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About this episode

View of Erie, Pennsylvania from Presque Isle Photo by Pat Noble, WikiProject Erie--- Pennsylvania Sea Grant Keep Unwanted Medicine out of Lake Erie Medicine Collection Day in Erie, Pennsylvania on April 26, 2008All medicine collection photos in this story are by Anna McCartney, Erie Times-News in Education--- Erie, Pennsylvania residents turn in about 600 pounds worth of medicine and personal care products, over 73,000 pills at the April 2008 Sea Grant Pharmaceutical collection during EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge(Erie, Pennsylvania) - And bring them they did, after the press conference Erie, Pennsylvania area residents dropped off about 600 pounds worth of medicine and personal care products on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at the Cruise Boat Terminal Building during the Pennsylvania Sea Grant pharmaceutical collection.Located behind the Memorial Library named for Dr. Raymond Blasco in Erie, Pennsylvania, the collection brought in over 73,000 pills and a large amount of controlled substances like narcotic pain medication, according to Sara Grisè, Pennsylvania Sea Grant coastal outreach specialist.-------Keep Unwanted Medicine out of Lake Erie Medicine Collection results:87 participantsCollected 120 gallons of materials5 of the 120 gallons were controlled substancesAbout 600 pounds worth of medicine and personal care productsControlled category II:1,031 pills130 milliliters of liquidsControlled category III, IV, V:1,397 pills1,180 milliliters of liquidsControlled Unidentified:1,410 pills102 milliliters of liquids4 pieces of gum6 towelettes---Controlled total: 3,839 pillsNon-Controlled total: 69,232 pills Personal Care products: 384-------The Keep Unwanted Medicine out of Lake Erie Medicine Collection Day was held as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.The challenge involved over 100 pharmaceutical and electronic waste collections in hundreds of communities across eight states in the Great Lakes Basin. Ohio EPA Map of polluted Lake Erie in 1970sAcross America, the reputation of Lake Erie - especially in the 1960s and 1970s - was that of an extremely polluted and even dead lake.By all accounts, residents and officials have done a great job restoring Lake Erie - where fishing, boating and swimming are popular.Lake Erie photo (above) courtesy Jim’s Photos UnixdoctorView of Lake Erie from Cranch Park in Erie, PA Photo by Pat Noble, WikiProject ErieEPA Graphic--- The EPA Lake Erie Lakewide Management Plan has been a big force in the recovery of Lake Erie.EPA/Bay City Times/Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab Photo--- In recent years, officials have been fighting the Zebra Muscle problem in Lake Erie. It's been a love/hate relationship as the muscles have done good and bad things to the lake.One goal of the pharmaceutical collection was to prevent medicine s from being discharged into Lake Erie and to make sure the drugs don’t end up in other surrounding lakes and streams.Goal of medicine collection is to protect rivers, lakes and streams like Cascade Creek in Erie, PA Photo by Pat Noble, WikiProject Erie--- Many wastewater treatment plants around the world are not designed to remove the cocktail of chemicals after the drugs are flushed or dumped down the drain - and the drugs can leach out of landfills into the groundwater.Pictured above are Erie Police Dept. officers who are required by law at collections of controlled substancesStudents and pharmacists from the LECOM School of Pharmacy counted and sorted drugs during the medicine collection--- Some of the unsung heros at pharmaceuticals collections are the police and pharmacists - without whom the collections would not be possible.At all locations, including Erie, Law enforcement and pharmacists were on hand to accept the pharmaceuticals.Based on experience, organizers discovered the turnout was bigger when residents don’t have to preregister.Of the 87 residents participating in the collection, 61 did not preregister. Sara Grisè, Pennsylvania Sea Grant coastal outreach specialist (pictured above on the right; and Marti Martz, also a Pennsylvania Sea Grant coastal outreach specialist, and many others worked hard to make the collection a success.Over 70,000 pills were turned as Erie, PA area residents showed their love for Lake Erie by participating in the Keep Unwanted Medicine out of Lake Erie Medicine Collection Day---And similar to the other collections, most Erie participants were older adults as 89 percent were over the age of 46.Assisting in the proper disposal of the medicines was ECS & R - Environmental Coordination Services and Recycling in Cochranton, Pennsylvania.Medicine Collection Sponsors: The organizers of the Erie collection included Pennsylvania Sea Grant, the City of Erie, Lake Erie-Allegheny Earth Force, LECOM school of Pharmacy, and Erie Times-News in Education.Organizers partnered with the WJET-TV Channel 24 Erie Green Campaign.And WSEE TV provided their news story for use in this video.The Pennsylvania Sea Grant received a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).Great Lakes map highlighting Lake Erie by Lawrence W. Ellerbruch, Northern Michigan University--- The goal of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was the collecting and recycling of one million pounds of electronics (e-Waste) plus the collection and proper disposal of one million pills. The EPA says those goals were exceeded by 400 to 500 percent.The Earth Healing Initiative assisted some challenge organizers by offering interfaith liaisons to volunteer and encourage members of local churches and temples to participate in the Earth Day related events in their area.This video on the projects connected to the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was made possible by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the EPA's Region 5 office in Chicago, the EPA Great Lakes national Program Office also in Chicago in cooperation with the non-profit Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative in Marquette, MI.The EHI involves American Indian tribes and a coalition of churches, synagogues and other faith traditions joining together to heal, protect and defend the environment.I’m Greg Peterson and you’re watching Earth Healing TV------

• Release Date

  Jun 19, 2008

• Runtime

  06:41