Tours and Presentations
October 2011
The following is a list of tours and presenters you can use when planning events for your
Community POWER project. Availability and details may change, so be sure to confirm
the details directly with the person or location listed. Not all resources focus exclusively
on waste or toxicity reduction; be sure to communicate the type of information you want
presented or emphasized (based on the goals of your project) when making
arrangements.
Tours
BFI Pine Bend Landfill and Recyclery (TOUR)
2795 East 117th Street
Inver Grove Heights, MN
Contact: Jeff Brown at 651-457-2778
Fee: None
Asset Recovery Electronics Recycling (TOUR)
Asset Recovery Corporation (ARC) is a for-profit company that recycles computers and
other electronics. ARC offers tours to groups of 15 or less. If the tour includes children,
one parent must accompany every 15 children. If it is a group larger than 15, tours will
be scheduled one after the other. The tour consists of learning about all the stages of
electronics recycling and how each part gets reused.
Contact: Ryan Laber rlaber@assetrecoverycorp.com
2299 Territorial Road, St. Paul, MN, 651-602-0789
http://www.assetrecoverycorp.com/
The Raptor Center (TOUR)
Visit the Raptor Center at the U of M to view and learn about raptors (such as eagles,
hawks, and owls) and how to protect raptors and the world we share. Request the “Think
Globally – Act Locally” program which includes information on waste and toxicity
reduction.
Contact: Education Department (612) 624-2756 or raptored@umn.edu.
Fee: $5 per child or senior, $7.50 per adult.
Resource Recovery Technologies (RRT) Empire Processing Facility (TOUR)
Tour a local facility that processes source-separated organics and yard waste into
compost.
16454 Blaine Ave., Rosemount, MN 55068
Contact: 952-946-6999 or www.rrtmn.com
Fee: None
Waste Management Material Recovery Facility (MRF) (TOUR)
1800 Broadway St. NE, Minneapolis
Tour a local facility where single stream recycling is sorted and prepared for the market.
Will provide tours on a case-by-case basis for those 18 and older, but may consider a
slightly younger group depending on how many and the number of adults attending.
Contact: Mike Lunow 612-379-1360, ext. 20
Fee: None
Performances
CLIMB Theatre (PERFORMANCE)
CLIMB Theatre teaches young people the principles of the 3R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle)
and to respect their environment through a selection of environmentally-themed plays
for grades K-5.
Contact: Zac Lagen, 651-453-9275 ext. 18, zac@climb.org
www.climb.org
Fee: Varies
Kidpower with Rachael (PERFORMANCE)
Rachael performs with interactive music, comedy and juggling focusing on multiple
issues - waste reduction, composting, recycling, respecting the earth.
Contact: Rachael Kroog, 952 835-6562 or rachaelkroog@earthlink.net
www.kidpowerwithrachael.com
Fee: 45 minutes performance for 250-300 students
$300 for first program and $150 for second program on same day.
The Raptor Center (PERFORMANCE)
The Raptor Center will come to your event or school and bring live raptors (such as
eagles, hawks, owls) and talk about protecting raptors and the environment we share.
The Raptor Center received a Community POWER grant in 2006 and will include waste
and toxicity reduction information in their presentation as requested.
Contact: Education Department (612) 624-2756 or raptored@umn.edu.
Fee: $250 or more, depending on length of program.
Tricia and the Toonies (PERFORMANCE)
Tricia & The Toonies perform in schools and communities with themes focusing on
reducing, reusing, recycling, pollution prevention, natural resource conservation and
more. Offering music, puppets and skits.
Contact: Tricia Haynes 952-933-3438, Cell: 612-327-3400, tricia@thetoonies.com
Fee: $750 for 45 min. performance (scholarship info on their website).
Workshops
ArtStart and ArtScraps (WORKSHOP)
Bring your class or group to ArtScraps in St. Paul for sixty minutes of art making. Artists
are on hand to help groups create an art project using scrap materials and other art
materials provided by ArtScraps.
