RAM forms, with preliminary graphics freehanded.

First two meetings, at Northwest YMCA in Davidson County, and at Volunteer State Community College, in Sumner County.

RAM incorporates. John van der Harst, the late Sandy Loyd, and Don Miller are co-incorporators.

Letterhead finalizes logo, acronym, and font style.

First newsletter

Sandy Loyd, Robert Cox, and John van der Harst attend a U.S. Conference of Mayors/National Association of Counties seminar on Municipal Composting, in Sevier County, where John had been invited by NACo's Naomi Friedman to address quality issues.

American Ash Recycling Corp. of Tennessee (AAR-TN) moves from trial in Sumner County to full operation in Davidson County.

Major campaigns begin, on compost quality standards, incinerator closure, and ash treatment.

Second newsletter

Education sessions begin on incinerator closure, led by Kathleen Rosemary, and later by John van der Harst, assisted by Sherry Force and others.

Education sessions evolve, as they continue.

Third meeting, at The Re-Use Center, Davidson County.

Citizens in Maine appeal to RAM for help on AAR-New England ash processing proposal.

John works at The Re-Use Center as a volunteer then contract worker, specializing in paints and other chemicals.

Final stretch on air pollution control upgrades at Nashville's incinerator

Metro Council votes to upgrade APC, to keep incinerator going past 2000.

RAM and John van der Harst are both separately sued by AAR-TN, AAR-NE, AAR, and Environmental Capital Holdings

Sandy Hepler organizes a fundraiser for John at Leith Patton's house.

Sherry Sloan travels to all known treated ash-using construction sites, often taking John along with her.

Preliminary hearing, first ruling, second filing, discovery, and final ruling on AAR et al lawsuit in state Chancery Count

AAR-TN starts receiving Notices of Violation, and state pulls its permit for a while.

John sues AAR et al for damages.

Metro Council votes to close Nashville's incinerator.

Davidson County ends its contract with AAR-TN, and negotiates purchase of their building.

Mary Hance, of The Tennessean, profiles John.

Citizens in Pennsylvania invite John to help end incineration in Harrisburg. He meets with mayoral policy staff and citizens. Harrisburg citizens can't provide him with a place to stay after a point. David Palmer, in York County, can, and does. From York County, he continues to work on Harrisburg, but also York.

The York Daily Record profiles John.

Immaterial John is shown at the Nashville Film Festival. Mary Hance writes a review of it for The Tennessean.

Ty Crawford arranges a RAM presentation by John at Brentwood High School's Environmental Club, in Williamson County. Jeremy Doochin does likewise at Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School, in Davidson County.

Al Gore's book popularizes the issue of climate change so successfully that that issue then subsumes the environmental movement. Hurricane Katrina helps that happen.

This further distracts from focus on waste-related issues, along with other ongoing distractions like wars in the Middle East.

At a Nashville Peace & Justice Center forum, Karen Cisler, Michael Goff, and Anna Haislip commit to working with John in RAM. Field trips in Davidson, Cheatham and Sevier Counties prepare RAM for a push to improve material recovery in Davidson County. Education sessions are held for many Metro Council members.

RAM meets at Anna Haislip's house. Karen Cisler presents a spreadsheet concept there that she maintains for the next several years.

RAM meets at Karen Cisler's apartment, where she presents a vegan meal. That, before RAM meetings, becomes a tradition for the next several years.

More Metro Council members meet with RAM than ever before.

Davidson County's increasing waste stream, with little material recovery, prompts a C&D landfill proposal in Council District 22 that RAM helps successfully oppose.

That also prompts a transfer station proposal in Council District 5 that RAM helps successfully oppose.

A RAM handout presents a set of 8 disposal cost calculations from different sources. Anna Haislip pushes for this. Jeff Brousal accumulates research, John presents calculation results drawn manually. Michael Goff presents a desktopped version, and John condenses that onto one page.

RAM presented legislation intended to obtain independent evaluation of this.

RAM's two brochures are produced.

RAM presents at an energy forum.

RAM compares notes with Tennessee Alliance for Progress leadership promoting publicly-assisted home insulation financing. That confirms Davidson County's Dean Administration had been giving both groups the same type of run-around. Sad, but better to know that than continue to wonder. RAM tried to work with 5 staff members. All useless.

RAM's Michael Goff and John van der Harst, after many discussions, start Urban Cruise Ship, to try to deal with energy issues more successfully than any other groups seem to be doing.

John drafts language for state legislation to allow counties to assess for all costs resulting from solid waste disposal.

Michael Goff sets up meetings with Rep. Harold Love (D), to help craft language, and Sen. Steve Southerland (R), to pave the way in the most critical Senate committee.

John works with legislative staff to finalize bill language.

John works with Ursula King to secure sponsors, and then lobby the bills through both houses.

John tries to have the Tennessee Environmental Council manage a process to attain independent assessments of what Davidson County's disposal fees should be. TEC fails to obtain good work from subcontractor Freeman Applegate and the sub-subcontractor they hire, and dismisses Michal Goff's work -- though that remains promising. TEC's own attempt does not get completed.

RAM's John, working with Linda Breggin, together convince Davidson County's Solid Waste Region Board to call for a zero-waste plan.

Staff draws up a Scope of Work that won't accomplish the Board's objective.

RAM tries to convince Metro Council to defer approval until the Scope of Work meets approval of environmental groups. Council favors staff.

Davidson County's Solid Waste Region Board Chair allows the consultant to lecture the board without allowing any public comment. Indoctrination pleases staff. All about how zero waste supposedly could not be achieved. No methods are presented that would accomplish zero waste. The consultant behaves as if staff is the client. Not the Board. Or the public.

Meetings with the public exposes the consultants' biases against zero-waste. They are condescending toward anyone who differs from them.

Metro's consultant delivers an ineffective plan to the Board. Only two commenters. Urban Green Lab seems to suck up to Metro's staff, as if it was angling for a Metro contract. RAM asks for more time than the 5 minutes allowed, arguing that won't allow sufficient time to counter the consultants' 7 1/2 hours of indoctrination without public comment. Not allowed. RAM does the best it can to explain why the plan won't deliver the results asked for.

Metro later awards Urban Green Lab a contract to educate the public about their ineffective program.

Urban Cruise Ship works hard to complete its product.

One of these is a RAM website home page.