Fly a kite, family picnic: Make plans for Lake Superior Day July 20, 2008 by Lake Superior Binational Forum
June 22, 2008
Celebrate Lake Superior Day on Sunday, July 20, 2008
Whats better than a July picnic on a hot, sandy beach next to the worlds largest freshwater lake?
A picnic and a Lake Superior celebration!
Individuals and families, churches and kids, communities and clubs, and businesses and industries hold activities or events that celebrate Lake Superior Day, held annually on the third Sunday in July (July 20 this year).
Can you do something that symbolizes your own connection to the lake on that day?
Lake Superior Day was started in the early 1990s to highlight the importance of this great water body to the basins environment and economy.
The Lake Superior Binational Forum promotes this basin-wide event to highlight the special connections people have to this unique world treasure.
Many events have been held to educate or entertain people about lake issues, special places, and recreational opportunities.
You are invited to hold activities or events that celebrate this world-class lake.
This year the theme is Lets Go Fly a Kite! to symbolize clean energy sources such as wind power.
Organize your group or family to fly a kite at your favorite beach or park on July 20!
Click on this link for more information about flying a kite on Lake Superior Day.
Families fly kites made from homemade materials off the deck of the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth.
Photo (above) from Minnesota Sea Grant Dec. 2007 newsletter: Making a Great Lake Superior by Sharon Moen.
Photo by Marie Zhuikov
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Last year almost 45 groups and communities participated in some way, including special events such as dragon boat races, beach clean ups, musical concerts, library displays, church services, and signed proclamations that designate the third Sunday in July as Lake Superior Day.
Contact the Lake Superior Binational Forum to receive free color postcards and buttons to give to your Lake Superior supporters at your event.
The Forum's website offers ideas about how the day was celebrated last year and what you can do to celebrate Lake Superior. Click on Current Projects. New information is posted regularly.
For more information email organizers - or call (715) 682-1489
University of Minnesota Sea Grant Foundation photo
South Carolina Map - Geology.com
Lake Superior's surface covers 31,700 square miles, or about the size of South Carolina.
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The lake is so big it could hold all the water from the other four Great Lakes, plus three more lakes the size of Lake Erie.
The Johnson-Sea-Link deep-sea scientific research submersible
Photo courtesy the Public Library of Science journal via Wikipedia
—
In 1985, scientists using a submersible vessel descended for the first time to the deepest part, which is near the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigans Upper Peninsula.
Lake Superior s deepest point is 1,332 feet, which would almost cover the Sears Tower in Chicago, one of the worlds tallest buildings.
Sears Tower photo by Western Michigan University student Meghan Hurley of Glenview, Illinois.
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The lake stretches approximately 350 miles from west to east, and 160 miles north to south. If you could travel along the entire Lake Superior shoreline, you would travel 1,826 miles, or the distance from Duluth to San Francisco.
The Lake Superior Binational Forum is a multi-sector stakeholder group of U.S. and Canadian volunteers that work together to provide input to governments about lake issues and educate basin residents about ways to protect and restore the lake.
Members come from Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ontario.
Northland College Ashland, Wisconsin photos courtesy:
Northland College, Liturgical Environments, Wayne Nasi Construction
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The Forum is located in the United States at Northland College in Ashland, WI, and funded in the U.S. by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Great Lakes National Program Office.
The Canadian Forum office is at EcoSuperior in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and funded by Environment Canada.
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Top Ten Ways You Can Protect Lake Superior Every Day
Wisconsin DNR Map
1. Install water saving devices on your kitchen and bathroom faucets and showerheads. Purchase these at local hardware and building supply stores–most cost between one dollar and nine dollars.
2. Replace regular light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs. Burning an energy bulb requires less energy, which means power plants burn less coal and that produces less mercury in the air.
3. Never burn garbage, especially plastics or tires, in burn barrels on your property. These produce more toxins in the air than an industrial incinerator. Not only do you breathe these toxic fumes as the garbage burns, but the pollutants enter the lake when it rains.
4. Instead of burning garbage, recycle or compost what you can and throw away the rest.
5. Take your lawn and household hazardous materials to area Cleansweeps collection days in Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas, and Iron counties this summer. Call the Northwest Regional Planning Commission at 715-635-2197 for dates and locations of collections in your county.
6. Put your lawn on a chemical-free diet. Poisonous lawn herbicides and pesticides seep into waterways that end up in the lake and soil, which can hurt your family and neighbors. Lawn chemicals can also sicken or kill birds and pets. Bring these kinds of chemicals to a Cleansweep event where they are disposed of safely.
7. Never pour any liquids into a storm drain. Storm drains empty untreated liquids into a nearby river, stream, or Lake Superior.
8. When youre boating or fishing, inspect your boat and trailer and remove any plants and animals before leaving the water body. Drain water from the motor, live well, bilge, and transom before leaving the water body. Never release live bait fish in the water or live earthworms on the land or water.
9. When planning landscaping or gardening activities, use plants that are native to the region. Consult with garden centers or the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute for a list of the best native plants for this area. Learn what non-native species look like and additional prevention tips by contacting your local state or federal natural resource management agency and ask for information and identification material for non-native species.
10. Love it! When you care about something as grand as Lake Superior, youll feel good about making sure it stays a Great Lake.
For more info contact:
Lissa Radke
US Coordinator
Lake Superior Binational Forum
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College
Ashland, WI
54806
715-682-1489
FAX 715-682-1218
"Water is life, and the quality of water determines the quality of life." –Lake Superior Binational Forum vision statement
Lake Superior Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in July!
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Interfaith projects to protect Lake Superior are discussed in this video by:
Rev. Tesshin Paul Lehmberg
Head Priest
Lake Superior Zendo
Zen Buddhist Temple
Rev. Jon Magnuson, LSBF board member
Lutheran Campus Ministry
Northern Michigan University
Marquette, Michigan
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Supers:
South Carolina map courtesy Geology.com
The Johnson-Sea-Link deep-sea scientific research submersible
Photo courtesy the Public Library of Science journal via Wikipedia
Sears Tower photo by WMU student Meghan Hurley
Minnesota Sea Grant photo by Marie Zhuikov
Families fly kites made from homemade materials off the deck of the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth
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For more info contact:
Lissa Radke
US Coordinator
Lake Superior Binational Forum
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College
Ashland, WI
54806
715-682-1489
FAX 715-682-1218
Lake Superior Binational Forum
http://www.superiorforum.info
Lake Superior Binational Forum vision statement:
"Water is life, and the quality of water determines the quality of life."
