Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding grant funding for Electronic Waste (E-Waste) and Pharmaceutical Collections in eight states across the Great Lakes Basin
EPA Press Release on challenge
EPA main challenge website link
Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge List of events
Earth Healing Initiative main page
Earth Day 2008
Earth Healing Initiative 2008
An Interfaith environmental project for the Great Lakes basin in cooperation with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).
The Earth Healing Initiative is sponsored by the non-profit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, MI and is collaborating with the EPA, cities, landfills, groups, state/local governments across the Great Lakes Basin to promote the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge – and to help arrange interfaith and Native American volunteers and participants.
All faith traditions, religions, minorities, tribes and other Indigenous peoples are encouraged to volunteer for and/or participate in the projects in your area.
United States EPA Great Lakes National Programs Office grants are helping to fund this event across eight states in the Great Lakes Basin.
Earth Day 2008: “Collect One Million Pounds of Electronic Waste and One Million Unwanted Pills”
For Earth Day 2008 residents and communities around the Great Lakes are being challenged to collect and recycle electronic waste and to properly dispose of unwanted medicines.
Collections are being held in large cities and surrounding areas like Chicago, Milwaukee and Cleveland.
Cities/Collection sites include locations in eight states:
ELECTRONIC WASTE (E-Waste)
Above photo shows horses on Mackinac Island pulling carts loaded with old/broken computers and other electronics (e-waste) plus collection sites in the Marquette area during the second annual Earth Keeper Clean Sweep in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula during which about 10,000 residents turned in over 320 tons of e-waste in only three hours on Earth Day 2006
Electronic waste includes all those old or broken TVs, cell phones, computer components and similar gadgets that are part of our lives. E-waste contains possibly hazardous materials that can harm human health and the Great Lakes environment if disposed of improperly, according to the EPA.
In 2005 the public discarded an estimated 2 million tons of TVs, computers and other electronic gear.
“Proper disposal and recycling are necessary to avoid unwanted pollution,” the EPA website states. “When we reuse or recycle e-waste properly, we recover materials for re-use, save energy and reduce the environmental costs of raw material extraction and processing.”
PHARMACEUTICALS:
Above photo shows some of the one ton of pharmaceuticals turned in by northern Michigan residents on Earth Day 2007 during the third annual Earth Keeper Clean Sweep
“Traces of medicines have been found in streams and the Great Lakes where we get our drinking water and have also been detected near wastewater treatment outflows,” the EPA website states. “Some of these medicines can lead to reproductive and developmental problems in fish and other animals.”
“We often treat leftover medicine as a common household waste,” the EPA said. “More than half of people surveyed throw their unused medicines in the trash while a third flush them down the drain. In both cases, the medicines have the potential to be released into our rivers and lakes.”
A new non-profit group – called the Earth Healing Initiative – has been formed to get numerous faith communities involved and to help promote the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.
Catholics, Lutherans and many other faith traditions are being asked to join the effort either as a volunteer or to spread the word in their churches/temples and participate in a nearby collection event.
College students, Native American tribes and other indigenous/minority groups are also being contacted by Earth Healing volunteers. Anyone who would like to participate can check out the list of events that includes contact numbers, or call 906-401-0109.
Several Earth Keeper team members are involved in the Earth Healing Initiative.
The faith-based Earth Healing Initiative was recently created by Rev. Jon Magnuson.
Magnuson is the founder of the Michigan Earth Keepers and executive director of the non-profit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, Michigan.
The Michigan Earth Keepers are best known for removing more than 370 tons of household hazardous waste from the Upper Peninsula during three Earth Day Clean Sweep.
The latest on the Michigan Earth Keeper Initiative is near the end of this article.
At some of the challenge events, the public is asked to turn in old and unwanted pharmaceuticals.
The EPA has been targeting the proper disposal of pharmaceuticals for several years because the drugs have begun turning up in America’s drinking water after being improperly disposed like flushed down the toilet, poured down the sewer drain or mixed with trash that ends up in local landfills.
The reason is because many wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove the drugs so the chemicals remain in water discharged into lakes, streams and rivers.
From steroids to depression and pain medication, these drugs also end up in fish and other wildlife.
The EPA is concerned about the long term health effect on people and animals ingesting these drugs.
Additional collection sites are being added to the challenge event list every day.
More information will be released in the near future.
If you are involved in the Great Lakes Basin events or have questions, call Greg at 906-401-0109.
Update on Michigan Earth Keepers that held e-waste, pharmaceutical, and household hazardous waste collections on Earth Day over the last three years (2005-2007):
Photo (above) of 2006 Earth Keeper Clean Sweep (e-waste) collection site at Messiah Lutheran Church in Marquette, MI by John Rebers
The Michigan Earth Keeper Initiative collected over 320 tons of electronics on Earth Day 2006 and over one ton of pharmaceuticals on Earth Day 2007 thanks to nine faith communities with over 140 churches/temples and over 15,000 residents who dropped off items to be recycled or properly disposed.
Photo (above) of 2006 Earth Keeper Clean Sweep (e-waste) collection site in Iron Mountain, MI by Will Shampo
After three Earth Day clean sweeps and with grants expired, the Earth Keepers won’t hold a collection in northern Michigan this Earth Day – and will instead hold a public awareness campaign on how people and business owners can reduce power consumption and pollution.
The first clean sweep in 2005 garnered over 45 tons of household poisons, vehicle batteries, lead-based paint, liquid mercury, herbicides and pesticides
The Earth Keepers hope to resume the clean sweeps on Earth Day 2009 and are considering collecting old televisions as the high definition boom hits full stride under federal laws requiring all TV stations to broadcast in HD.
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For more information call Greg at 906-401-0109 or email the Earth Healing Initiative
More details to come daily.
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EPA Press Release on challenge:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/D48F2AD96EC624E38525740B003AEE57
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EPA’s Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge: a prescription for healthy Great Lakes
Release date: 03/13/2008
Contact Information: Phillippa Cannon 312 353-6218, cannon.phillippa@epa.gov
Chicago (March 12, 2008) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes region invites the public to join the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge to collect at least 1 million pounds of electronic waste and 1 million pills.
EPA is encouraging organizations, businesses and communities in the Great Lakes region to protect the environment by sponsoring collections of unwanted medicines and electronic waste around Earth Day, April 22.
The Great Lakes are an irreplaceable treasure.
They are the largest source of fresh drinking water on earth and are vital to commerce and recreation in the upper Midwest.
Responsible recycling and disposal of unwanted electronics and medicines will prevent contaminants from polluting the Great Lakes basin.
“Last summer, there was an outpouring of support from thousands of people in the Great Lakes area to protect this national treasure,” said EPA Great Lakes National Program Manager Mary A. Gade.
“Participating in the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge is a simple way for individuals to take action to protect the lakes. I’m asking people to clear out their desk drawers, medicine cabinets and basements and properly recycle or dispose of their old and unwanted cellphones, computers, TVs, and medicines at a local collection.”
EPA has partnered with the nonprofit group Earth 911 to launch an online clearinghouse of collection events that will be held between April 19 and 27.
As dates and locations for events are confirmed they will be added to the clearinghouse at:
http://www.earth911.org
“EPA is pleased that Earth 911 volunteered to work with us on this important project and we welcome other organizations that may wish to join us by sponsoring or publicizing collection events,” said Gade.
Participating organizations should register their events at:
http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/earthday2008
The Web site includes a “Plug-In to E-cycling” tool kit to help plan collection events.
For more information or technical assistance on planning an event, call EPA’s toll-free Earth Day Challenge Hotline at 866-575-8543.
