Erin Hill:
Welcome to Voices of Leon, a podcast from Leon County Government. This is where we share the stories behind the services from the people keeping our community running to the programs that make Leon County a great place to live, work, and play. Each episode, we'll take you inside county operations, highlight local initiatives, and hear directly from the staff and partners making a difference every day. Today, we're joined by Sustainability Manager Kate Lovett and the Director of the Office of Resource Stewardship, Maggie Theriot. To get us started, Kate, what is sustainability and why is it so important today?
Kate Lovett:
Generally, we define sustainability as the ability to meet our current needs without compromising the ability for future generations to do the same. And we do that by balancing environmental, economic, and social vitality, and those are the three pillars of sustainability. And that matters because together as a community, we're responsible for the long-term health of our community and natural resources.
Erin Hill:
And what does sustainability or environmental stewardship look like here in Leon County?
Kate Lovett:
There are lots of organizations doing great work, but in Leon County sustainability specifically, we're led by our 10-year plan, the Integrated Sustainability Action Plan or ISAP. There's 18 goals and 91 action items. It was adopted by the board in 2019 and its overall goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from county operations 30% by 2030. It was also designed with community input, which we're very proud of.
Maggie Theriot:
Yes, and Kate does a great job leading those initiatives throughout the County and the community, but I'd like to add too that our efforts primarily do focus on our internal government operations, whether that be through fleet management, the types of cars we drive, human resources, the way our employees are motivated and supported, as well as those more traditional environmental things that we may all think about, such as recycling or waste reduction and compliments to the efforts of our sustainability team. We also spend a lot of time on education and outreach that's on purpose for us when we're not only focusing on the internal operations of how to make our own government run more efficiently and environmentally sensitive, but we have with purpose opted not to go a policy heavy, regulatory heavy element that you may see in other programs when we're looking at the community more broadly. So for the community, we focus on education, outreach, and awareness, and I think there's several initiatives that could maybe be highlighted around that area.
Erin Hill:
That's wonderful. And for listeners who may not be familiar, can you walk us through some of the key sustainability initiatives currently underway in Leon County?
Kate Lovett:
Absolutely. They are informed by our ISAP and we have a few main categories there. Energy and water conservation, waste reduction, transportation, internal protocol and employee engagement, food, and the community. Very broadly, energy efficiency is a big, but maybe sometimes less interesting part. A lot of that happens through utility savings. We have an energy savings contract and through that, the county saves over a million dollars a year.
Erin Hill:
Wow, that's incredible.
Kate Lovett:
Yeah. Another big one, especially lately, has been local waste reduction and recycling efforts. In 2025, we launched our Master Recycler class, which we define as a "Recycling 201." You can certainly come and learn a lot if you don't have a lot of knowledge about recycling. We go through the basics, but that was a great success. We've trained a hundred Master Recyclers already in about a calendar year, which is very exciting. And a really great reminder that we always start with in Master Recyclers and waste reduction more generally is going back to the three Rs. And our philosophy is that we should be doing the three Rs are in order for a reason reduce, reuse, recycle. And that is to emphasize that reducing and reusing will be more impactful and reduce even more waste than recycling by itself. We frame recycling as a last resort for Master Recyclers. So that has been a great undertaking in the last year. We're also quite engaged with community gardens. We have composting initiatives and we engage a lot with native plant efforts as well.
Erin Hill:
That's amazing. Yeah, I personally in my own life try to reuse all of my glass jars from anything that I buy at the store and I have silicone Ziploc bags instead of buying a box of Ziploc bags every week or month or however often.
Kate Lovett:
Yeah, they save a lot of money in the long term.
Erin Hill:
Money, and I just hate having so many floating trash bags around. So the waste reduction is huge for me as well. Maggie, earlier this year, Leon County hosted the World Athletics Cross Country Championships where Sustainability played a major role. What strategies did your team implement to make this international event more environmentally responsible?
Maggie Theriot:
Absolutely. First of all, that was such an incredible and monumental effort from all areas of the county, including CMR, folks sitting right here at this table with us today. Specific to the Worlds event itself, really a multi-spectrum effort, one fun one was runners could donate their used shoes after the event. That would be back to the repurposed, reused element of our program. We got several boxes of those shoes. I can only imagine the stinky car ride home though to process the shoes.
