Held each year on the first Monday of September, Zero Waste Week was founded in the UK and has since spread across the world. Its stated mission is to help households, businesses, organizations, schools, universities, and community groups reduce landfill waste to save money, preserve resources, and protect the environment.
This year, STO Building Group’s Sustainability team recognized this week-long campaign with a special three-part Building Conversations podcast series focused on material circularity in the AEC industry. From design through demolition, our teams are working with partners across the U.S. to rethink waste—reducing what we send to landfill, finding new life for old materials, and helping push the industry toward a more circular future.
In each episode, Jennifer Taranto, STOBG’s Vice President of Sustainability, and her team sit down with clients, designers, and manufacturers to discuss how circularity is being applied across different markets and jobsite conditions. Tune in to hear what’s working, what’s changing, and what it takes to build a zero-waste mindset from the ground up.
Part 1: Inside NYC’s Push for Material Circularity
Join Jennifer Taranto, VP of Sustainability at STO Building Group, Ryan Hughes, Sustainability Manager at Structure Tone New York, and Tiffany Williams, Sustainability Manager at Rudin, as they explore how selective deconstruction, material recovery, and take-back programs are transforming NYC construction.
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Part 2: Boston’s Circular Shift: Building Smarter, Greener, Better
Join Jennifer Taranto, VP of Sustainability at STO Building Group, Michael Orbank, Sustainability Manager, Northeast Region at STO Building Group, and Andrea Love, Principal and Director of Building Science at Payette, as they explore how Boston teams are turning demolition into deconstruction—leveraging partnerships across owners, designers, contractors, and vendors while navigating policy, storage, and market challenges.
Part 3: Breaking Ground: Circularity Through Partnerships
Join Jennifer Taranto, VP of Sustainability at STO Building Group is joined by Tim Conway, VP of Sustainability at Shaw Industries, and Avery McKitrick Sustainability Coordinator as they explore how takeback programs and supplier partnerships are transforming waste management on jobsites.
For more on the Building Conversations podcast, visit our website, or find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.