Rotary International asks us to Serve to Change Lives through its Focus Areas
This month Rotary International asks us to Serve to Change Lives through Rotary Fellowship. Explore the possibilities with us at our meeting Wednesday at noon at Wick Park or virtually via Zoom.
Welcome back to the Wick Park Pavilion! Some vicious spring wind storms resulted in damage that has kept us away from our home base, until now. Before stepping inside, check out the awesome pollinator garden that some Rotarians planted during the Memorial Day weekend.
It’s time to bid farewell to Manuela, AKA Manu, our wonderful exchange student. During lunch on Wednesday, she will recap all that she saw and did during her 9 months in the U.S. By many accounts, she has had a fabulous experience. A RCY-sponsored sendoff for Manu will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Cassess’s MVR Restaurant. If you haven’t already RSVPd to Dave Stillwagon, then do so immediately.
Last Week's Meeting
Rotarians in attendance at lunch last week were treated to a travelogue of sorts, as Sharon, Dionne, Scott, and Ana Torres shared some highlights of the cities and countries they visited.
Jewels of the Alpine was the second of the tours sponsored by Rotary Club of Youngstown. The tours were formerly organized by WYSU radio, but when that wasn’t feasible for them anymore, our club decided to take that on, at no cost to us.
As the name suggests, the two-week trip consisted of visits to locations along the Alps. Lucerne, Switzerland was the first stop, where free time was spent in the Old Town. Then it was on to Bern and Montreus in the French Alps. Lake Como was nice and sunny, and lemon trees were everywhere.
The breathtaking scenery of the Austrian Alps, a “Sound of Music Tour” in Salzburg, and the architecture of Vienna provided many opportunities to eat, drink, and sample life in other countries. Many of those on the tour also signed up for the extension to Prague, where Sharon, Scott, and others attended a Rotary meeting there. Gracious hosts, they conducted their club meeting in English!
Sharon, Scott, and Dionne agreed, the best part of the tour was learning how other people in countries different than ours live, and getting the opportunity to get to know one another better.
The 2024 tour is Highlights of Australia and New Zealand with an extension to Fiji. It departs on October 19, 2024. Trip information can be found here. It’s not too soon to sign up!
Some important information:
Enroll by March 31 at the lowest price possible and receive $100 off the tour price per traveler.
If you prefer to speak with a representative to enroll, call the Go Ahead Tours Groups Reservation line at 800-438-7672. Please make sure you provide Group Reference number 65035422 (Ana Torres) to enroll in our group tour.
**It is very important that you use only one of these two methods to enroll, and NOT on Go Ahead's public website, to ensure you register for the correct group tour.
Travel dates: 10/19/24 - 11/02/24
Extension dates: 11/02/24 -11/05/24
Deposit: $450 per person at the time of reservation or $99 with the Automatic Payment Plan
Final payment date: 08/06/24
Feel confident planning future travel with Go Ahead's Worry-Free Guarantee and Fully Refundable Booking Period
RCY LOOKS TO FINISH THE TREX RECYCLING CHALLENGE STRONG
RCY’s continued participation in the Trex company’s plastic film recycling challenge is closing in on the final days of our second collection period, running through July 31st. Please bring your recyclable plastic film to weekly meetings. Bags will be available at noon meetings as we move back home to Wick Park.
We are currently at 71.8% of our 500-lb. goal through May 31st , so the club is well on the way to earning a 2nd park bench made of Trex recycled materials. Just 141 lb. to go, which is well below our current monthly average.
Plastic film recycling supports the broader goals of Operation Pollination and Rotary International’s recognition of environmental matters as an area of focus. Member participation is the reason for our success. In May alone, 108 lb. of plastic was gathered. We can do this!
In addition to the shopping bags, sandwich bags, case overwrap and newspaper sleeves that you have gathered, think about the plastic film that surfaces throughout the month. Did you order something online recently? Those air pillows inside Amazon boxes? Recyclable. Bubble mailers? Let’s finish strong!
REACHING OUT
Former Youngstown Rotarian Margaret Murphy is very ill. If you want to contact her, please do so in the near future. Contact Scott Schulick for more details.