Kate Lovett:
After all the mud? Yeah. The mud pit was a really good touch for that.
Maggie Theriot:
Yeah. So extra touch of the shoes well loved. We also had a water wagon of sorts. So you were mentioning the importance of reuse. Whenever we can programmatically, we try and offer the opportunity to not use single use items, whether those be your plastic fork or a paper plate. In this case, those water bottles were a real focus to help reduce. So we had a water wagon that allowed our visitors and spectators to refill aluminum cups that were provided on site or if they had their own water bottle. And that was such a great hit that we actually ran through 500 gallons of water fairly quickly that day to our surprise. So it really showed the support and the willingness of the community to take advantage of programs when they're offered and easily accessible. We also, though, I would say in a more passive sense, Worlds represented a microcosm of how we approach sustainability in our organization and that is that it wasn't just centralized of the Office of Sustainability and Kate and her team to go single-handedly do these things. It was woven in to our IT efforts, divisions such as Facilities Management and how we manage generators that were on site used signage. There was a lot of marketing and those events are wonderful, but they can be a one-time thing. And where do those signs go or how can they be created in a way that can be reused for future events? Did I miss any key features that you feel are worthwhile highlighting for Worlds?
Kate Lovett:
One more thing I would highlight because it was a great effort from our volunteers in the community and also volunteers that were traveling from even abroad. We were able to train about 10 people about our local recycling guidelines and station them at high traffic areas to ensure that when someone was disposing of an item that it was going in the correct waste stream, whether it be trash or recycling.
Erin Hill:
These are such wonderful initiatives that are going on behind the scenes and takes so much thought and effort from County staff and like you said, volunteers that people attending this event may not even think about. It doesn't cross their mind, but yeah.
Maggie Theriot:
And that's when things are most successful often when it feels integrated and not something special or one-off and a one-time initiative, but it becomes a daily part of your life, like your reuse of silicone bags instead of Ziploc bags. And I almost forgot one of the most exciting elements of Worlds represents a partnership collaboration in our community and that's through Sustainable Tallahassee. They have a committee called Rags to Bags and many people listening may be familiar with their use of old fabric, turning it into reusable grocery bags or shopping bags and had a great opportunity full circle to integrate another initiative at the County with this Rags to Bags group. And that was reusing biochar and I'll share in a moment what that is, but placing biochar into reused cloth, you're going to have to explain this because I'm layered. Sure.
Kate Lovett:
Yeah. So there's actually one more community partner involved and that's Sustainable Campus, which is FSU's Office of Sustainability. And actually when I was in college, I worked there as well. So it was able to leverage that connection and it was a very kismet. So during move out, there's lots and lots of ... Or sorry, during move out at FSU in the dorms, there's lots of things that normally would get thrown away just because they might not even fit in a student's car on their way home. And so this great and very big initiative called Chuck It for Charity, volunteers will collect all these donations of items that are still ... They're not ready to go to the landfill yet and they distribute them to local organizations. And the only item of so much volume that it can't be taken or accepted by very small places is clothing. We were able to leverage that knowledge and recoup some of the clothes that were donated through Chuck It for Charity and that's actually how the biochar bags were constructed. So it's like a big four-way partnership basically. So we have Rags to Bags from Sustainable Tallahassee actually constructing the bags. The fabric was from Sustainable Campus Chuck It for Charity. Really, Sustainability was just a convener here and then also like Maggie said, the biochar.
Maggie Theriot:
So when those were assembled together by our Rags to Bags volunteers, they were created into shoe stuffers and that biochar basically is an odor suppressor naturally. And so that was one of the giveaways that were provided to the volunteers as appreciation for their time and work. And so it was a full circle moment that although world cross country was happening, we were able to make use of the nearby solid waste stream and that yard debris that had been turned into biochar, make use recently use clothing from nearby college students and put it into a long-term novel and new use as deodorizers for cross country runners.
Erin Hill:
Yeah. I heard about those floating around while I was working at Worlds and I was trying to get my hands on one, but couldn't get it this time.
