Come to one of the nation’s largest Cinco de Mayo festivals this Saturday, May 3, 2008 and learn about Latino culture, eat great food, and learn how you can recycle more! Recycle MORE Minnesota campaign, a joint effort of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the Recycling Association of Minnesota (RAM), will host a recycling education booth for children and families, showcasing the new Ford F-150 E85 truck with the Greenguardian in the festival’s parade and giving out free eco-gifts!
We are also helping the Cinco de Mayo organizers recycle for the first time in the festival’s history! Look for the Recycle MORE Minnesota bins when you need to toss that beverage container. This fiesta is greener than ever!
Recycle MORE Minnesota is a multi-year agency campaign designed to increase recycling throughout the state. The campaign supports the agency’s strategic plan goal of increasing our statewide recycling rate to 50% by 2011 (currently at 41%).
With an estimated 1.3 million tons of recyclable materials disposed of each year in Minnesota, finding ways to motivate the people and businesses of Minnesota to recycle more is important for our economy, environment, and energy needs. Unrecycled material has a significant impact on energy use, greenhouse gas production, and our economy. In fact, by reaching our 50% recycling rate goal, we will save 19 trillion BTU’s of energy (equivalent to energy use of 163,000 homes), more than 3 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent (equal to taking more than 400,000 cars off the road), and will add $223 million dollars to Minnesota’s economy. The recent MCCAG report specifically cited this campaign as an important means to achieve Minnesota’s climate change goals.
To successfully reach this ambitious goal, the Recycle MORE Minnesota campaign will first target residents with messages about why recycling is important for everyone in Minnesota. Though many people recycle in Minnesota, our rates have not increased significantly over the past 10 years and many people do not fully understand the true benefits of recycling. Through a targeted media campaign at the local level supported by state radio, movie theater, and print advertising, our goal is to increase people’s recycling knowledge and participation. Other phases of the campaign will follow including away-from-home recycling (currently under way), commercial, and schools/public entities.
The Recycle MORE campaign is advised by a diverse stakeholder group consisting of representatives from industry, local governments (both the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) and greater Minnesota counties), and State Representative Paul Gardner. The group meets regularly as we reach milestones in our work plan, and communicates via email as needed.
For more information about the Recycle MORE Minnesota Campaign, contact Mark Rust (651-215-0198), Tina Patton (651-215-0214), or Wayne Gjerde (651-215-0270), or visit recyclemoreminnesota.org.