Michael Washburn is Principal and Owner at Washburn Consulting: Sustainability & Public Affairs.  Michael has a long resume of leadership roles in academia, non-profit environmental organizations and served as the Vice President of Sustainability at Nestle Waters North America.  His familiarity with non-profit environmental campaigns, the underlying philanthropic forces that drive them, and the internal processes that companies engage to address them has resulted in his work at the center of recycling reform.  In his role at Nestle, and later as a Senior Policy Advisor at The Recycling Partnership he has advocated for packaging EPR laws in multiple states. 

In his consulting practice he advises clients on their engagement with existing laws as well as emerging legislative proposals.  His team supports trade associations and individual companies as we all seek to understand what is required under these laws and comply at the individual company level.  Michael received a BS in environmental studies and a MS in wilderness management from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Ph.D. in forest policy from Penn State University.  He is a former faculty member of the Yale School of the Environment.