Kate Lovett:
We have some extras.
Erin Hill:
Ooh, okay. I'll get with you after. For residents who want to get more involved, what are the best ways to learn about sustainable living in our community?
Kate Lovett:
Of course, always following us on social media and subscribing to email alerts for the Office of Sustainability, you can specifically opt into that. Of course, going back to our Master Recyclers, becoming a Master Recycler is amazing. And really we ask them to be advocates in our community and not be the recycling police, but we call them recycling superheroes. Additionally, the Office of Sustainability, we say that we're small but mighty. We have two and a half staff so that can sometimes be limiting, but really similar to the coordination with the biochar bags, a lot of our power is in being a convener rather than a regulator. And with that, we're very excited to share that the Leon County Sustainability Community Summit for 2026 will be on May 30 at the Eastside Branch Library. And the theme this year is "Sustainable Threads Weaving Paths to Sustainable Living." And this really celebrates the idea that each organization and individual is a unique thread woven into the fabric of our community.
Erin Hill:
I love that, but before we continue, let's take a short break to highlight some other ways Leon County Government serves our community.
Ross Brand:
Did you know your library offers more than just books? With the Library of Things from the Leon County Public Library System, you can borrow useful items for projects, hobbies, and everyday needs. From tools and technology to creative equipment and more, it's a great way to try something new without buying it yourself. Explore what's available and start borrowing today at LeonCountyLibrary.org/Things.
Lauryl Phinney:
Not sure how to dispose of household hazardous waste. The Leon County Hazardous Waste Center offers free and safe hazardous waste drop off options year round. Hazardous items like fuels, batteries, and more can harm the environment or become flammable in unstable conditions. If you're not sure if something is hazardous, the experts at the Hazardous Waste Center are here to help. Learn more about what is accepted at LeonCountyFL.gov/HHW.
Erin Hill:
Let's get back to our guests, Maggie and Kate. How do resource sharing and community support contribute to long-term sustainability success?
Kate Lovett:
So collective action scales impact, as we know, and it's easier to maximize the use of our existing materials and knowledge when we're all connected. That's one of the main goals of the summit theme is to connect sustainability resources and really strengthen the fabric of that network so that they don't have to reinvent the wheel and they can rely on each other. Our libraries are a great point of connection there and that's also why it's a great point to host the summit at Eastside. Like we were talking about earlier, that collaboration with Rags to Bags Sustainable Tallahassee for the World Cross Country Championships was a great example of really convening all those orgs. Another thing that came out of the World Cross Country Championships was a relationship with Gulf Winds Truck Club and I was able to connect with members to organize a small plogging event.
Maggie Theriot:
That was the word of the day when I first heard "plogging.".
Kate Lovett:
Yeah.
Erin Hill:
What is plogging? Can we get a quick definition?
Kate Lovett:
Absolutely. So plogging is based on the Swedish term "plocka upp," which means "to pick up." So it's close to a cognate. It's believable. So plogging means to pick up trash while you're jogging. And a lot of people, especially if you're out running in the community or on a trail, they're doing this already, but to have a little convened time to do it specifically all together was so much fun. And this is one of those less obvious connections to say sustainability is recycling. It's so, so interdisciplinary. So it was a great opportunity to highlight no, sustainability has a place in all of these organizations, even if they're not self-identifying as sustainable. And that's a great one as well because there's a potential to continue that. And even if it's not an event, those ploggers might, every time they see a piece of trash, that might just become a part of their routine. And so that's where a lot of that strength is.
Erin Hill:
Yeah. I try to pick up trash on my daily walk, so I guess we'll call it "plocking." There we go. Maggie, can you share a bit about your professional journey and what led you to your role as Director of the Office of Resource Stewardship?
