RECYCLING ADVOCATE TO SPEAK ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND DUPAGE ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMIT AT JANUARY 11^TH MEETING

Over the last thirty years, recycling efforts in the United States have moved from being a marginally profitable feel-good activity to a very profitable industry that has become a significant part of the nation’s economy.

The National Recycling Coalition reports that the recycling industry has more than 56,000 public and private sector facilities that employ over 200,000 individuals and results in close to 236 billion dollars in gross annual sales.

The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has estimated that the amount of lost energy from throwing away aluminum and steel cans, PET and glass containers, newsprint and corrugated packaging is equivalent to the annual output of 15 medium-sized coal power plants

On Thursday, January 11^th, the DuPage Democratic Club welcomes Kay McKeen, Executive Director of SCARCE (School and Community Assistance for Recycling & Composting Education) as our guest speaker. Kay McKeen is an environmental educator and a leading advocate for recycling within DuPage County. Our meeting, which will start at 7:30 PM with a time for socializing and refreshment, will be held at the Lombard Commons, 433 E. St. Charles Road, Lombard. Presentation by our guest speaker will start immediately after the election of Club officers for 2007.

Ms. McKeen will also talk about her participation as a panelist at the 4^th Annual DuPage County Environmental Summit, which will take place on January 10^th at Benedictine University . The Summit will bring together citizens, community and business leaders, elected officials, scientists, architects, engineers, students, and health professionals. Participants in this years Summit will discuss How to Save on Energy Costs and Help the Environment, to learn how to save money for both business and personal life, while helping to keep our lives healthier. Professional speakers will discuss green buildings & roofs, solar energy, and future automobile fuels; how to integrate energy conservation and sustainable design into new construction; and how to retrofit energy conservation into existing buildings. Topic-related exhibits will be open before and after speaker presentations (SCARCE will bring their energy bike exhibit along with their watershed and groundwater flow models).

SCARCE is dedicated to teaching people how the earth's natural resources are used in everyday life. Educating people inspires them to preserve these resources and care for the earth. People learn that their actions make a difference!

SCARCE is dedicated to educating students, teachers, residents, businesses, and the general public to conserve natural resources and energy, prevent pollution, reduce waste, recycle, and compost organic materials, so that together we can make a difference; we can protect the environment and work toward a sustainable future for our community.

Through that endeavor, SCARCE has established the Book Rescue Center and the Tools For Schools programs to rescue books and other educationally related materials and provide them to those in need.

Kay McKeen, started SCARCE (used to be called SCRAP) in 1990 and she began teaching in DuPage County Schools about recycling and other environmental issues and concerns. Kay was out teaching when she realized that many schools had countless textbooks just sitting in storage, taking up space. All the while, the information was becoming obsolete, it was costing the schools money for the books to sit in storage and they were going to end up in the landfill! Therefore, in 1991 she started the Book Rescue with the idea of "rescuing" gently used books (text, reference and library) from going in the landfill, and instead putting them into the hands of those who need them.

SCARCE, which has its offices in Glen Ellyn, is funded in part by DuPage County and by private donations.

All DuPage Democratic Club meetings are open to the general public. We welcome and encourage attendance by individuals of all political views and affiliations.  

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