Alpine Tour Photos
Photos Courtesy of Dionne Dowdy
OP in Action
RCY member (and future District 6650 Governor) Elayne Bozick doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty! As the inspiration for RCY’s Operation Pollination Mahoning Valley campaign, she participates in native perennial plantings as often as possible. On June 1, she worked alongside representatives of Mill Creek MetroParks and Mahoning County Land Bank to plant dozens of assorted wildflowers along a section of the park’s famous Lily Pond.
These were not just any plants. Native perennials cannot be easily purchased locally. These plants were nurtured from seeds by employees and volunteers of Mahoning County Land Bank, whose executive director is Rotarian Debora Flora. The Land Bank used space in Cityscape at Briel’s, the greenhouse that is now owned by Cityscape, whose leader is our own RCY President Sharon Letson. Rotarian Adam Lee also works at Cityscape.
Connections among Rotary members make projects possible, but it’s the hands-on work of Rotarians that bring them to life. Wear gloves if you prefer, but get involved with Operation Pollination!
Pictured are Elayne Bozick and John Beshara, a Land Bank intern. Photo by Debora Flora
RSVP for President’s Party
Members will show their appreciation for Sharon Letson’s leadership at the annual President’s Party on Wednesday, June 28, at Youngstown Country Club, 1402 Country Club Drive, 44505.
It will be a memorable evening, with a social hour beginning at 6 p.m., dinner at 7, and a program afterward. The entertainment will be by pianist Joe Augustine.
Reservations can be made now; click here. The cost is $25 per Rotarian and $75 per guest for those who sign up by TODAY (June 13). Prices will increase after June 13.
Attendees will choose Chicken Francaise or pecan crusted salmon for their entrees. A vegan option will also be available. Youngstown Country Club’s signature dessert (pecan ball with hot fudge) will be served. A cash bar will be open. Business or cocktail attire is recommended.
New UN Report Says the World Can Cut 80% of Plastic Pollution by 2040 — Here’s How
By Ally Mauch, Nice News
A new “solutions-focused” report from the United Nations Environment Program outlines some steps to successfully cut plastic pollution by a full 80% by 2040, with hopes of informing government and business decisions around the globe.
“The way we produce, use, and dispose of plastics is polluting ecosystems, creating risks for human health, and destabilizing the climate,” UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said in a press release.
She continued: “This UNEP report lays out a roadmap to dramatically reduce these risks through adopting a circular approach that keeps plastics out of ecosystems, out of our bodies, and in the economy. If we follow this roadmap, including in negotiations on the plastic pollution deal, we can deliver major economic, social, and environmental wins.”
Those shifts toward a more circular economy, meaning one that “keeps materials, products, and services in circulation for as long [as] possible,” could lead to a significant economic upturn, UNEP said.
The circular economy the organization proposes would result in $1.27 trillion in savings for the world’s nations. And lower costs in health care, climate, air pollution, marine ecosystem degradation, and litigation would result in an additional $3.25 trillion saved. The shifts could also create an increase of 700,000 jobs by 2040, primarily in low-income countries.
Reuse
The first 30% of the total reduction figure would come from promoting plastic reuse, via reusable water bottles and food containers, buying in bulk, deposit-return-schemes, and other similar initiatives. “To realize its potential, governments must help build a stronger business case for reusables,” the press release said.
Recycle
Next is recycling, responsible for 20% of the 80%. Though recycling has long been touted as a way to stave off climate change, UNEP proposes making it “a more stable and profitable venture.”
“Removing fossil fuels subsidies, enforcing design guidelines to enhance recyclability, and other measures would increase the share of economically recyclable plastics from 21% to 50%,” the organization said.
Reorient and Diversify
Finally, reorienting and diversifying consumer products means “shifting the market towards sustainable plastic alternatives, which will require a shift in consumer demand, regulatory frameworks, and costs.” That could involve providing incentives for companies to swap out plastic wrappers, takeout containers, and other pollutants for compostable alternatives like paper.
THIS WEEK IN ROTARY HISTORY
June 9, 1992: Rotary Club of Youngstown sent $60,000 worth of medical supplies to Chernobyl in the Ukraine to aid recovery efforts after the nuclear reactor explosion disaster six years earlier.
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