Maggie Theriot:
Oh, absolutely. I would zoom out and not focus on myself quite yet to just share that even if the title in your position, kind of picking up on what Kate was just sharing, that we can all contribute to sustainability. I can point to many positions and roles within Leon County Government or in our community that are actually contributing directly to sustainability. I had the unique fortune of having an actual title that involves sustainability directly and what led me to be the County's first Sustainability Manager nearly 15 years ago was like any good stroke of luck, you have to have preparation and opportunity meet each other. And I just wrapped up a dual degree program at Florida State University that included Urban and Regional Planning and also Public Administration. And it's wild to say, but 15 years ago, sustainability wasn't as integrated into our public institutes as you may find it today. And so Leon County and our Board had the foresight and the leadership that they wanted to create a full-time sustainability program. Well, at that time there were very few degrees or programs around the country that you could say, "Oh, well, let's go to a designated sustainability professional to help lead this. " So in my unique posture of those two degrees, it was a beautiful blend. I had already been with Leon County Government for many years at that point and had the operational awareness and I will say that was part of what contributed to the success of the program is not just that Leon County opted to start a formal Office of Sustainability or identify a full-time sustainability manager, but that being able, as we've talked a lot about today, integrating those efforts beyond just one office or one initiative. And so immediately started working with divisions like Facilities Management for concrete energy savings and cost reductions, got to work with our Fleet Staff to be more thoughtful and intentional about the vehicles that are being selected, the miles and the efficiency EVs weren't quite the thing then, but harkening back to compressed natural gas was the new technology of the day, working with IT to integrate more remote meetings and technology. You can imagine after COVID, of course, Teams meeting is quite common these days, but in the early days when you could host a Zoom meeting or gather people around the table, that may have saved a dozen miles being driven by four different people to come together, not dismissing the value of being together, but when you can have that quick meeting over the computer. So those opportunities is what led into the formal career path, but I have to say it doesn't just require an official title of sustainability manager to be able to point to those advocates that are helping move tangible initiatives forward.
Erin Hill:
Yeah, that's amazing. Anyone can be, like you said, a master recycler superhero. Kate, what has it been like working alongside a leader and a mentor who once held the position that you're in now?
Kate Lovett:
It is absolutely invaluable. Maggie has not just the advantage of great knowledge of program history, but as a sustainability champion in her own right. Her support goes a long way in a work area that, like she mentioned, is constantly evolving. I was initially brought on the Sustainability team as the Sustainability Programs Coordinator before my role as manager. And so Maggie has been my mentor since the very beginning of my career and she leads with such care for all of the Office of Resource Stewardship staff and public service.
Erin Hill:
Wow, that's amazing.
Maggie Theriot:
Kate, that's actually ... Thank you, first of all. Now I have no pressure at all being a mentor, but you raise a good point. I was focused so much on our sustainability initiative, but then what came from that as even greater compliments to the County and the vision that our leadership had, which was let's not just stop at the Office of Sustainability. And yes, that office is integrating our partners in different divisions, but how can we cast a wider umbrella? And so about 10 years ago, the county really invested in what is now known as the Office of Resource Stewardship. And this is an umbrella department that I do have the honor of leading. It includes not only the Office of Sustainability, but under our umbrella, we have brought together our Parks and Recreation division, our Facilities Management division, and also Solid Waste. And on the surface, Solid Waste may make a little more logical sense of what's that nexus to sustainability because we have waste avoidance and recycling, but there is nothing more impactful than having both Facilities Management because our buildings are the largest single contributor to our greenhouse gas portfolio, if you will. And so having them integrated under one umbrella as a collaborative partner, they buy in and kudos to that staff and the leadership of Facilities Management because they have the most tangible impact on the County's sustainability journey. And moving to Parks and Recreation, we've talked about Worlds being a wonderful event, but what is more sustainable than our passive parks are hundreds of acres of greenways and not just having those greenways, but actually just as recent as this past week, hosting prescribed burns, making sure we're managing that property in the most environmentally stable way possible, looking to enhance wildlife pollinators and reduce those invasives. So if we weren't as integrated, if you look across our peers in Florida or elsewhere, maybe Parks and Rec is a bit more focused on that bright green turf of a football field and that is important and very critical to have recreation, but we take a broader lens and look at all of our properties and how can we integrate sustainability more deeply.
Erin Hill:
That's so important, especially here in North Florida with such diverse flora and fauna, protecting as much as we can that precious land, especially from invasive species. I know we've all had our run-ins with kudzu. So things like that can really disrupt the local environment here. Sustainability is often boiled down to merely recycling, but how is it more actionable in a wider net?