Lake Superior Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in July
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Related websites:
—
Lake Superior Binational Forum
http://www.superiorforum.info
Flying a kite on Lake Superior Day pdf:
http://www.superiorforum.info/uploads/Kite_Poster.pdf
—
Wisconsin DNR page on Lake Superior:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/nature/habitat/lakesuperior.htm
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University of Minnesota Sea Grant Foundation
http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/
Minnesota Sea Grant Dec. 2007 newsletter: Making a Great Lake Superior by Sharon Moen
http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/newsletter/2007/12/making_a_great_lake_superior.html
Minnesota Sea Grant kite flying photo by Marie Zhuikov
Families fly kites made from homemade materials off the deck of the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth.
—
Northland College Ashland, Wisconsin photos courtesy:
Northland College:
http://www.northland.edu/Northland
Liturgical Environments:
http://www.liturgicalenvironments.com
http://www.liturgicalenvironments.com/Images/Leaded%20Glass%20Contemporary/LdNORTHLAND-COLLEGE.jpg
Wayne Nasi Construction:
http://www.wnasi.com
http://www.wnasi.com/images/portfolio/school_northland.jpg
—
EcoSuperior Environmental Programs:
http://www.ecosuperior.com
—
Environment Canada:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/
Telephone
1-819-997-2800
Canada only:
1-800-668-6767
—
Johnson-Sea-Link - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_Sea_Link
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution:
Submersible & crew info:
http://www.hboi.edu/marineops/jsl_crew.html
The Johnsen Lab page of Johnson-Sea-Link
http://www.biology.duke.edu/johnsenlab/gallery/insidechamber.html
Johnson-Sea-Link, deep-sea scientific research submersible built by The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in 1971.
Submersible was designed by Edwin Albert Link, friend of Harbor Branch founder Seward Johnson.
Image first published March 15, 2005 in the Public Library of Science journal.
Source: Gulf of Mexico Cruise SJ0107
The Public Library of Science journal website states that the content of all PLoS journals is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license.
—
South Carolina Map - Geology.com
http://geology.com/state-map/maps/south-carolina-state-map.gif
—
Sears Tower photo by Western Michigan University student Meghan Hurley of Glenview, Illinois:
http://homepages.wmich.edu/~m4hurley/searstower2_skyscraper_1.jpg
http://homepages.wmich.edu/~m4hurley
View of Erie, Pennsylvania from Presque Isle
Photo by Pat Noble, WikiProject Erie
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Pennsylvania Sea Grant Keep Unwanted Medicine out of Lake Erie Medicine Collection Day in Erie, Pennsylvania on April 26, 2008
All medicine collection photos in this story are by Anna McCartney, Erie Times-News in Education
—
Erie, Pennsylvania residents turn in about 600 pounds worth of medicine and personal care products, over 73,000 pills at the April 2008 Sea Grant Pharmaceutical collection during EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge
(Erie, Pennsylvania) - Erie, Pennsylvania area residents dropped off about 600 pounds worth of medicine and personal care products on Saturday, April 26, 2008 during the Pennsylvania Sea Grant pharmaceutical collection.
Showing their love for Lake Erie, residents brought in over 73,000 pills and a large amount of controlled substances like narcotic pain medication, according to Sara Grisè, Pennsylvania Sea Grant coastal outreach specialist.
The collection was held at the Cruise Boat Terminal Building behind the Memorial Library named for Dr. Raymond Blasco in Erie, Pennsylvania.
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Keep Unwanted Medicine out of Lake Erie Medicine Collection results:
87 participants
Collected 120 gallons of materials
5 of the 120 gallons were controlled substances
About 600 pounds worth of medicine and personal care products
Controlled category II:
1,031 pills
130 milliliters of liquids
Controlled category III, IV, V:
1,397 pills
1,180 milliliters of liquids
Controlled Unidentified:
1,410 pills
102 milliliters of liquids
4 pieces of gum
6 towelettes
—
Controlled total: 3,839 pills
Non-Controlled total: 69,232 pills
Personal Care products: 384
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The Keep Unwanted Medicine out of Lake Erie Medicine Collection Day was held as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.
The challenge involved over 100 pharmaceutical and electronic waste collections in hundreds of communities across eight states in the Great Lakes Basin.
Ohio EPA Map of polluted Lake Erie in 1970s
Across America, the reputation of Lake Erie - especially in the 1960s and 1970s - was that of an extremely polluted and even dead lake.
By all accounts, residents and officials have done a great job restoring Lake Erie - where fishing, boating and swimming are popular.
Lake Erie photo (above) courtesy Jim's Photos Unixdoctor
View of Lake Erie from Cranch Park in Erie, PA
Photo by Pat Noble, WikiProject Erie
EPA Graphic
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The EPA Lake Erie Lakewide Management Plan has been a big force in the recovery of Lake Erie.
EPA/Bay City Times/Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab Photo
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In recent years, officials have been fighting the Zebra Muscle problem in Lake Erie. It's been a love/hate relationship as the muscles have done good and bad things to the lake.
One goal of the pharmaceutical collection was to prevent medicine s from being discharged into Lake Erie and to make sure the drugs don't end up in other surrounding lakes and streams.
Goal of medicine collection is to protect rivers, lakes and streams like Cascade Creek in Erie, PA
Photo by Pat Noble, WikiProject Erie
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Many wastewater treatment plants around the world are not designed to remove the cocktail of chemicals after the drugs are flushed or dumped down the drain - and the drugs can leach out of landfills into the groundwater.
Pictured above are Erie Police Dept. officers. Law enforcement officers are required by federal law at collections of controlled substances
Students and pharmacists from the LECOM School of Pharmacy counted and sorted drugs during the medicine collection
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Some of the unsung heros at pharmaceuticals collections are the police and pharmacists - without whom the collections would not be possible.
At all locations, including Erie, Law enforcement and pharmacists were on hand to accept the pharmaceuticals.
Based on experience, organizers discovered the turnout was bigger when residents don't have to preregister.
Of the 87 residents participating in the collection, 61 did not preregister.
Sara Grisè, Pennsylvania Sea Grant coastal outreach specialist (pictured above on the right; and Marti Martz, also a Pennsylvania Sea Grant coastal outreach specialist, and many others worked hard to make the collection a success.
