Earth Day 1990

Where Were You on April 22?

Members of ReMA celebrated Earth Day 1990 by offering classes and tours for school children, art exhibits and town meetings for adults, and festivals and recycling programs for everyone.

Education was the theme for Markovits & Fox, in San Jose, California. The company taught a group of students that Earth Day is every day for scrap processors and recyclers by taking them for tours through the company's facilities the week prior to April 22. According to the firm, students were surprised to see so many common items, like computer memory discs, keys, and window frames, being prepared for recycling.

When Debbie Hill, education coordinator at Steiner-Liff Iron & Metal Co., Nashville, asked 50 elementary students at the Tennessee School for the Blind if they knew about recycling, nearly every hand shot up in the air. Hill's presentation was part of Earth Week activities and an effort to increase awareness of recycling by educating the public.

The Peltz Corporation, Milwaukee, also offered educational opportunities in conjunction with Earth Day. More than 650 people attended the company's open house on April 21, which included tours of Peltz's five plants, displays illustrating the processing of common household recyclables, and gifts of recycled paper pads. Visitors also were encouraged to bring in their newspapers, aluminum, glass, and plastics--which they did in record quantities.

A 2.5-mile-long line of cars waited patiently to unload aluminum cans at Great Western Iron and Metal Co., Inc., in St. Paul, Minnesota. The company opened its doors bright and early on April 22, offering the public 50 cents per pound for aluminum cans--8 cents per pound more than its regular price. The result? So many customers turned out that the company had to send some away with rainchecks. All told, Great Western took in more than 123,000 pounds of aluminum and satisfied 1,000 customers. Minneapolis's American Iron & Supply Company took in approximately 1,700 household appliances during regular business hours on April 21. Later, the capacitors from the appliances were removed and more than 250 gallons of freon were recycled.

Other ReMA members chose a slightly different route, using their expertise to introduce their companies to the public while offering them important information about recycling. Denbo Iron & Metal Company, Inc., Decatur, Alabama, moved its Earth Day exhibit inside the viewing center at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge due to rain, but it didn't dampen the spirits of several hundred visitors, who examined different types of scrap set up in Denbo's display area and took home bumper stickers, carnations, and Earth Day posters. Bad weather also tried to get the best of Kramer Scrap, Inc., Greenfield, Massachusetts, which was among the exhibitors at an Earth Day celebration sponsored by the Northeast Utilities Northfield Mountain Recreation & Environmental Center, in Northfield, Massachusetts, on April 21.

Thirty-five members of ReMA's St. Louis Chapter volunteered to man the chapter's recycling exhibit at the Forest Park Global Fair, in St. Louis, where more than 100,000 people congregated to celebrate Earth Day. The exhibit displayed scrap processing equipment, containers, and impressive before-and-after-recycling models of automobiles. In addition, during the two-day event, the chapter gave away more than 2,000 T-shirts and posters, both graced with ReMA and Earth Day slogans. Chapter President Ben Kessler, of McKinley Iron Inc., in St. Louis, was the keynote speaker a few days later in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the Mayor's Recycling Recognition Luncheon, where he spoke about national trends in commercial waste reduction. Bob Gellman, also of McKinley Iron, was a speaker at the Governor's Development Conference in Columbia, Missouri, where he discussed recycling and its economic opportunities for development in Missouri.

Southeast Paper Manufacturing Co., in Dublin, Georgia, supplied USA Today with 100-percent recycled paper for the newspaper's special Earth Day 1990 insert. Not only was Southeast Paper able to meet the high standards set by USA Today for paper quality, but it also came away with a yearlong contract to continue supplying paper through the year. Southeast Paper also had a booth at the Dogwood Festival, in Atlanta, that coincided with Earth Day.

The folks at Annaco Inc., in Akron, Ohio, were extremely busy throughout Earth Week. To start, Morris Berzon, president, was one of 12 panelists who participated in a televised environmental town meeting on solid waste management. Bill Lowery, executive vice president, talked scrap to more than 60 garden forum members at Stan Hywett Hall. Ron Accuardi, senior trader and marketing manager, and John Vanik, nonferrous supervisor, both went back to school to talk to local third and fifth graders about recycling. Mary Ann Bash, administrative assistant, spent the entire day with 300 Girl Scouts at Portage Lakes State Park. And to top it all off, Annaco and the Akron Metro Parks serving Summit County supported the cost of printing and distributing more than 20,000 brochures proclaiming, "You can make a difference."

If there were a prize for the most artistically inspired Earth Day activity, it would probably go to the "Art of Recycling" competition sponsored by Central Metals Company, Atlanta. Central Metals donated scrap metal to students from three area universities, who created unique sculptures--some of which had environmental themes. Close to 400 art lovers attended the opening ceremonies at Trinity Gallery, including state Rep. Jim Martin and Commissioner George Berry. A $1,000 scholarship award was given to the winning student, with smaller scholarships awarded to two other winners.

Sadoff and Rudoy Industries, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, sponsored a massive environmental awareness program that brought the important message of recycling to thousands of area students at more than 50 local elementary schools. The company donated both teachers' kits--which contained lesson plans, games, and information on recycling--and student packages--which included a collection of activity books, bookmarks, door hangers, recycling certificates, posters, and stickers.

And what was the scrap industry's trade association up to? ISRI staff members manned the association's exhibit at Earthtech 90, a five-day outdoor technology fair organized by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute of the U.S. Congress. The aim of Earthtech 90 was to provide policy makers, business leaders, the public, and the media with information about the economically feasible technologies, products, and strategies that offer promise in advancing the cause of environmental protection.