Contact: 651-698-ARTS, http://www.artstart.org/
Fee: $6.00 per child and $10 per adult
Eco Education (WORKSHOP)
Eco Education’s programs are designed to help young people understand, appreciate,
and think critically about the world around them with an ecological focus. Eco Education
has a variety of program offerings for schools with particular emphasis on 5th-12th
grades in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
Contact: 651-222-7691
http://www.ecoeducation.org/programs/programs.asp
Fee: Varies depending on programs
Eureka Recycling (WORKSHOPS & MATERIALS)
Eureka Recycling is a local non-profit waste reduction organization who’s mission is to
demonstrate that waste is completely preventable! Their work covers a wide range of
waste reduction strategies that may help support your grant work, such as
 Promoting reuse through the Twin Cities Free Market
 Factsheets on how to backyard or worm bin compost
 Workshop on how to backyard or worm bin compost
 A full report on the environmental benefits of recycling and composting in
connection to climate change
 Specific recycling information for Saint Paul, Roseville, Maplewood, Lauderdale, St.
Louis Park, Arden Hill, White Bear Lake, Lakeland and Lakeland Shores (including
fliers in Spanish, Hmong and Somali)
 Recycled paper co-op - bulk orders twice a year of 100% post-consumer recycled
paper
Website www.makedirtnotwaste.org is a comprehensive resource on composting
activities in the Twin Cities, at restaurants, co-ops, farmer’s markets, and at home
Zero waste event services and recommendations for zero-waste caterers.
Contact: 651-222-7678, www.eurekarecycling.org/,
Fee: Varies
Prairie Ecology Bus Center (WORKSHOP)
The Prairie Ecology Bus offers a program called “The 3-R Challenge” or “Trash to
Treasure.” Grades 3-5.
Contact: Chrystal Dunker, 507-662-5064 ecologybus@ecologybus.org
http://www.ecologybus.org/
Fee: Some fees may be required
Preventing Harm Minnesota (WORKSHOP)
Preventing Harm Minnesota offers presentations that link our health with toxicity and
waste reduction, and lead workshops on making non-toxic home cleaning products.
Contact: Julia Earl, 651-698-0513 or healthykidsmn@gmail.com
http://www.preventingharmminnesota.org/
Fee: Some fees may be required for non-toxic cleaning materials.
Protecting Children’s Health (WORKSHOP)
This talk will address the basics of children's environmental health and simple steps to
protect children from environmental health risks at home and at school, including
discussion of healthy food, non-toxic cleaning, non-toxic pest management, indoor air
quality and safe shopping.
Contact: Janelle Sorensen, Outreach Coordinator for BE SAFE MN, 612-722-5355 or
Janelle@Earthology.net.
Other
MN Pollution Control Agency’s Learning Resource Center & Library (MATERIALS &
INFORMATION)
The PCA provides information and assistance on waste reduction issues, hazardous
waste, composting, junk mail, etc. Callers and visitors can have questions answered or
obtain research help, get appropriate printed or audio-visual materials, and receive
timely referrals for additional information. The clearinghouse has a library of more than
400 video titles on a wide variety of environmental topics. Videos can be borrowed for a
two-week loan at no charge. (The borrower does pay for return shipping.)
Contact: 651-215-0232
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) 520 Lafayette Road N
St. Paul, MN 55155, http://www.pca.state.mn.us/, http://www.reduce.org/
Minnesota Waste Wise (RECYLING/WASTE AUDITS)
Minnesota Waste Wise is a part of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. It offers free
memberships to schools that are paid for by business sponsors to start up a recycling or
compost program. They also offer $200 annual memberships which include a waste audit
and recycling/waste reduction technical assistance.
Contact: Mercede Urban, 651-292-4662 or murban@mnchamber.org
http://www.mnchamber.com/about/wise_waste.cfm
Events
Eco Experience – 2012 Minnesota State Fair
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/ecoexperience/index.html
Come visit the Rethink Recycling exhibit, Trash Mountain, at the 2010 Eco Experience
building located in the Progress Center Building on the fairgrounds (corner of Cosgrove
and Randall). Other notable attractions include an eco-friendly house, outdoor rain
garden, climate change and energy conservation information, kid’s activities, and a
sustainability stage.
Do It Green! Gifts Fair –November 19, 2011 http://www.doitgreen.org/gifts-fair
Offering “green”/recycled gifts and workshops on reducing waste for the holidays.
Contact: If you are interested in participating in the 2010 Green Gifts Fair, please
contact Heidi at heidi@doitgreen.org or call 763-221-8222
Living Green Expo – May 5-6, 2012, http://www.livinggreenexpo.mn/the-expo/
Expo with vendors offering “green’’/sustainable products and a series of speakers and
workshops on many environmental issues. Make sure to stop by the Rethink Recycling
booth.