For decades, numerous industries have recognized the benefits of sustainable practices, but as these industries face crisis in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 may have redefined the known concepts of sustainability. This policy academy will examine the then-and-now of sustainability issues including how state and industry priorities have changed, how sustainable practices will survive, evolve and manifest in a post-coronavirus economy, and if sustainability can efforts co-exist as resiliency and recovery remains the priority for states.   

As states continue to assess their role in appropriating, regulating and containing waste impacting the climate, leaders will come together to wrestle with the questions raised as a result of COVID-19.