Chris HolmanThe Michigan State Government wants to help small businesses, because they are important for increasing employment and the tax base.

Chris Holman, Michigan's Small Business Advocate told how us the MEDC (Michigan Economic Development Corporation) helps assists small businesses:

  • Avoiding fines and penalties, cutting red tape and resolving problems with state agencies
  • Assisting in the understanding of state regulations
  • how to save money on workers' compensation coverage
  • counseling how to understand workers' comp
  • loan programs
  • job assistance funds
  • couseling , training and research
  • selling to the government
  • linking to federal and state agencies
  • bid matches and packaging
  • global marketplace assistance
  • connecting to export service providers
  • connecting to Michigan's office in China
  • This phone number is their hotline: 800-946-6829. Their web site is www.michigan.org/medc

Joachim Klima
Joachim Klima, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar from Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, gave us an interesting presentation of his state in Germany. Among the things that Joachim mentioned was how all German men of age 19/20 must perform one year of military or civilian service. He also discussed how their education system determines from the age of primary school which career/educational path a child will pursue. He discussed the advantages of the German health care system, which provides health care to everyone, allthough their tax rate is much higher. Klima discussed the famous scholars like Einstein, and company's like Daimler and Bosch that are from the Baden-Wurttemberg state. His presentation included many beautiful pictures- it looks like a wonderful place to visit!

Ivory Williams
Storytelling isn't just for kids!
Ivory D. Williams-Storyteller/Speaker captivated our meeting with his presentation on the importance of listening. He advised us to take two seconds to listen, so that we can give better answers. His wonderful presentation interweaved stories with wit, humor and fun that engaged us. Williams works with youth groups to motivate them to be successful. Contact him at effy1@aol.com 248-543-0896.

Barnett JonesSafety Services Area Administrator Police Chief Barnett Jones delivered a compelling presentation of the need for police protection in our city during these troubling economic times. Our community is facing layoffs of the police staff that focuses on interfacing with the community. The police department is on the front line, and must be prepared to help us in case of a possible terrorist attack, as well as dealing with criminals in the community. He mentioned that the number one crime is burglary, and with the early release of prisoners, that is a potential problem for our area if prisoners do not find jobs in the community.

Michael CarusoMichael Angelo Caruso
gave us a tremendous presentation at the March 30 meeting of

  • being more pro-active
  • sending power signals
  • how to make our communication
    more effective
  • and much more!

Caruso is the author of many books including: 5 Cool Ideas for better working, living & feeling; Dear Michael Angelo, a father's life letters to his son; and Hmmm...little ideas with big results. Find out more at his web site EdisonHouse.com


-News & Calendar- -Archives- -Members- -Meeting Location- -Contact Us-
Ann Arbor Sunrise Rotary

We Meet Friday Mornings at 7:15 a.m. at our new location-
Weber's Restaurant & Hotel, located at 3050 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Visitors are welcome! Contact us for information.

Rima Mrad
At a recent meeting, Rima Abou Mrad, Ambassadorial Scholar from Lebanon, told us all about her beautiful country- a small, mountainous country which lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean. It is bordered by Syria on the north and east and by Israel on the south.

Skiing is possible in the higher mountain resorts from mid-December until early April. It is often said that, in spring, one can ski in the morning and swim in the Mediterranean in the afternoon.

Lebanese society is very modern and similar to certain cultures of Mediterranean Europe. As of 2003, 87.4% of the population was literate. Most of the Lebanese are bilingual or multilingual.

Rima is a graduate student at Wayne State University, studying International Corporate and Finance Law.


Information From
Mario Romero’s Presentation on
the Waste Management Hierarchy



We need to:
Reduce/Eliminate Generation/Consumption
Modify manufacturing process
Modify packaging
Change behavior
Recycle/Reuse
Reuse in own manufacturing process
Use by-product from one industry as raw material in another industry
Recycle through conventional methods for that waste stream
Waste to energy
Final Disposal
Landfill, incinerator, deepwell injection

Examples of waste streams
Lubricating oil
1.8 billion gals per year sold; 1.2 billion available for recycle/reuse. 900 million gals used as fuel; 300 million gals recycled back into lubricating oil
Tires
300 million tires per year disposed. 70% sorted and resold in alternative markets as used tires; 30% used in cement kilns and power plants as fuel (this number is increasing)
Oil Filters
600 million per year disposed. Contain oil, paper, aluminum, steel, and plastic. Oil laden paper used as fuel or disposed in landfills; steel and aluminum cleaned and recycled.
Airport waste
One pound per passenger through the airport. Not recyclable.

Recycling rates
Aluminum
Recycle 2 of 3 cans shipped (62 billion cans per year, 1.9 billion pounds). Account for 35% of the aluminum industry’s metal supply.
Copper
50% of input is recycled material, balance is mined. 72% is exclude wire production.
Iron/Steel
60% of input is recycled material, balance is mined.
Paper
52% (Europe 55%)
Glass
33% (issues due to color and commingling). France 50%, Switzerland 89%, California 52%, Michigan 95%
Plastic
20-30% with declining trends.

Ann Arbor
93% participation in curbside recycling.
52% landfill diversion rate (San Jose, CA 64%)
5.71 lbs recyclable waste/household (3rd in USA)

Effect of recycling
One ton of recycled paper saves
17 trees, 380 gals of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 7000 gals of water, 4000 kw energy (power 6.7 homes)

Factors impacting recycling
Distance – transportation cost
Commingling – processing and separation costs
Compatibility
Commodity prices
Alternatives – cost of disposal

Reduce Generation/Consumption
Packaging waste – change packaging used for transportation and for display
Truck aerodynamics – trucks consume 12% of US petroleum supply; about half o that is fuel consumption to overcome aerodynamic drag at highway speeds. If improve fuel economy 10%, save 1 billion gals of fuel per year
Heat recovery power generation – recovering heat from power plants equivalent to all the oil we import into the US (4 billion bbls oil/day).

Objects from Daily Life
Dannon Yogurt – eliminated plastic cover, saved 1.5 million lbs plastic/year.
Sugar packet – replaced self-serve glass container.
Clothes donations – potential unintended consequences; impact local economy, stifle garment manufacturing.