Over 70,000 pills were turned as Erie, PA area residents showed their love for Lake Erie by participating in the Keep Unwanted Medicine out of Lake Erie Medicine Collection Day
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And similar to the other collections, most Erie participants were older adults as 89 percent were over the age of 46.
Assisting in the proper disposal of the medicines was ECS & R - Environmental Coordination Services and Recycling in Cochranton, Pennsylvania.
Medicine Collection Sponsors:
The organizers of the Erie collection included Pennsylvania Sea Grant, the City of Erie, Lake Erie-Allegheny Earth Force, LECOM school of Pharmacy, and Erie Times-News in Education.
Organizers partnered with the WJET-TV Channel 24 Erie Green Campaign.
WSEE TV provided their news story for use in a video about the collection.
The Pennsylvania Sea Grant received a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Great Lakes map highlighting Lake Erie by Lawrence W. Ellerbruch, Northern Michigan University
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The goal of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was the collecting and recycling of one million pounds of electronics (e-Waste) plus the collection and proper disposal of one million pills. The EPA says those goals were exceeded by 400 to 500 percent.
The Earth Healing Initiative assisted some challenge organizers by offering interfaith liaisons to volunteer and encourage members of local churches and temples to participate in the Earth Day related events in their area.
This video on the projects connected to the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was made possible by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the EPA's Region 5 office in Chicago, the EPA Great Lakes national Program Office also in Chicago in cooperation with the non-profit Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative in Marquette, MI.
The EHI involves American Indian tribes and a coalition of churches, synagogues and other faith traditions joining together to heal, protect and defend the environment.
—
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For more info contact:
Sara Grisè
Pennsylvania Sea Grant
814-217-9011
Unwanted Medications
301 Peninsula Drive, Suite 3
Erie, PA
Marti Martz
Coastal Outreach Specialist
Pennsylvania Sea Grant
814-217-9015
814-217-9021 (fax)
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Erie collection organizers received assistance from EPA Region 3 (with assistance from Region 5), Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Organizers thank following organizations who were part of the team that make the collection program a success:
Community Health Net
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Environmental Coordination Services and Recycling (ECS&R)
Erie County Environmental Coalition
Erie Center on Health and Aging
Erie County Health Department
Erie Housing Authority
Erie Port Authority
Erie Wastewater Treatment Facility
Local Pharmacies
Greater Erie Community Action Committee (GECAC)
Hamot Medical Center
Lake Erie Sierra Club
Local Senior centers
Pennsylvania Lake Erie Watershed Association
Presque Isle Audubon
State Board of Pharmacy
USDEA local agent
Visiting Nurses Association
WJET-TV 24 Erie Green Campaign
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Related websites:
—
Pennsylvania Sea Grant:
http://www.pserie.psu.edu/seagrant/seagindex.htm
In November 2006, Sara Grisè joined Pennsylvania Sea Grant as a Coastal Outreach Specialist:
http://www.pserie.psu.edu/seagrant/about/grise.htm
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EPA Region 5 Office in Chicago, Illinois
http://www.epa.gov/region5
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ECS&R - Environmental Coordination Services & Recycling
3237 US Highway 19
Cochranton, PA
16314
814-425-7773
814-425-3201 (fax)
ECS&R 24 hour emergency response call:
877-902-2452
email:
info@ecsr.net
http://www.ecsr.net/
http://www.ecsr.net/environmental.html
—
WJET-TV 24 Erie Green Campaign:
http://yourerie.com/
http://yourerie.com/content/green
—
WSEE TV Erie. PA
http://www.wsee.tv/
http://www.wsee.tv/news.php
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=WSEE01
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City of Erie
http://ci.erie.pa.us/
City of Erie flag/seal are courtesy the English Wikipedia Graphics Lab & Cronholm144
Erie Police Dept.
http://ci.erie.pa.us/Departments/PoliceDepartment/tabid/72/Default.aspx
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Lake Erie-Allegheny Earth Force
http://www.earthforce.org/section/offices/lea
http://www.earthforce.org/section/offices/lea/leasuccess_stories
http://www.earthforce.org/section/offices/lea/leacontact_us
http://www.earthforce.org/section/offices/lea/leaschools
http://www.earthforce.org/
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LECOM School of Pharmacy in Erie, PA
Photo by Pat Noble, WikiProject Erie
LECOM school of Pharmacy
http://www.lecom.edu/school_pharmacy.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LECOM
—
Erie Times-News newspaper building in Erie, PA
Photo by Pat Noble, WikiProject Erie
Erie Times-News in Education
http://www.goerie.com/
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=ETN
Erie Times-News front page April 23, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Times-News
—
Erie, PA photos by Pat Noble
Erie, Pennsylvania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie
Erie photos courtesy Pat Noble aka Pnoble805, a member of WikiProject Erie
Photos include Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry monument, Liberty Park's Pepsi Amphitheater, Times-News building, skyline of Erie, Pennsylvania as seen from Presque Isle, Cranch Park, west branch of Cascade Creek under a small bridge at Frontier Park, and the LECOM medical school.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Pnoble805
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Pnoble805#My_work_on_WikiProject_Erie
City of Erie flag/seal are courtesy the English Wikipedia Graphics Lab & Cronholm144
—
Lake Erie Photos courtesy Jim's Photos Unixdoctor
http://www.unixdoctor.com/gallery/niagara/Lake_Erie_02
http://www.unixdoctor.com/gallery/albums.php
—
Lake Erie map graphic courtesy Lawrence W. Ellerbruch, Northern Michigan University
http://ellerbruch.nmu.edu/classes/cs255f03/cs255students/ateraves/P6/tutorial2.html
—
Shallow Lake Erie photo courtesy Environment Canada:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/
—
Lake Erie polluted photo courtesy Ohio EPA
http://www.epa.state.oh.us/oleo/reports/leqi/leqi2004/pollutionsources/Pollutionsourcespic.jpg
http://www.epa.state.oh.us/
—
EPA: Lake Erie Management Plan reports:
http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/erie.html
http://www.epa.gov/lakeerie/index.html
—
EPA - Zebra Mussels photo info:
http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/image/viz_iss4.html
Zebra mussels washed up on beach, Lake Erie
Bay City Times (courtesy Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab)
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White House Office of Drug Control Policy:
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/
—
Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative
http://www.earthhealinginitiative.org/
Call:
906-401-0109
—
Cedar Tree Institute
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.org/
—
Earth 911:
http://earth911.org/
http://earth911.org/blog/2008
—
Interfaith graphics by Justice St. Rain (Baha'i Community)
Interfaith Resources - Special Ideas website:
http://www.interfaithresources.com/
Justice St. Rain
1-800-326-1197 (toll free)
1-847-733-3559 (wk)
Interfaith Resources
P.O. Box 9
511 Diamond Rd
Heltonville, IN
47436
Photos of the April 2008 pharmaceutical collection in Erie, Pennsylvania
Photos by Anna McCartney, Erie Times-News in Education
EPA Great Lakes Challenge: Syracuse recycles 9 tons of TVs with Onondaga County Resource Recovery
June 10, 2008
Syracuse, NY residents show their respect for Great Lakes including love for Lake Erie by turning over 9 tons of old TVs to be recycled by the Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency
Syracuse skyline photo by Joe Grimes, Wikipedia
—
(Syracuse, New York) - A leader in electronic waste recycling projects in the northeast is the Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency (OCRRA) in Syracuse, NY.
