May 15, 2017 Bulletin (May 15, 2017)

May 15, 2017 Bulletin

Opening/Chair: Ryan Beazley was the chair today. He ask president Ted to lead the group in the singing of O Canada and then asked for the moment of personal reflection.

Visitors/Guests: There were a number of visitors today.

District Governor Rob Christie, RC Pictou
District Secretary Garth Gordon RC Kentville and his wife Gail
John and Llga Bennette Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Singleton, Australia (D9670)
Our guest speaker Jeff MacCallum. CEO DivertNS accompanied by Aurora and Kurt.
Matt, a student at NSCC who was working on the Yearbook information management system.

Member Health: No report.

Happy Mug: Brian Matthews because both mother and father turning 90 and a big family party was coming, Dave Mills for a great family time at his daughters wedding, Jim Gould, because he hurt himself raking and Joanna fixed him up. and Marilyn as she had sold her house.

50/50: Kevin Quinlan had the winning ticket and drew but missed the joker and went away disappointed.

Announcements and Reports:

DGN Rob reported on the Rotary Friendship Exchange between our district and Estonia and Finland. The incoming team was coming to the Truro area on September 17th (Sunday). The club was encouraged to accommodate the team and members were invited to apply to join the outgoing team for the return visit on August 2018.
Jim Gould reported on the first Bollywood committee meeting. The date was set for Sept 30. Two chiefs were coming from Halifax to prepare the food.
Jim Gould also presented an update on the Professional Development day on June 1st. (the day prior to the District Conference) The session was open to all Rotarian and while the costs for incoming President's and Secretaries was covered, others would have to pay $25 to cover costs including lunch.
Lech (assisted by NSCC student Matt) made a presentation on the new process for the yearbook highlighting the changes to the website and work flow for soliciting advertisers and updating information. Members were given their assigned contacts and could expect to hear from Leck in the next day or so with final instructions and materials. The importance of having the companies correct email was stressed as it was the primary way we had to contact the businesses.

President's Report: President Ted welcomed the guests and exchanged banners with our friends from Australia. Pictured from Left to Right is DGN Rob Christie, Gail Gordon, District Secretary Garth Gordon, Llga Bennette and John Bennette from Australia.

Speaker: The speaker was Jeff MacCallum. CEO DivertNS. Jeff began his career with Divert NS in 2007 and he became CEO in 2012. He worked with the provincial Department of Economic Development in various roles prior to joining Divert NS. His career has always focused on innovation and working with people to move initiatives forward. Since coming to Divert NS he has become a firm believer in the need for responsible environmental stewardship and the reality that the environment and economy can thrive together.

Jeff made an excellent presentation on the history of Recycling in Nova Scotia and how Nova Scotia had become a leader not only in Canada but around the world. The philosophy of "Nothing Wasted" had become more and more ingrained in NS society and using education and innovation great gains have been made.

Over the last 20 years, Nova Scotia’s recycling has significantly impacted both the environment and the economy:

Avoided Landfill Space – recycling beverage containers and tires over the last 20 years has saved over 242,000 cubic meters of landfill space in Nova Scotia.
Greenhouse Gases Avoided – recycling beverage containers and tires saves 40,959 tonnes of GHG emissions per year. This equates to removing 6,158 cars each year from Nova Scotian roads.
Job Creation – the beverage container and tire recycling programs currently support 794 jobs and have created the equivalent of 12,405 full-time jobs over the last 20 years.
Income Earned – those jobs equate to $27.9 million in wages earned this year, and $423 million earned over 20 years.
Cost Savings – by recycling beverage containers and tires, Nova Scotians save $5.1 million annually in municipal curbside collection costs, totaling $81.3 million over 20 years. As well, recycling instead of land filling saves another $2.0 million annually in municipal landfill costs, totaling $32 million over 20 year

Nova Scotia's can justifiably be proud our accomplishments. Divert NS sponsors several awards and innovation funds and education programs to keep up the momentum. Jeff outlined several projects that highlighted these initiatives.

Jeff responded to several excellent questions and then was thanked by VP Alana.

Attendance:

Closing: 1:30pm