EPA's Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge: A Prescription for Healthy Great Lakes

EPA's Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge: A Prescription for Healthy Great
Lakes

CHICAGO, March 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Great Lakes region invites the public to join the Great Lakes 2008
Earth Day Challenge to collect at least 1 million pounds of electronic waste
and 1 million pills. EPA is encouraging organizations, businesses and
communities in the Great Lakes region to protect the environment by sponsoring
collections of unwanted medicines and electronic waste around Earth Day, April
22.

The Great Lakes are an irreplaceable treasure. They are the largest source of
fresh drinking water on earth and are vital to commerce and recreation in the
upper Midwest. Responsible recycling and disposal of unwanted electronics
and medicines will prevent contaminants from polluting the Great Lakes basin.

"Last summer, there was an outpouring of support from thousands of people in
the Great Lakes area to protect this national treasure," said EPA Great Lakes
National Program Manager Mary A. Gade. "Participating in the Great Lakes 2008
Earth Day Challenge is a simple way for individuals to take action to protect
the lakes. I'm asking people to clear out their desk drawers, medicine
cabinets and basements and properly recycle or dispose of their old and
unwanted cellphones, computers, TVs, and medicines at a local collection."

EPA has partnered with the nonprofit group Earth 911 to launch an online
clearinghouse of collection events that will be held between April 19 and 27.
As dates and locations for events are confirmed they will be added to the
clearinghouse at www.earth911.org.

"EPA is pleased that Earth 911 volunteered to work with us on this important
project and we welcome other organizations that may wish to join us by
sponsoring or publicizing collection events," said Gade.

Participating organizations should register their events here.
The Web site includes a "Plug-In to E-cycling" tool kit to help plan
collection events.

For more information or technical assistance on planning an event, call EPA's
toll-free Earth Day Challenge Hotline at 866-575-8543.

SOURCE U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Phillippa Cannon of EPA, +1-312-353-6218, cannon.phillippa@epa.gov