The agency held a TV collection on Saturday, April 19 in the Alliance Bank Stadium parking lot as part of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.
The Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency received an EPA grant to help offset costs of the recycling project.
It was one of over 100 projects involved in the challenge across eight states in the Great Lakes Basin.
Organizers keep traffic flowing smoothly as 964 vehicles arrived with old TVs.
The event took in 1,551 old television sets weighing 97,080 pounds, according to Andrew Radin, Director of Recycling and Waste Reduction for the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency.
That means nearly 9 tons of old TVs from central New York were recycled.
Syracuse State Tower building photo by Joe Grimes
Syracuse Franklin Park photo by Kai Brinker, Newkai is a member of WikiProject Syracuse, New York
Syracuse Jerry Rescue Monument photo by Paul Malo
—
The agency also holds ongoing e-waste collections at the Community Collection Center also know as 3-C - located at 6085 Court Street - in Syracuse, NY.
The electronics collection dates and times are:
Tuesdays from 4pm to 8pm;
Thursdays from 8am to noon;
and Saturdays from 9am to 1 p.m.
There is no charge to drop off household e-waste and other items at the collection center including old computers plus related equipment and fluorescent bulbs, household batteries, cell phones, smoke detectors, tabletop copiers, DVD players, electronic game consoles like Nintendo, and Xbox, fax machines, phones, VCRs and stereos including speakers.
The agency is developing a plan to accept TVs at the center.
Over 60,000 pounds has been turned in at the Community Collection Center so far this year.
Business waste in not accepted.
The center also accepts books - covers must be removed.
In a unique twist - the agency is helping the hungry - by asking residents dropping off items to be recycled to also bring canned food and other non perishables for Food Bank of Central New York.
The Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency is known as OCRRA for short using its initials.
Since 2002, OCRRA has collected over 1,000 tons of e-waste from the community for recycling
OCRRA has numerous environment projects that benefit the Syracuse area including its Blue Bin It campaign.
Blue Bin It is based on the well-know blue bins that are popular in recycling projects across the country.
OCRRA has a series of radio spots promoting its blue bin it campaign.
(See Blue Bin It Radio ads in this video)
The goal of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was the collecting and recycling of one million pounds of electronics (e-Waste) plus the collection and proper disposal of one million pills. The EPA says those goals were exceeded by 400 to 500 percent.
The Earth Healing Initiative assisted some challenge organizers by offering interfaith liaisons to volunteer and encourage members of local churches and temples to participate in the Earth Day related events in their area.
This video on the projects connected to the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was made possible by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the EPA's Region 5 office in Chicago, the EPA Great Lakes national Program Office also in Chicago in cooperation with the non-profit Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative in Marquette, MI.
The EHI involves American Indian tribes and a coalition of churches, synagogues and other faith traditions joining together to heal, protect and defend the environment.
Im Greg Peterson and youre watching Earth Healing TV
—
Related Links:
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Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency (OCRRA) recycling page
http://www.ocrra.org/recycling_c3.asp
—
Contact:
Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency (OCRRA) in Syracuse, NY
Andrew J. Radin
Director of Recycling and Waste Reduction
Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA)
315-453-2866
315-295-0726
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The Food Bank of Central New York
http://www.foodbankcny.org/
Portrait of Hunger:
http://www.foodbankcny.org/default.aspx?PageID=752
—
Onondaga Creek running through the Franklin Square area
Syracuse on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syracuse,_New_York
Syracuse skyline photo by Joe Grimes
Syracuse skyline wide shot photo by Joe Grimes
Syracuse State Tower building photo by Joe Grimes
Onondaga Creek running through the Franklin Square area
Syracuse skyline photo by Kai Brinker, Newkai is a member of WikiProject Syracuse, New York
Syracuse Franklin Park photo by Kai Brinker, Newkai is a member of WikiProject Syracuse, New York
Syracuse Jerry Rescue Monument photo by Paul Malo
—
EPA Region 5 Office in Chicago, Illinois
http://www.epa.gov/region5
—
Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org
Call:
906-401-0109
—
Cedar Tree Institute
http://www.CedarTreeInstitute.org
—
Interfaith graphics by Justice St. Rain (Baha'i Community) of Interfaith Resources - Special Ideas website:
http://www.interfaithresources.com
Justice St. Rain
1-800-326-1197 (toll free)
1-847-733-3559 (wk)
Interfaith Resources
P.O. Box 9
511 Diamond Rd
Heltonville, IN
47436
—
More photos from OCRRA TV Collection:
Earth Healing: Syracuse, NY residents turn in TVs to Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency
June 10, 2008
Syracuse, NY residents show their respect for Great Lakes including love for Lake Erie by turning over 9 tons of old TVs to be recycled by the Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency
Syracuse skyline photo by Joe Grimes, Wikipedia
—
(Syracuse, New York) - A leader in electronic waste recycling projects in the northeast is the Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency (OCRRA) in Syracuse, NY.
The agency held a TV collection on Saturday, April 19 in the Alliance Bank Stadium parking lot as part of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.
The Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency received an EPA grant to help offset costs of the recycling project.
It was one of over 100 projects involved in the challenge across eight states in the Great Lakes Basin.
Organizers keep traffic flowing smoothly as 964 vehicles arrived with old TVs.
The event took in 1,551 old television sets weighing 97,080 pounds, according to Andrew Radin, Director of Recycling and Waste Reduction for the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency.
That means nearly 9 tons of old TVs from central New York were recycled.
