Lisa Rusyniak, CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake
Many people associate Goodwill with secondhand clothing. Can you walk us through the full scope of how Goodwill of the Chesapeake is addressing sustainability?
That’s a common perception, and we’re proud of our thrift stores—but what most people don’t see is the incredible infrastructure and mission behind those donations. At Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, we are intentionally addressing sustainability by creating a local circular economy that reduces landfill waste, supports reuse, and reinvests in human capital. When someone donates an item, we work to resell it, repurpose it, or recycle it responsibly, preventing thousands of tons of waste from ending up in landfills each year. But our commitment goes far beyond environmental stewardship. We take the revenue from those sales and reinvest it directly into job training, second-chance hiring, adult education, and career certification programs. It’s not just about clothing—it’s about creating a sustainable system that benefits both people and the planet.
You’re recycling glass into sand—something most people have never even heard of. How did that initiative start, and what kind of impact is it making?
This idea started with a simple but urgent problem: we were receiving large volumes of glass donations that we couldn’t sell; because of that, we needed to find a way to do something so they wouldn’t end up in landfills. We saw an opportunity to do better. With the help of a grant from the Truist Charitable Fund, we purchased a glass pulverizer that crushes glass into sand. This sand can be used for a variety of eco-friendly applications—from shoreline restoration and erosion control to construction and landscaping. Not only does this keep tons of glass out of the waste stream, it also creates green job opportunities for the people we serve. It’s a great example of what happens when we look at waste not as a liability, but as a resource. We’re giving new life to what would’ve been discarded and creating new career pathways in the process.
Fast fashion is one of the biggest contributors to textile waste. Why do you believe thrifting is one of the most underutilized tools in the fight to protect the environment?
The fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world. Millions of tons of textiles are dumped into landfills each year, much of it from fast fashion that’s designed to be worn a handful of times and then tossed. Thrifting is an incredibly powerful—yet underappreciated—solution to this crisis. When someone buys a piece of secondhand clothing, they extend its life, reduce the need for new manufacturing, and lower the demand for the raw materials and energy that go into making new clothes. That’s a major environmental win. But beyond that, thrift shopping also supports community impact. Every Goodwill purchase helps fund job training and education programs. So thrifting doesn’t just help reduce emissions and waste—it helps people gain the skills and opportunities they need to succeed.
When someone donates clothes or household items to Goodwill, what actually happens next—and how does that donation help both the planet and people?
Once a donation comes into one of our locations, we carefully sort through every item to determine how it can best be used. Items in good condition are cleaned, tagged, and put out for sale in our stores or listed on our online shopping platform Shop Goodwill. Those that aren’t suitable for resale might be recycled into raw materials through our salvage partners or, in some cases, used in our emerging upcycling or repurposing initiatives. Nothing goes to waste if we can help it. Every item we sell funds our mission. That revenue supports a wide range of services—from workforce training and resume building to adult high school education and reentry programs. So whether it’s a sweater or a set of dishes, that donation doesn’t just avoid the landfill—it fuels real change in someone’s life.
You’ve said that every donation becomes an opportunity. Can you explain how your retail stores fund job training, adult education, and second-chance hiring?
Yes, that phrase really captures the heart of our work. Every single donated item represents an opportunity: for someone to learn a new skill, for someone to rejoin the workforce, for a family to get back on their feet. Our retail stores are the economic engine behind our social programs. The revenue they generate goes directly into services like the Excel Center, our adult high school, or programs that train people for careers in healthcare, , construction, maintenance, and more. We also work closely with individuals who are returning citizens released from incarceration, helping them overcome barriers to employment and find meaningful work. So a donated pair of shoes isn’t just a pair of shoes—it’s tuition for someone learning to build a better future.
Goodwill serves many individuals reentering society after incarceration. How does your mission of sustainability intersect with your mission of social justice?
We believe that sustainability isn’t just about protecting natural resources—it’s also about building systems that are inclusive and just. People reentering society after incarceration often face tremendous challenges: limited job prospects, housing instability, and social stigma. At Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, we see these individuals as full of untapped potential. We provide training, mentorship, and real job opportunities, often within our own operations. At the same time, our work in recycling and reuse gives them hands-on experience in growing green industries. By investing in people who have historically been excluded from economic opportunity, we’re not just diverting waste—we’re creating a more equitable and sustainable society.
What role do programs like the Excel Center play in building a more equitable and resilient community—and how are they funded by Goodwill’s operations?
The Excel Center is one of the most impactful programs we offer. It’s a tuition-free public high school for adults who didn’t graduate, and it gives them the chance to earn their diploma—often alongside workforce certifications—in a flexible and supportive environment. Our goal with this program is to remove the barriers they have faced for so long. That includes offering them childcare free of charge and on site, which is truly peace of mind so they can focus on their studies. The stories of transformation we see every day at the Excel Center are deeply inspiring: parents who want to set a better example for their kids, individuals who are rebuilding after setbacks, people striving for careers they never thought were possible. What’s especially unique is that the Excel Center is primarily funded through the revenue from our retail stores. That means when you shop or donate to Goodwill, you’re directly helping someone finish high school and change the trajectory of their life.
There’s a growing conversation around circular economies. Would you say Goodwill is already leading by example in that space?
Absolutely. Goodwill has been quietly doing the work of circular economy for decades—long before the term entered the mainstream. At our core, we’re about extending the life of goods, reducing consumption, and reinvesting the value created into community development. Every donation that comes in gets assessed, sorted, and directed toward its highest and best use. We sell it, recycle it, or repurpose it—and that process supports job training, education, and environmental impact. Our glass-to-sand initiative is a perfect example of circular thinking: we’ve taken a product that had no resale value and turned it into something both useful and sustainable. The circular economy isn’t just a buzzword for us—it’s how we operate every day.
