Photo Credit: pvTkach
Courtney Gildersleeve
This March, dozens of community members, environmental justice organizers, and legislators assembled in the basement of Christ Lutheran Church in St. Paul to support zero-waste initiatives.
Attendees gathered among three-dimensional signs displaying messages such as “Less Plastic” and “Say No to Single Use,” and members of the Elders Climate Action group circulated in their green vests.
The purpose of the rally was to share information about key legislation in the 2025 session — such as the Electronics Recycling Bill — and to provide guidance on the best practices of meeting with legislators.
State Representative Athena Hollins (66B), a core supporter and driver of the E-Waste Bill, spoke about her collaboration with Maria Jensen of Recycling Electronics for Climate Action, and about the transformational power of engaging with community members around the state. State Senator Robert Kupec (DFL-Moorhead) emphasized the leadership of the members of the Christ Lutheran Church in zero-waste advocacy.
Both the legislators and the organizers recognized and encouraged a sense of empowerment in the attendees, many of whom have participated in climate action for decades. Among the more recent generations of activists, a representative from the Zero Waste Task Force of the Sierra Club spoke about how “obvious and straightforward” it is to support zero-waste efforts. They explained that in order to create healthier communities, we need to fundamentally change our consumption patterns, build economic and political structures that reduce plastic use, and support a green, relational, and equitable society.
Following the rally, the attendees brought their knowledge and passion for addressing zero waste to meetings with their state legislators. They also distributed literature about the E-Waste Bill and other bills that the MN Zero Waste Coalition is supporting this year. The Phthalates Testing Bill, for example, would require packaged food manufacturers to test for the toxic plastic-based chemicals (phthalates) and report those results to the Department of Agriculture and the general public.
The 2025 Zero Waste Lobby Day revealed a renewed sense of the power of people to create a healthy, thriving world.
Courtney Gildersleeve is a humanities instructor and serves as the Co-Chair of the Zero Waste Task Force of the Sierra Club North Star Chapter.