In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn hands over the mic to Susan Jackson from BASF Corporation to talk with two prominent political pollsters who explored people’s perceptions around recycling.
Jackson is joined by polling experts Cornell Belcher, president and founder of Brilliant Corners Research and Strategies and best known for his polling work for former President Barack Obama, and Brenda Gianiny, president and founder of Axis Research, who’s best known for the work she does with Senator Mitch McConnell.
Belcher and Gianiny emphasize the importance of accurate polling for driving strategies, and they highlight the distinction between professional polling and media-driven polls. They also talk about their initial lack of knowledge about advanced recycling for plastic and how they now recognize its potential and find that voters and consumers share their enthusiasm.
In this episode, guest host Susan Jackson delves into American’s opinions on recycling, in particular, technologies called advanced recycling. Advanced recycling transforms used plastics into new plastics and offers a promising solution for harder-to-recycle plastics.
As Susan explained “It’s really about taking the power of science and converting used plastics into new products that can be recycled again and again.”
Why Does it Matter?
Most Americans haven’t heard of or don’t understand advanced recycling technologies. Only a small percentage of respondents were aware of the term “advanced recycling,” and even fewer could accurately define it. But once they learn about these technologies, they are intrigued and supportive.
In a survey of 1,200 voters nationwide, the pollsters found that once voters learned about advanced recycling, an astounding 95% of Americans support it.
This highlights the pressing need for education so people can better understand how advanced recycling can help tackle our plastic waste problem.
The Big Picture
Gianiny emphasized that when we educate people about advanced recycling, they learn how these innovative technologies can help keep waste out of landfills and out of our environment, while also creating good jobs and helping local economies – solutions that matter to their everyday lives.
Cornell Belcher, President and Founder, Brilliant Corners Research and Strategies
Cornell Belcher is President of brilliant corners Research & Strategies, a partner in Resonate Communications Strategies, a published author (A Black Man in the White House), political Analyst for NBC/MSNBC, and one of the premier strategists in national progressive politics as well as in the rebranding of corporate America. Over the years, Cornell has worked with both
Senate and House Democrats as Senior Political Advisor to the DSCC in the 2002 cycle and Special Projects Director for the DCCC in the 2000 cycle. Cornell also served as Women VOTE! Coordinator for EMILY’s List in the 1998 cycle, helping to put together communication and GOTV operations targeting women voters all over the country.
Cornell served as Pollster for the DNC under Chairman Howard Dean making him the first minority to lead in that role for either national Party. As the pollster for the Democratic National Committee, he was able to ignore beltway criticisms and take the national Party’s research into previously unchartered directions, exploring how best to challenge Republicans’ strengths among voters in supposedly untouchable “red states,” particularly “faith” or “values first” voters. Under Governor Dean’s leadership, Cornell helped to construct a savvy framework for the visionary 50 State Strategy that expanded the Democratic footprint on the electoral map and ultimately produced a Democratic realignment. Asked about Cornell’s role, Governor Dean was quoted in the Washington Post as saying that the research conducted by brilliant corners for the DNC was “the best poll [he’d] seen in ten years.” Cornell went on from his groundbreaking work for the national Party to groundbreaking work for the historic Obama campaign. He served on the polling team for both groundbreaking Obama presidential campaigns where like his earlier work on The 50 State Strategy, he helped expand and redefine the conventional political battleground field and expand the electorate.
Indeed, Cornell is an experienced hand at campaign politics and has years of expertise in quantitative and qualitative research, message development, and product and behavioral insight. Founding brilliant corners in 2002, he is considered the vanguard for demographic trends among the emerging younger and browner America. A veteran pollster, there are very few places across the country Cornell has not polled: working on Congressional campaigns all across the country and helping elect mayors from Newark to Atlanta. And progressive organizations from the NAACP to The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) also have turned to Cornell to help them navigate in a changing and volatile issue environment. When candidates and organizations need to solve tough problems that call for outside the box nonconformist thinking, they call on Cornell.
Brenda Gianiny, President and Founder, Axis Research
Axis Research’s founding principal, Brenda Wigger Gianiny, is a nationally recognized expert in the field of public opinion research with two decades of experience honed at the highest levels of corporate America and Republican political campaigns. Using her background, experience and degree in mathematics, Brenda has worked with a wide range of both political and corporate clients to help them achieve success.
Known for maintaining strict client and data confidentiality, Brenda has worked with campaigns ranging from presidential and the US Senate, including serving as the primary pollster for the Bush-Cheney `04 re-election campaign and pollster to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, to local races for state legislative office and mayor. Brenda also has over twenty years of experience in public policy direction and corporate market insight helping companies like Walmart, Anheuser-Busch and ExxonMobil chart success. Whether it’s a local ballot initiative or campaigning for the highest office in the land, Brenda brings the same motivation and enthusiasm to each fight – helping clients win.
By becoming an integrated member of these teams, and not “just another vendor” providing numbers and charts, Brenda provides the research and insight to support the highest-level decisions. The result is a data-driven strategy to help reach goals and maximize political and corporate reputations.
Susan Jackson, Head of Communications & Sustainability for Performance Materials North America, BASF Corporation
Susan Jackson is responsible for communications and sustainability for the Performance Materials business for BASF Corporation in North America. This business encompasses the entire materials know-how of BASF regarding innovative, customized plastics under one roof and is globally active in four major industry sectors – transportation, construction, industrial applications, and consumer goods. She is also the Vice-Chair of the America’s Plastic Makers Initiative for the American Chemistry Council.
Susan joined BASF in 1994 in their rotational Professional Development Program for engineers. Prior to her current position, she had roles in EHS, manufacturing, product management, business development and sales.
Susan holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering as well as an MBA from Louisiana State University.
Susan enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling and exploring new cultures, wine tasting, and reading.
