You keep hearing that the local landfill has less than a decade of life, and our community needs to get into the habit of recycling. Recycle Rutherford is holding its Semi-Annual Meeting at 7:00 o'clock this coming Monday night (10/26/2015) in the second floor courtroom of the Rutherford County Courthouse.

The guest speaker is Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Leila Donn, environmental specialist with the Office of Sustainable Practices. She will describe the "green" initiative, focusing on the recycling portion of the program that makes it possible for visitors to Tennessee State Parks to recycle most of their waste.

She is a graduate of The University of the South, Sewanee, Donn has a B.S. degree in geology. At TDEC,she works with state facilities on sustainability initiatives including statewide recycling, materials management, sustainable development and environmental education.

She also organizes the Sustainable Transportation Forum which highlights alternative fuels, manages and publishes a bimonthly newsletter on sustainable practices, and writes for Tennessee Conservationist and national magazines.

Donn had an archaeology internship in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Prior to joining TDEC, she worked as a geologist with Arcadia, a Houston, Texas, design and consulting firm; as a surface logging systems field engineer with Baker Hughes, and as a geologist with Alaska Earth Sciences.

At the meeting, she will share the spotlight with student winners of Recycle Rutherford's first postcard contest. Students who entered the competition that was open to all public and private schools in Rutherford County designed postcards with drawings that depicted "What Recycling Means to Me."

Winners will be announced in three age categories. They and their teachers will share a total of $850 in prize money and will have a chance to see their work featured in Recycle Rutherford media.

It's going to be an educational and fun-filled evening when Recycle Rutherford observes its semi-annual meeting Monday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. in the second floor courtroom at the Rutherford County Courthouse, and you're invited to attend. There is no admission charge to attend the meeting.