Mark Naef Memorial
NYSAR3 marks the passing of one of the founding members of the organization, Mark Naef, who died December 11, 2020. (see full obituary).
Mark Lichtenstein, also an original organizer of NYSAR3, recognized Naef’s influence on the recycling industry and environmental movement industry in New York State.
“I continue to mourn the loss of Mark,” said Lichtenstein, Executive Operations Officer, NYS Center for Sustainable Materials Management, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF).
“Not only was he a personal friend (we go back to before either of us knew we’d be in the recycling world together!) but Mark also played a number of absolutely critical roles with advancing what we now see as the ‘recycling industry’ in New York. The list of his accomplishments is long. We owe him a debt of gratitude.
“He and I conspired to change the world in so many ways,” Lichtenstein continued. “One of those was a complete transformation of NYSAR3 in the early 1990’s. Mark, Lee Cornell, Bethany Dawes, Garret Dolan, Barb Eckstrom, Jim Gilbert, Evan Liblit, and Jim Zecca are but a few of the stalwarts during that impactful period. We pushed for the then NYSAR (R=recycling) to recognize the importance of upstream activities (the other two R’s), reincorporating the organization into what we now have; opened up voting membership to the academic, nonprofit, and private sectors; helped drive the formation of the first national State Recycling Organization Council, on which Mark eventually represented us; we were one of the first SROs to join the National Recycling Coalition; and, we hired NYSAR3’s first executive director – Bethany Dawes. Some of those folks are still going strong! I am eternally grateful to what Mark meant to me, and to the movement I’ve spent a large part of my life advancing.”
Andrew Radin, Recycling and Waste Reduction Director at the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency in Syracuse commented that anyone who ever met Mark Naef clearly saw his unwavering commitment to advance recycling in Central New York and beyond.
“He was a true environmentalist and coupled his deep personal commitment to recycling with extensive knowledge of material markets,” Radin said. “NYSAR3, the National Recycling Coalition, and our local community’s recycling effort all benefitted from Mark’s involvement and impact on our industry.”
Marjorie Torelli, former NYSAR3 president noted that she first met Mark when he was working for Daystar Recycling, the company that purchased newsprint from the Western Finger Lakes Authority, (where she formerly worked).
“He was always helpful and professional,” Torelli said. “I also worked with him as a member of the NYSAR3 board. He was an invaluable member of the board and a colleague with whom I was always glad to work.”
“Mark was very kind to me when I was new to the industry and first on the (NYSAR3) Board,” recalled Dianne Woske, Fulton County Recycling Coordinator, former NYSAR3 president, secretary and Region 5 representative. “I especially remember how enthusiastic Mark was about sharing his knowledge and passion with young people and school groups. His face lit up when recalling recent tours of his facility. There must be a pretty big group of Syracuse-area children (now adults) who benefitted from his dedication to recycling and environmental issues.”
Debbie Jackson, retired from NYSDEC and a long-time former NYSAR3 Board member, said that Mark was the person she would go to get an honest, thoughtful answer to any recycling question.
“He was so knowledgeable about recycling, education and markets, that his insight was invaluable,” Jackson said. “Besides all that commitment to the program, he was one of the nicest people I worked with. Mark was one of a kind and he will be greatly missed.”