Syracuse State Tower building photo by Joe Grimes
Syracuse Franklin Park photo by Kai Brinker, Newkai is a member of WikiProject Syracuse, New York
Syracuse Jerry Rescue Monument photo by Paul Malo
—
The agency also holds ongoing e-waste collections at the Community Collection Center also know as 3-C - located at 6085 Court Street - in Syracuse, NY.
The electronics collection dates and times are:
Tuesdays from 4pm to 8pm;
Thursdays from 8am to noon;
and Saturdays from 9am to 1 p.m.
There is no charge to drop off household e-waste and other items at the collection center including old computers plus related equipment and fluorescent bulbs, household batteries, cell phones, smoke detectors, tabletop copiers, DVD players, electronic game consoles like Nintendo, and Xbox, fax machines, phones, VCRs and stereos including speakers.
The agency is developing a plan to accept TVs at the center.
Over 60,000 pounds has been turned in at the Community Collection Center so far this year.
Business waste in not accepted.
The center also accepts books - covers must be removed.
In a unique twist - the agency is helping the hungry - by asking residents dropping off items to be recycled to also bring canned food and other non perishables for Food Bank of Central New York.
The Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency is known as OCRRA for short using its initials.
Since 2002, OCRRA has collected over 1,000 tons of e-waste from the community for recycling
OCRRA has numerous environment projects that benefit the Syracuse area including its Blue Bin It campaign.
Blue Bin It is based on the well-know blue bins that are popular in recycling projects across the country.
OCRRA has a series of radio spots promoting its blue bin it campaign.
(See Blue Bin It Radio ads in this video)
The goal of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was the collecting and recycling of one million pounds of electronics (e-Waste) plus the collection and proper disposal of one million pills. The EPA says those goals were exceeded by 400 to 500 percent.
The Earth Healing Initiative assisted some challenge organizers by offering interfaith liaisons to volunteer and encourage members of local churches and temples to participate in the Earth Day related events in their area.
This video on the projects connected to the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was made possible by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the EPA's Region 5 office in Chicago, the EPA Great Lakes national Program Office also in Chicago in cooperation with the non-profit Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative in Marquette, MI.
The EHI involves American Indian tribes and a coalition of churches, synagogues and other faith traditions joining together to heal, protect and defend the environment.
Im Greg Peterson and youre watching Earth Healing TV
—
Related Links:
—
Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency (OCRRA) recycling page
http://www.ocrra.org/recycling_c3.asp
—
Contact:
Onondaga County Resource Recover Agency (OCRRA) in Syracuse, NY
Andrew J. Radin
Director of Recycling and Waste Reduction
Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA)
315-453-2866
315-295-0726
—
The Food Bank of Central New York
http://www.foodbankcny.org/
Portrait of Hunger:
http://www.foodbankcny.org/default.aspx?PageID=752
—
Onondaga Creek running through the Franklin Square area
Syracuse on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syracuse,_New_York
Syracuse skyline photo by Joe Grimes
Syracuse skyline wide shot photo by Joe Grimes
Syracuse State Tower building photo by Joe Grimes
Onondaga Creek running through the Franklin Square area
Syracuse skyline photo by Kai Brinker, Newkai is a member of WikiProject Syracuse, New York
Syracuse Franklin Park photo by Kai Brinker, Newkai is a member of WikiProject Syracuse, New York
Syracuse Jerry Rescue Monument photo by Paul Malo
—
EPA Region 5 Office in Chicago, Illinois
http://www.epa.gov/region5
—
Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org
Call:
906-401-0109
—
Cedar Tree Institute
http://www.CedarTreeInstitute.org
—
Interfaith graphics by Justice St. Rain (Baha'i Community) of Interfaith Resources - Special Ideas website:
http://www.interfaithresources.com
Justice St. Rain
1-800-326-1197 (toll free)
1-847-733-3559 (wk)
Interfaith Resources
P.O. Box 9
511 Diamond Rd
Heltonville, IN
47436
—
More photos from OCRRA TV Collection:
Western U.P. electronic waste collections set: June 21 in Houghton and Keweenaw counties; July 12 in Baraga County; dates for other areas TBA
The Western Upper Peninsula Electronics Recycling Program, a project of the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), provides households with an environmentally and economically sound solution to disposing of electronic waste.
Residents of Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon Counties, who have generated electronic waste in their household, may bring their items to e-waste collection sites on the specified collection dates in their area.
The initiative received grants and/or other assistance from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The northern Michigan collection is connected to the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge that involves over 100 projects in eight states across the Great Lakes Basin.
More than a dozen previous collections since 2005 have garnered nearly 48 tons of e-waste from over 850 participants.
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2005: 8 collections, 26.5 tons
2006: 4 collections, 15 tons
2007: 1 collection, 6.25 tons
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Commonly called e-waste, electronics waste includes old and broken computers, cell phones, TVs and other items found in many homes.
The collection for Houghton and Keweenaw counties will be on June 21 from 9 am to noon at the health department offices in Hancock.
An e-waste collection will be held in Baraga County on July 12 from 10 a.m. to noon at a site to be announced.
Collection events for other Copper Country counties will be announced in the future.
The cost to drop off e-waste is 10 cents per pound.
The Western Upper Peninsula Electronics Recycling Program will accept a wide range of e-waste during collection events including cell phones, computer and related equipment like laptops, monitors, towers aka central processing units, printers, scanners, keyboards and computer mice
Other e-waste accepted includes stereo equipment, televisions, VCR and DVD players, copiers, cordless telephones, fax machines, fluorescent light bulbs that are 4 to 8 feet in length, microwave ovens and batteries including alkaline, nickel cadmium, lead acid, lithium, mercury.
Organizers said it estimated that between 1997 and 2007, nearly 500 million personal computers will became obsolete. That's almost 2 computers for every person living in the United States.
TV's and computer monitors contain an average of 4 pounds of lead, as well as other toxins.
According to Closing the Circle News, the manufacture of one computer consumes 529 pounds of fossil fuels, 49 pounds of chemicals, and 3,307 pounds of water.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency projects that nationwide nearly 250 million computers will become obsolete in the next five years.
For additional information contact the Western Upper Peninsula Electronics Recycling Program or RSVP at 906-482-7382.
The goal of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was the collecting and recycling of one million pounds of electronics (e-Waste) plus the collection and proper disposal of one million pills. The EPA says those goals were exceeded by 400 to 500 percent.
The Earth Healing Initiative assisted some challenge organizers by offering interfaith liaisons to volunteer and encourage members of local churches and temples to participate in the Earth Day related events in their area.
