March 2024 Newsletter
In this edition of MCEA’s Environmental Monitor:
- Celebrate five decades of the MCEA connection
- Take Action for better e-waste recycling
- Find out how many hands make light work
- Get the recording of our latest webinar and stay up to date on our legislative work
- Catch up on big updates from our Water Program
- Bolster our stand against new fossil fuel infrastructure investments
- Trivia: How much money does our state lose trashing e-waste?
- Save the date for our annual fall event
Fifty years of people’s passion for protecting Minnesota’s environment has made MCEA what it is today. That’s the MCEA connection. It’s rippled out from our organization as people shift into new roles, carrying their commitment to the environment with them.
As our 2018 law clerk Allie Jo Mitchell says, “I’m really proud of the work we did during my time at MCEA to advance justice and equity, and to fight back against environmental degradation, climate change, and short-sighted policies.” She went on to work with one of our many partners, the Fond du Lac Band of Chippewa Superior, as a staff attorney. It is amazing to trace all the ways that people who have been involved with MCEA help shape our state’s environmental future. That’s the MCEA connection.
We’ve spent the past 50 years using law and science to protect the environment - and our commitment to the next 50 is just as unwavering. This is our True North. We’re proud of everyone who has played a part at MCEA over these decades and the way they carry this True North with them. That’s the MCEA connection.
On May 7th, we’re celebrating our Alums. If you’re a former staff person, board member, law clerk, or fellow please reach out to Drew Anderson at danderson@mncenter.org to RSVP.
And, of course, none of this would be possible without our supporters. Sign up as a True North Defender today and get a free, limited-edition MCEA 50th anniversary sticker.
Get your MCEA 50th anniversary sticker!
Did you know three-quarters of the electronic waste in Minnesota goes into a landfill or incinerator? Just 23.4% of the 266 million pounds of electronic waste generated every year gets recycled - electronics filled with metals we could use to build the clean energy infrastructure we need.
Minnesota’s current electronics recycling law was passed in 2007 and relies on antiquated definitions. In Minnesota, VCRs and fax machines are covered electronic devices, but many newer devices containing batteries or with wall plugs aren’t included.
We hope you’ll join MCEA in supporting this legislation. Emailing your legislators only takes a minute, and we made it easy.
People who make regular, recurring donations to MCEA are called Sustainers. Their steady support helps MCEA remain nimble whether threats emerge, opportunities arise, or adversaries pivot.
Most of our Sustainers make commitments of under $100 per month, making this a great way to engage folks who are young or newer to environmental action. And even if a monthly donation is smaller, the impact quickly adds up – in just the past three years, MCEA has received over $235,000 via monthly giving.
If you would like to join the hundreds of Sustainers who have made a monthly commitment to a better environmental future, it’s as simple as checking the monthly box on our safe donation page. Thanks for your support!
Photo left: Rise and Repair rally. Photo right: Rep Frank Hornstein, Rep Athena Hollins, Juve Meza, and Aaron Klemz at Zero Waste lobby day
Thank you to everyone who came to our webinar “Climate Justice and Indigenous Rights at the 2024 Minnesota Legislature.” It was a great conversation between MCEA’s Chief Strategy Officer Aaron Klemz and Juve Meza of Rise and Repair. If you missed it, don’t worry, you can watch the recording.
Aaron and Juve are both busy at the legislature working to advocate that bills move forward to become strong laws that protect our collective environment and health. They ran into each other at the Zero Waste lobbying day and at the Rise and Repair rally, where dozens of people showed up to make their voices heard.
Want to stay up-to-date with everything MCEA is working on this session? Check out our Bill Tracker.
From a town hall event in Mankato to pushing for a robust state government response to nitrate contamination in SE Minnesota, MCEA’s Water Program team has been hard at work. This month we got good news about Limbo Creek, the last free flowing stream in Renville county, and testified in both the House and Senate for a bill to protect public waters statewide.
All these exciting updates are too much to fit in one newsletter, so check out this blog post to get all the details.
Since 2017, MCEA has worked to stop NTEC - the Nemadji Trail Energy Center - a proposed fracked gas power plant that would operate in Superior, Wisconsin. More than 800 supporters have contacted the federal government to demand they deny millions of dollars in loans to build this facility.
This plant wouldn’t just impact Wisconsin - Minnesota electrical customers in three areas of the state would also buy energy from this facility, going directly against our goal of 100% carbon free electricity by 2040.
An investment in fossil fuel infrastructure is a disinvestment in our future - one none of us can afford. In 2023, 96% of new electrical capacity installed in the U.S. was carbon-free. NTEC is a step backwards from the clean energy transition we need to address the climate crisis.
Our Healthy Communities Program Director Evan Mulholland was quoted in a recent Minnesota Public Radio article saying, “When you look at how the climate crisis is accelerating, we think that spending a billion dollars of ratepayer money on a fossil fuel generator that’s slated to run for 40 years is just the wrong path.”
If you’ve taken our action, thank you. We ask you to please forward this newsletter to your network. Opposition is growing and all of our voices are crucial to create a safer climate.
According to a study published in 2023, what is the annual value of the metals thrown away in Minnesota’s electronic waste?
A) 1.3 million dollars
B) 5.5 million dollars
C) 1 billion dollars
D) 2 billion dollars
