Elinor Jackson provided this week's "Member Minute". Elinor also recently gave a new member presentation in which she covered some of her very interesting background. She has lived and worked internationally, but now resides in Shoreview after "unretiring" several times. She is currently Administrator of the MN Hospice Association. Elinor is thrilled to have had her 22 year-old daughter living with her during the Pandemic and has stayed busy tackling many projects around her home during this time.
Diana Dalsin from Bridging also joined our meeting. Diana spoke to our club's recent project to compile cleaning kits and laundry soap for Bridging clients. This was a first for the organization and it was a resounding success - very much appreciated by their clients.
Katrina Lund and Joanna Stone, directors of Community Engagement and Customer Relations respectively for Eureka Recycling then provided today's program. We learned that Eureka is a not-for-profit organization - a rarity in the world of recycling. They are the only such organization in Minnesota and one of only four in the country. They began operations, appropriately, on Earth Day in 2003. Eureka promotes zero waste and sells recycled materials to organizations that then turn the materials into new products. Their collection employees are unionized and have benefits, a rarity in the business. As a result their employee retention stats are impressive. Typical employee tenure is 6 years, compared to 3-4 months for their competitors. Eureka processes 400 tons of recycling every day in the Twin Cities. There were many questions from members, a clear indication of the interest in this topic. Personally, I learned a lot - including about a number of items I did not realize I could be recycling, rather than throwing - happy news!