This video on the projects connected to the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was made possible by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the EPA's Region 5 office in Chicago, the EPA Great Lakes national Program Office also in Chicago in cooperation with the non-profit Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative in Marquette, MI.
The EHI involves American Indian tribes and a coalition of churches, synagogues and other faith traditions joining together to heal, protect and defend the environment.
Im Greg Peterson and youre watching Earth Healing TV
—
Related websites:
—
Western Upper Peninsula District Health Department:
http://www.wupdhd.org
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e-waste info:
http://www.wupdhd.org/rsvp/e-waste.html
—
RSVP:
http://www.wupdhd.org/rsvp/index.html
—
Contact info:
Western Upper Peninsula District Health Department and the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program
540 Depot Street
Hancock, MI
49930
Barbara Maronen
906-482-7382
—
EPA Region 5 Office in Chicago, Illinois
http://www.epa.gov/region5
—
Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org
906-401-0109
—
Cedar Tree Institute
http://www.CedarTreeInstitute.org
—
Interfaith graphics by Justice St. Rain (Baha'i Community) of Interfaith Resources - Special Ideas website:
http://www.interfaithresources.com
Justice St. Rain
1-800-326-1197 (toll free)
1-847-733-3559 (wk)
Interfaith Resources
P.O. Box 9
511 Diamond Rd
Heltonville, IN
47436
EPA Great Lakes 2008 Challenges continues: RSVP, others plan June 21 e-wate collection in Hancock, MI
June 6, 2008
Western U.P. electronic waste collections set: June 21 in Houghton and Keweenaw counties; July 12 in Baraga County; dates for other areas TBA
The Western Upper Peninsula Electronics Recycling Program, a project of the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), provides households with an environmentally and economically sound solution to disposing of electronic waste.
Residents of Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon Counties, who have generated electronic waste in their household, may bring their items to e-waste collection sites on the specified collection dates in their area.
EPA Great Lakes 2008 Challenge: June 21 pharmaceutical collection in Kalamazoo, Michigan
June 5, 2008
Free, special collection for old prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals for residents of southwest Michigan set for June 21, 2008 in Kalamazoo County
Residents of the Kalamazoo area and all of southwest Michigan can to their part to protect the Great Lakes during a free public pharmaceutical collection later this month.
Old and unwanted medicines and personal care products will be accepted on Saturday, June 21, from 9 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Loy Norrix High School, 606 E. Kilgore (off Lovers Lane) in Kalamazoo.
The pharmaceutical collection is sponsored by Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that provided a grant for the project.
The collection is connected to the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge that involves over 100 projects in eight states across the Great Lakes Basin.
Southwest Michigan residents can rid their home of unwanted prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals plus personal care products.
For example - items that will be accepted include:
Prescription medication, such as antibiotics, birth control, and insulin (but no sharps or syringes)
Medication samples and over-the-counter medication, such as ibuprofen, aspirin, cold medicine
Personal care products, such as medicated ointments, lotions, and shampoos
Veterinary medications
Items that will not be accepted include:
Medical waste like sharps and syringes
Products containing mercury like thermometers
—
The collection is free to all households in southwest Michigan.
Organizers say the collection is important to protect Lake Michigan and other lakes and streams - like Arcadia Creek.
The reason - an investigation by the Associated Press found a wide variety of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, mood stabilizers and hormones, in the drinking water of 41 million Americans.
Most medications pass untreated through wastewater treatment plants because those facilities are not designed to remove the chemicals.
That means the pharmaceuticals are discharged into local rivers or groundwater.
For more information call 269-373-5211
Or visit the EPA and Kalamazoo County websites at these addresses:
http://www.epa.gov/ppcp
http://www.kalcounty.com/hcs
Again - a free pharmaceutical collection for residents of the Kalamazoo area and southwest Michigan will be held on Saturday, June 21 from 9 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Loy Norrix High School at 606 E. Kilgore (off Lovers Lane) in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The pharmaceutical collection is sponsored by Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
EPA Graphic: EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge beats goals by 400 to 500 percent
The goal of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was the collecting and recycling of one million pounds of electronics (e-Waste) plus the collection and proper disposal of one million pills. The EPA says those goals were exceeded many times over.
EPA Great Lakes Challenge continues: Kalamazoo April 21 pharmaceutical collection for SW Michigan
June 5, 2008
Free, special collection for old prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals for residents of southwest Michigan set for June 21, 2008 in Kalamazoo County
Residents of the Kalamazoo area and all of southwest Michigan can to their part to protect the Great Lakes during a free public pharmaceutical collection later this month.
Old and unwanted medicines and personal care products will be accepted on Saturday, June 21, from 9 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Loy Norrix High School, 606 E. Kilgore (off Lovers Lane) in Kalamazoo.
The pharmaceutical collection is sponsored by Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that provided a grant for the project.
The collection is connected to the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge that involves over 100 projects in eight states across the Great Lakes Basin.
Southwest Michigan residents can rid their home of unwanted prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals plus personal care products.
For example - items that will be accepted include:
Prescription medication, such as antibiotics, birth control, and insulin (but no sharps or syringes)
Medication samples and over-the-counter medication, such as ibuprofen, aspirin, cold medicine
Personal care products, such as medicated ointments, lotions, and shampoos
Veterinary medications
Items that will not be accepted include:
Medical waste like sharps and syringes
Products containing mercury like thermometers
—
The collection is free to all households in southwest Michigan.
Organizers say the collection is important to protect Lake Michigan and other lakes and streams - like Arcadia Creek.
The reason - an investigation by the Associated Press found a wide variety of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, mood stabilizers and hormones, in the drinking water of 41 million Americans.
Most medications pass untreated through wastewater treatment plants because those facilities are not designed to remove the chemicals.
That means the pharmaceuticals are discharged into local rivers or groundwater.
For more information call 269-373-5211
Or visit the EPA and Kalamazoo County websites at these addresses:
http://www.epa.gov/ppcp
http://www.kalcounty.com/hcs
Again - a free pharmaceutical collection for residents of the Kalamazoo area and southwest Michigan will be held on Saturday, June 21 from 9 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Loy Norrix High School at 606 E. Kilgore (off Lovers Lane) in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The pharmaceutical collection is sponsored by Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The goal of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was the collecting and recycling of one million pounds of electronics (e-Waste) plus the collection and proper disposal of one million pills. The EPA says those goals were exceeded many times over.
