA). Zero Waste Detroit will continue to work locally
to strengthen advocacy, education and outreach programming to community residents,
and local officials to help facilitate the building of a zero-waste infrastructure for the City.