Where Were You on April 22?

Members of ReMA celebrated Earth Day 1990 by offering classes and tours for school children, art exhibits and town meetings for adults, and festivals and recycling programs for everyone.

Education was the theme for Markovits & Fox, in San Jose, California. The company taught a group of students that Earth Day is every day for scrap processors and recyclers by taking them for tours through the company's facilities the week prior to April 22. According to the firm, students were surprised to see so many common items, like computer memory discs, keys, and window frames, being prepared for recycling.

When Debbie Hill, education coordinator at Steiner-Liff Iron & Metal Co., Nashville, asked 50 elementary students at the Tennessee School for the Blind if they knew about recycling, nearly every hand shot up in the air. Hill's presentation was part of Earth Week activities and an effort to increase awareness of recycling by educating the public.

The Peltz Corporation, Milwaukee, also offered educational opportunities in conjunction with Earth Day. More than 650 people attended the company's open house on April 21, which included tours of Peltz's five plants, displays illustrating the processing of common household recyclables, and gifts of recycled paper pads. Visitors also were encouraged to bring in their newspapers, aluminum, glass, and plastics--which they did in record quantities.

A 2.5-mile-long line of cars waited patiently to unload aluminum cans at Great Western Iron and Metal Co., Inc., in St. Paul, Minnesota. The company opened its doors bright and early on April 22, offering the public 50 cents per pound for aluminum cans--8 cents per pound more than its regular price. The result? So many customers turned out that the company had to send some away with rainchecks. All told, Great Western took in more than 123,000 pounds of aluminum and satisfied 1,000 customers. Minneapolis's American Iron & Supply Company took in approximately 1,700 household appliances during regular business hours on April 21. Later, the capacitors from the appliances were removed and more than 250 gallons of freon were recycled.

Other ReMA members chose a slightly different route, using their expertise to introduce their companies to the public while offering them important information about recycling. Denbo Iron & Metal Company, Inc., Decatur, Alabama, moved its Earth Day exhibit inside the viewing center at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge due to rain, but it didn't dampen the spirits of several hundred visitors, who examined different types of scrap set up in Denbo's display area and took home bumper stickers, carnations, and Earth Day posters. Bad weather also tried to get the best of Kramer Scrap, Inc., Greenfield, Massachusetts, which was among the exhibitors at an Earth Day celebration sponsored by the Northeast Utilities Northfield Mountain Recreation & Environmental Center, in Northfield, Massachusetts, on April 21.

Thirty-five members of ReMA's St. Louis Chapter volunteered to man the chapter's recycling exhibit at the Forest Park Global Fair, in St. Louis, where more than 100,000 people congregated to celebrate Earth Day. The exhibit displayed scrap processing equipment, containers, and impressive before-and-after-recycling models of automobiles. In addition, during the two-day event, the chapter gave away more than 2,000 T-shirts and posters, both graced with ReMA and Earth Day slogans. Chapter President Ben Kessler, of McKinley Iron Inc., in St. Louis, was the keynote speaker a few days later in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the Mayor's Recycling Recognition Luncheon, where he spoke about national trends in commercial waste reduction. Bob Gellman, also of McKinley Iron, was a speaker at the Governor's Development Conference in Columbia, Missouri, where he discussed recycling and its economic opportunities for development in Missouri.

Southeast Paper Manufacturing Co., in Dublin, Georgia, supplied USA Today with 100-percent recycled paper for the newspaper's special Earth Day 1990 insert. Not only was Southeast Paper able to meet the high standards set by USA Today for paper quality, but it also came away with a yearlong contract to continue supplying paper through the year. Southeast Paper also had a booth at the Dogwood Festival, in Atlanta, that coincided with Earth Day.

The folks at Annaco Inc., in Akron, Ohio, were extremely busy throughout Earth Week. To start, Morris Berzon, president, was one of 12 panelists who participated in a televised environmental town meeting on solid waste management. Bill Lowery, executive vice president, talked scrap to more than 60 garden forum members at Stan Hywett Hall. Ron Accuardi, senior trader and marketing manager, and John Vanik, nonferrous supervisor, both went back to school to talk to local third and fifth graders about recycling. Mary Ann Bash, administrative assistant, spent the entire day with 300 Girl Scouts at Portage Lakes State Park. And to top it all off, Annaco and the Akron Metro Parks serving Summit County supported the cost of printing and distributing more than 20,000 brochures proclaiming, "You can make a difference."

If there were a prize for the most artistically inspired Earth Day activity, it would probably go to the "Art of Recycling" competition sponsored by Central Metals Company, Atlanta. Central Metals donated scrap metal to students from three area universities, who created unique sculptures--some of which had environmental themes. Close to 400 art lovers attended the opening ceremonies at Trinity Gallery, including state Rep. Jim Martin and Commissioner George Berry. A $1,000 scholarship award was given to the winning student, with smaller scholarships awarded to two other winners.

Sadoff and Rudoy Industries, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, sponsored a massive environmental awareness program that brought the important message of recycling to thousands of area students at more than 50 local elementary schools. The company donated both teachers' kits--which contained lesson plans, games, and information on recycling--and student packages--which included a collection of activity books, bookmarks, door hangers, recycling certificates, posters, and stickers.

And what was the scrap industry's trade association up to? ISRI staff members manned the association's exhibit at Earthtech 90, a five-day outdoor technology fair organized by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute of the U.S. Congress. The aim of Earthtech 90 was to provide policy makers, business leaders, the public, and the media with information about the economically feasible technologies, products, and strategies that offer promise in advancing the cause of environmental protection.