The Earth Healing Initiative assisted challenge organizers by offering interfaith liaisons to volunteer and encourage members of local churches and temples to participate in the Earth Day related events in their area.
This video on the projects connected to the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was made possible by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the EPA's Region 5 office in Chicago the EPA Great Lakes national Program Office also in Chicago in cooperation with the non-profit Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative in Marquette, MI.
The EHI involves American Indian tribes and a coalition of churches, synagogues and other faith traditions joining together to heal, protect and defend the environment.
Im Greg Peterson and youre watching Earth healing TV
—
Related Links & Information:
—
Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services
http://www.kalcounty.com/hcs
Kalamazoo County Environmental Health Bureau
http://www.kalcounty.com/eh/index.htm
Kalamazoo County homepage:
http://www.kalcounty.com
—
EPA - Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs)
http://www.epa.gov/ppcp
—
EPA Region 5 Office in Chicago, Illinois
http://www.epa.gov/region5
—
Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org
906-401-0109
—
Cedar Tree Institute
http://www.CedarTreeInstitute.org
—
Kalamazoo - Southwest Michigan First
http://www.southwestmichiganfirst.com/index.cfm
Maps:
http://www.southwestmichiganfirst.com/pdf/Kalamazoo%20Region.pdf
http://www.southwestmichiganfirst.com/pdf/Kalamazoo%20County1.pdf
—
Kalamazoo Downtown Central City website:
http://www.central-city.net
http://www.central-city.net/festivalsite?mth=festivalsite&subc=festplanning
—
Kalamazoo Wikimedia:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Kalamazoo%2C_Michigan
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Kalamazoo.jpg
—
Kalamazoo River:
www.kalamazooriver.net
—
Loy Norrix High School:
http://www.kalamazoopublicschools.com/education/school/school.php?sectionid=24
http://www.kalamazoopublicschools.com/education/school/schoolmap.php?sectiondetailid=279&sc_id=1210344809
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loy_Norrix
—
Interfaith graphics by Justice St. Rain (Baha'i Community) of Interfaith Resources - Special Ideas website:
http://www.interfaithresources.com
Justice St. Rain
1-800-326-1197 (toll free)
1-847-733-3559 (wk)
Interfaith Resources
P.O. Box 9
511 Diamond Rd
Heltonville, IN
47436
——-
Kalamazoo County Environmental Health Bureau
3299 Gull Road
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49048
269-373-5210
—
(Marquette, Michigan) - The founder of two interfaith environment groups is often asked by people around the globe to explain the best way to start an effective similar interfaith group in their own community.
Along the shores of Lake Superior, creating similar interfaith environmental groups was discussed by leaders of the Earth Healing Initiative and the Upper Peninsula Earth Keeper Initiative, both based in Marquette, Michigan.
The non-profit Earth Healing Initiative provided interfaith volunteers and participants top numerous cities during the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.
The challenge involved the recycling of millions of pounds of electronics and the proper disposal of millions of pills and other pharmaceuticals in April 2008 during over 100 projects across eight states that make up the Great Lakes Basin.
This warm and calm day in May 2008 produced the tiniest of ripples in an unusually calm Lake Superior as wildlife heralded spring in the background. The serene setting was perfect to discuss interfaith environment work and how it can be created in others areas of the world.
Earth Healing founder Rev. Jon Magnuson co-founded the Earth Keeper Initiative that started when nine northern Michigan faith leaders signed the Earth keeper Covenant in 2004.
The bishops and other faith leaders pledged to reach out to Native Americans and actively participate in interfaith environment projects.
This video includes the thoughts of Rev. Jon Magnuson, director of Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) at Northern Michigan University (NMU) in Marquette, MI; and Rev. Tesshin Paul Lehmberg, head priest of Lake Superior Zendo, a Marquette Zen Buddhist temple; and Lutheran Bishop Thomas A. Skrenes of the Northern Great Lakes Synod (NGLS) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Rev. Lehmberg and Bishop Skrenes were among the nine original signers of the Earth keeper Covenant.
The non-profit Cedar Tree Institute (CTI) co-founded the interfaith Earth Keeper Initiative in Michigan's Upper Peninsula that works closely with ten faith traditions on a wide range of environment projects that include college students, at-risk teens, American Indian tribes and others.
Rev. Magnuson is the executive director of the CTI.
.
The CTI Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative is developing a relationship with the same faith communities in northern Michigan and others across the Great lakes.
The faith communities include Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, The Religious Society of Friends (commonly known as the Quakers) and Zen Buddhist.
The Earth Healing Initiative assisted challenge organizers by offering interfaith liaisons to volunteer and encourage members of local churches and temples to participate in the Earth Day related events in their area.
This video on the projects connected to the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was made possible by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the EPA's Region 5 office in Chicago the EPA Great Lakes national Program Office - also in Chicago - in cooperation with the non-profit interfaith Earth Healing Initiative in Marquette, Michigan.
The Earth Healing Initiative involves American Indian tribes and "a coalition of churches synagogues and other faith traditions joining together to heal protect and defend the environment" said Rev. Magnuson, Earth Healing founder.
The next project during the summer of 2008 involves encouraging bee and butterfly pollenization through means that include creating habitat thanks to help from at-risk teens and American Indian tribes. The pollen project is important because billions of bees have died prematurely across the country and the problem has become alarming in the Midwest. More on this project in the near future.
—
Supers:
Rev. Tesshin Paul Lehmberg
Head Priest
Lake Superior Zendo
Zen Buddhist Temple
Rev. Jon Magnuson
Lutheran Campus Ministry
Northern Michigan University
Marquette, Michigan
Bishop Thomas A. Skrenes
Northern Great Lakes Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
—
Related Links:
—
Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org
906-401-0109
—
EPA Region 5 Office in Chicago, Illinois
http://www.epa.gov/region5
—
Cedar Tree Institute
http://www.CedarTreeInstitute.org
—
The Lake Superior Interfaith Communication Network
http://www.lakesuperiorinterfaith.com
—
ELCA Northern Great Lakes Synod
http://www.nglsynod.org
—
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
8765 W. Higgins Road
Chicago, IL
60631
1-800-638-3522
(aka 1-800-NET-ELCA)
1-773-380-2700
Fax: 1-773-380-1465
—
ELCA Website:
http://www.elca.org
Ecumenical:
http://www.elca.org/ecumenical
—
Earth 911:
http://earth911.org/blog/2008
—
Interfaith graphics by Justice St. Rain (Baha'i Community) of Interfaith Resources - Special Ideas website:
http://www.interfaithresources.com
Justice St. Rain
1-800-326-1197 (toll free)
1-847-733-3559 (wk)
Interfaith Resources
P.O. Box 9
511 Diamond Rd
Heltonville, IN
47436
—
EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge: Lutheran Bishop Thomas A. Skrenes says - "We are all environmentalists" & "Every day is Earth Day"
Lutheran Bishop Thomas A. Skrenes praises interfaith success of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge
(Marquette, Michigan) - A Lutheran Bishop who has participated in interfaith Earth Day recycling projects for four years in a row said.