Maggie Theriot:
You're right about recycling. That's often kind of the entry portal to the topic of sustainability, which we love and that we embrace recycling as efficiently and effectively as possible. But for those looking to integrate sustainability more broadly and thinking, "Well, how can Leon County Government contribute to my journey?" I'll actually point out we're recording this wonderful podcast here at the Leon County Main Library downtown and just in this one building, there are so many initiatives and programs that can help you foster sustainability day-to-day. I'll highlight if anybody has heard of the Library of Things that is essentially a lending library of things that may not get routine daily use around your house and I'm referencing things as broad as a pressure washer to a kayak to a telescope that you might want to look at in that next lunar eclipse. And so reduce and reuse and recycle, we often say that in a trash context of what's going to go in a green bin or a black bin, but you can also reuse by coming and making use of the Library of Things. Another thing that I just love about our Leon County Library System is every spring and fall they host what is called the Seed Library. And so not everything you get from the library has to be checked out and returned. This is an example where you merely just get to check out and benefit. And so every spring and fall, there's seed packets of local varieties of seeds that are known to do really well in our soils and our climate and we have residents can come on a Saturday, get those seeds, "check them out," so to say, and also benefit from a lot of education and awareness. We've really turned it into a great event and Kate and her team have enjoyed that marathon of what has become Seed Library over time. And then another example is reuse. If I look at the library is reuse of our building and our space. We're actually sitting on the second floor of the Main Library downtown. And if I look back a year ago, this library looked like its 1990 self that was wonderful and had served generations of Tallahasseeans, but Leon County Government has invested in a full renovation and re-imagining of the second floor and soon to be the first floor of the Main Library. And so that's a way that you can reuse in a more tangible form. And I will highlight, we're sitting here in a podcast booth. That is something that you don't have to buy your own microphone or your technology or your resources. You can come to your library and use these resources for your own benefit as well. We have many meeting rooms, materials. Even my personal favorite is the genealogy. Again, you don't have to go create these resources for yourself. You can come to a communal resource that has these things right here available for you and the extra bonuses that comes with librarians that are here to help so you don't even have to navigate it all by yourself. But I'll just share that one takeaway of the bridge of recycling and reusing and reducing can look a little different than just merely do I put it in a black bin or a green bin.
Erin Hill:
I love that. And I love the emphasis on community that resource stewardship encourages. For both of you, sustainability seems to be more than just a job. How has your personal passion for this work shaped the way you approach your roles here at the county?
Maggie Theriot:
Kate, you want to kick off first?
Kate Lovett:
Absolutely. People sometimes find it interesting that my background in undergrad was, I studied economics and a lot of times people are like, "Well, that doesn't make sense with sustainability." But really going back to the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability and of economics as well, but it really compliments a sustainability passion and helps me to connect to other work areas and practical barriers that we face sometimes. But on the sappy side, when people might say, "You should do what you love," but very few people get the opportunity to do it in such a literal way to say, "My favorite thing is sustainability," and that is my actual job title. So getting to live my passion at work and share it with the community is such a great privilege. I really try to approach it with gratitude. Great.
Maggie Theriot:
And when I reflect on what is a big motivator and how does my personal passion kind of infuse with both sides of my home life and work life, I would say being born and raised here in Tallahassee is really the source of so much of my motivation. It's the singular reason I am in public service. I had the good fortune of going to Florida State and we have a wonderful university right here in our own backyard, but when I came out, I wanted those skills to impact the place I call home, the place I grew up and local government in general, what better way than to impact a library system that serves hundreds of thousands of people in a year, parks that people enjoy every day. The roads that we drive on, public service infuses everybody's daily life, whether they even realize it or not. And so when you open the doors to sustainability, that's not just offering programming and good services, but then that's enhancing and making sure that future generations that call Tallahassee their home can enjoy just a special place as I got to grow up and that I fell in love with as well.
Erin Hill:
Wow, that's really beautiful. I love both of your passions for this work. Thank you both for being here so much. We are so grateful.