In July, I jumped at the opportunity arranged by the First Universalist Environmental Justice Team for a free tour of a recycling facility and an organics facility, thanks to a grant from Hennepin County which paid for the bus. Because I live near Shakopee, teach 8th grade Earth science, want to have a better understanding of what we are doing in our area to help the Earth, and can get very confused when I need to throw something away... I knew this was the perfect summer field trip for me.

The first stop was the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) Organics Recycling Facility. This site takes in organic material and creates a high-quality compost, compost blend and/or mulch. The day we arrived we saw separated piles of municipal yard waste and source-separated organics (food waste). The process, explained by two women at the facility, starts with the right "compost recipe" and placing the material into windrows, long piles about 10 ft. high and 10 ft. wide. Microbes go to work breaking down the material. The staff monitor and maintain just the right amount of moisture, oxygen and range in temperature to create the perfect environment. Huge windrow turner tractors turn the rows, over a three-month period, until the compost becomes a rich soil amendment. The facility is part of the vision of the SMSC of being good stewards of the Earth.

Our second stop was down the road a few miles to Dem-con, a waste and recycling facility. We visited the recycling sorting center, also known as a materials recovery center, to see how huge amounts of mixed recyclables get sorted. Jenny Potter led the tour through the entire operation explaining each separating station. The materials start at the tipping floor and are loaded onto a conveyor belt. Human sorters, gravity and various types of technology are used to separate the fibers (paper/cardboard), plastic, glass, and metals. Optical lasers with infrared sorters identify and separate various types of plastics. People working in between the various stations sort materials while the conveyor belt is moving material quickly in front of their eyes. 

I have a much better understanding of what I can recycle now. We were disappointed to see the amount of non-recyclable material workers were pulling out from the conveyor belt. Everyone who recycles should go on this tour!  After seeing both sites and enjoying the conversation and insights on the bus ride back to church, I can see how large-scale composting and figuring out more ways of using the recycled material is becoming a driving force for job creation and new products. Thanks to Kira Berglund for organizing the tours!

First Universalist has three Habitat for Humanity work days coming up this fall, and we'd love to have you on the crew! 

Thursday, Oct. 10 - Richfield

Thursday, Nov. 14 - Bloomington

Thursday, Dec. 12 - Minneapolis

Sign up here. 

Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age, and 16- and 17-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult. The work day is  from 8:15 a.m. until 4 p.m. , and lunch will be provided. 

For more information, contact Ingrid Young at ingrina99@yahoo.com.

Submitted by Hal Schroer

Over the past year, we've been inspired by documentaries of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Fred Rogers, and Ruth Westheimer. On a local scale, powerful stories of our seniors can be found in a binder on a podium in the church library. The following excerpts from just three of these stories are compelling examples.  You're encouraged to stop by the library and read through stories of our seniors! 

If you correctly identify the three individuals below and send their names to halschroer@gmail.com by Sept. 15, you'll be entered into a drawing for coffee with the person of your choice. Note: the photos at right may not include the individuals featured in these stories.

Person #1:  This woman is the editor of the ground-breaking collection of gay and lesbian short stories, AM I BLUE? COMING OUT FROM THE SILENCE, published in 1992. For much of her early career she needed to hide her sexual identity as the work of children's writers, who were known to be gay or lesbian, was routinely banned.   However, she says, "One day, I found myself staring at a startling truth. I had a reputation as a writer for truth telling. I'd taken on topics few other children's writers had touched, alcoholism, mental illness, sexual abuse in the name of Jesus! And yet on a topic so central to my own life, I was staying dishonestly, silently safe. I decided I couldn't live and work that way."   And so, she went to some of the most highly regarded writers for young adults in the field and asked them for a short story with a gay or lesbian character. "I wanted," she says, "to gather a collection so powerful that libraries would feel obligated to put it on their shelves. And it worked!" Beyond editing and contributing to AM I BLUE? she came out in her bio. At the time, her editors weren't happy with her choice, but she has never regretted doing so.

Person #2:  In 1965, a professor from the University of Minnesota arranged for a busload of students to travel and participate in the Civil Rights march from Selma to Montgomery. This professor had a personal connection with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and volunteered this young man to set up the sound system for MLK's speech at the conclusion of the march.  In 2015, this man returned to Selma to participate in the 50-year remembrance of this historical event.

Person #3: This woman began as a stay-at-home mom and had four young children by the age of 23. Beginning in 1972 while at home with the children, she began working on several political campaigns starting with her brother-in-law's successful campaign for the Minneapolis City Council. After attending a course on Women's Empowerment, "Changing Horizons" at Normandale, taught by our own Mary Djerf; she gained the confidence to pursue a professional career and become the first person in her family to earn a college degree at the age of 41.  Grounded by her experience in managing other's campaigns, she ran for, and won, a seat on the Minneapolis City Council in 1985, where she served for eight years.