"Celebrate - what a great day Earth Day has been 2008," said Lutheran Bishop Thomas A. Skrenes of the Northern Great Lakes Synod (NGLS) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "The Earth Healing Initiative has been a great success this year."
"Congratulations Earth Healers - you've done it, it has been a success," Bishop Skrenes said. "The EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge has been a great success."
"Computers have been recycled, pharmaceuticals have been brought together for proper disposal," Skrenes said. "We are hearing reports from all over the Midwest about wonderful things that are happening."
"Pharmacological waste - more than a million pills - and all kinds of poundage of equipment and computer materials that are surplus that will not pollute the beautiful Great Lakes over the next years because of the success of this challenge."
"Congratulations to those members of the faith communities and others who have been a part of this," Skrenes said. "It has been a great day, a great week, a great Earth day 2008."
"What a great opportunity it has been to be part of the ecumenical work and interfaith work of assisting others to see the environmental concerns set before us," said Bishop Skrenes of Marquette, Michigan.
"We are all environmentalists," Skrenes said. "Everybody is an environmentalist because all of us want clean air to breathe, all of us want clean drinking water. We all enjoy the outdoors and nature."
"So every single one of us - no matter our political understandings are - no matter where we are on the liberal and conservative line - no matter what we think of any of the big issues facing the world today - all of us can agree that it is in all of our interests."
The interfaith protecting of the environment "is an honoring of the God that made us, that we can be part of this movement to preserve to reuse to recycle - to make a difference," Skrenes said.
"We call that the environmental movement," Skrenes said. "Sometimes all kinds of political forces connect to that but yet all of us agree that we can all certainly conserve and save and bring back - and then give to the next generation what has been given to us."
With hundreds of thousands of people participating across eight states in the Midwest and Northeast, Bishop Skrenes said interfaith environment projects like the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge will help ensure a better future for all humans.
"It is a sign of great significance that people can join hands and work together," Skrenes said. "So celebrate - it is a good day for the environment and it is a good day for all of us together."
Bishop Skrenes thanked the EPA, faith communities and "people of goodwill throughout the upper Midwest who have been a part of this work."
"Thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency for their help and assistance in all of this work," Bishop Skrenes said. "The EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge has been a part of the lives and will be a part of the future of this whole area."
"It is a wonderful opportunity to begin to look at what it is that we hold in common," Skrenes said. "What we hold in common is this wonderful Great Lakes basin."
"This is a wonderful place with lakes and streams and forests everywhere in the Midwest, and the great plains and the great fields," Skrenes said. "We have been a part of saving some of this and making a difference - that's what it is all about making a difference."
"The faith communities do that each and every day in so many ways, this is just one more way. People of faith have bonded together and are working together to make a difference in the world."
"When we are working together as different believing communities great things can happen," Skrenes said.
"Sometimes we become so focused on what divides us, what disconnects us, what separates us - and there are important things that sometimes do that - but yet we can all have loyalty and allegiance to this world that has been our home and this part of the world that we have been blessed with by God."
"God has given us the privilege of living here in the midst of these lakes and in the midst of all of this beautiful nature," Skrenes said.
"When people of faith, whether they be of Christian traditions or of other traditions, gather together to work on what connects us. One of those things that connects us is respect and awe for the creation that surrounds us."
"We are part of a movement together in these early years of the Twenty-first (21st) Century to save what has been given to us by the generations before us and what God has provided to us," Skrenes said.
"When you can have people of all traditions working together - wonderful things can happen. People joining hands and making things happen. A spectacular success was this initiative. Thanks be to God for that - and thanks be to all the people that made this possible."
Bishop Skrenes is one of the original nine faith leaders who signed the Earth Keeper Covenant in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in 2004 that lead to many interfaith projects
Background: Earth Healing Initiative and the Michigan Earth Keeper Initiative
The Cedar Tree Institute (CTI) co-founded the interfaith Earth Keeper Initiative in Michigan's Upper Peninsula that works closely with ten faith traditions on a wide range of environment projects that include college students, at-risk teens, American Indian tribes and others.
.
The CTI Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative is developing the same relationship with the same faith communities in northern Michigan and others across the Great lakes.
The faith communities include Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, The Religious Society of Friends (commonly known as the Quakers) and Zen Buddhist.
Springtime, Earth Day, the Great Lakes challenge and similar events are a renewal, Skrenes said.
"Now in the springtime - what a better time of year there is than spring I can not imagine. Springtime when the trees are just blossoming and the flowers are coming up and the spring rains - to be reminded of what a great God we have who has provided all this to us."
"So it is our privilege then to do this ministry to do this work together. "Every day is Earth Day - every day is an environmental concern day," Skrenes said.
—
Related Links:
—
Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org
906-401-0109
—
EPA Region 5 Office in Chicago, Illinois
http://www.epa.gov/region5
—
Cedar Tree Institute
http://www.CedarTreeInstitute.org
—
The Lake Superior Interfaith Communication Network
http://www.lakesuperiorinterfaith.com
—
ELCA Northern Great Lakes Synod
http://www.nglsynod.org
—
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
8765 W. Higgins Road
Chicago, IL
60631
1-800-638-3522
(aka 1-800-NET-ELCA)
1-773-380-2700
Fax: 1-773-380-1465
—
ELCA Website:
http://www.elca.org
Ecumenical:
http://www.elca.org/ecumenical
—
Earth 911:
http://earth911.org/blog/2008
—
Interfaith graphics by Justice St. Rain (Baha'i Community) of Interfaith Resources - Special Ideas website:
http://www.interfaithresources.com
Justice St. Rain
1-800-326-1197 (toll free)
1-847-733-3559 (wk)
Interfaith Resources
P.O. Box 9
511 Diamond Rd
Heltonville, IN
47436
—