VIRGINIA — Organizers said Earth Fest’s focus this year emphasizes caring for the earth is really about our kids.
"What do we need to do in order to leave the Iron Range in better shape than we found it? How can we meet our needs without compromising our grandchildren’s ability to meet theirs?"
These are the questions the event seeks to answer. Marlise Riffel, a retired sociology instructor and board member of Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability, emphasized the impact on future generations when showcasing the event during the Thursday, April 13, Morning Show. Earth Fest Iron Range 21023 includes children’s activities, a local marketplace, exhibits, speakers, live music and food.
This year’s event features keynote speaker Danielle Hefferan from Climate Generation addressing how to talk to children about climate change. Each of the 17 exhibitors will feature children’s activities at their booths along with crafts and games throughout the venue. KAXE is a co-sponsor of the event.
Thursday Morning Show co-host Kari Hedlund said she struggles with talking with her kids about climate change.
“It's like you don't want to create more anxieties or feed anxieties, but you also want there to be a real conversation around what is reality,” she said.
Hedlund described her kids as curious and nature lovers, and navigating conversations about the future is complex. Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability has a section of its website dedicated to talking with children about climate change.
Riffel also covered a presentation at Saturday’s free event concerning a pilot study she’s been part of, which examines the potential of e-waste recycling on the Iron Range. E-waste includes unwanted or non-working items like phones, computers, copiers, fax machines and more. Precious metals recovered from these devices are in high demand and necessary in battery production.
“There’s tremendous potential there. And it’s a really systemic kind of change,” Riffel said. “Minnesota does not do extremely well at recycling e-waste at this point.”
E-waste recycling will be available outside the Iron Trail Motors Event Center the same day as the event for laptop and desktop computers, as well as televisions under 19 inches. The items accepted mirror what can be recycled at the St. Louis County Landfill, Riffel said.
“It's like you don't want to create more anxieties our feed anxieties, but you also want there to be a real conversation around what is reality.”Kari Hedlund
“We hope to expand that,” she said. “There is a group working on legislation to really overhaul Minnesota’s laws related to recycling.
“The European Union is about six to seven years ahead of us. Switzerland for example, recycles 95% of its e-waste. Ours goes into landfills and leaches toxic stuff.”
A repair café will be a part of the Saturday event as well. Repair cafés began in Amsterdam, according to Riffel, teaching anything from how to get a battery out of a phone to repairing a hole in a sock.
Other topics at Earth Fest in 2023 include increasing access to fresh food and a crowdsourced quilt project responding to climate through storytelling.
