EVENTS
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2026, 10am CT
Zoom Community Meeting
Battery Life in Minnesota
by Roopali Phadke
Peter Fiskerstrand, CC BY-SA 4.0
This presentation describes CollectED, a Minnesota-based education and outreach initiative that helps people understand how–and why–to collect and recycle batteries safely. CollectED provides tools, resources, and practical guidance for individuals, schools, and communities to take simple, informed steps to prevent battery-related hazards, protect the environment, and recover valuable materials. Roopali will share the results of their Minnesota survey data and State Fair exhibit, and what's coming up next for this project.
Roopali Phadke is Professor of Environmental Policy at Macalester College. Her teaching and research over the last twenty five years has focused on water, energy and climate policy, with a focus on public engagement. She received a PhD from the Univ. of California Santa Cruz in Environmental Studies, as well as a Masters degree from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College. She also served as a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow in the Science, Technology and Society Program at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
She recently completed a multiyear National Science Foundation study titled "Mining Futures" examining social acceptance and siting politics of critical minerals mines. Her research also examines the circular economy of metals through remining and e-waste collection. She founded the CollectED project in 2024 with support from the U.S. Department of Energy. She is also a member of the Future Mississippi Collaborative, a research collective focused on the potential for dam removal on the Upper Mississippi.
Dr. Phadke serves on many local and national boards including: World Learning, Native Sun, and Recycling Electronics for Climate Action (RECA). She was appointed by the MPCA Commissioner as a member of the Minnesota Critical Minerals Recovery Task Force.
Register for the meeting to receive the Zoom link at https://tamarackwateralliance.org/php/eventreg.php?eid=16 or Contact Us.