Zaagkii Project

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.

The Earth Healing Initiative has produced numerous videos about the projects connected to the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge that are 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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Related websites:
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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
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RSVP:
http://www.wupdhd.org/rsvp/index.html
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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
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EPA Region 5 Office in Chicago, Illinois
http://www.epa.gov/region5
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Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org

906-401-0109
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Cedar Tree Institute
http://www.CedarTreeInstitute.org
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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

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
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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.

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.

The EHI is creating dozens of videos on the projects connected to the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge that are 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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Related Links & Information:
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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
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EPA - Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs)
http://www.epa.gov/ppcp
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EPA Region 5 Office in Chicago, Illinois
http://www.epa.gov/region5
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Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org

906-401-0109
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Cedar Tree Institute
http://www.CedarTreeInstitute.org
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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
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Kalamazoo Downtown Central City website:
http://www.central-city.net
http://www.central-city.net/festivalsite?mth=festivalsite&subc=festplanning
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Kalamazoo Wikimedia:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Kalamazoo%2C_Michigan
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Kalamazoo.jpg
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Kalamazoo River:
www.kalamazooriver.net
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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
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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
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Kalamazoo County Environmental Health Bureau
3299 Gull Road
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49048
269-373-5210
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