Western Reserve Public Media to Sponsor Free Community Shred-It Day on Saturday, April 24

KENT, Ohio — Tuesday, April 20, 2010 — Western Reserve Public Media will celebrate Earth Day’s 40th anniversary with a free Community Shred-It Day on Saturday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at its headquarters, 1750 Campus Center Drive, Kent. The general public is welcome to bring up to five boxes or trash bags of paper materials to be shredded. Electronics, including computer components and hard drives, cell phones and printers, also will be accepted for crushing and recycling. Hard drives should be removed from the computer before attending the event. The event, which will be held rain or shine, is free, but voluntary donations to benefit Western Reserve Public Media are appreciated.

Western Reserve Public Media’s Shred-It Day is being held in conjunction with the Akron/Canton franchise of Shred-it, which recycles everything that can be recycled. Its partner Itran crushes and recycles all of the electronics that can be recycled. Paper items that can be shredded include documents that contain sensitive information, cancelled checks and billing statements. Both paper and electronic items can be shredded or crushed in the presence of the owner.

“This event is an excellent example of the good things that can happen when organizations collaborate,” said Trina Cutter, president and CEO of Western Reserve Public Media. “We are happy to offer this helpful service to our community in celebration of Earth Day. It’s a great way to dispose of sensitive materials in a safe, responsible way.”

Materials that cannot be accepted include paint, batteries, televisions and home appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators and ovens. For more information including a complete list of acceptable items, call Western Reserve Public Media at 1-800-554-4549 or visit http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/shreditday.htm.

About Western Reserve Public Media
Western Reserve Public Media (formerly PBS 45 & 49) is owned and operated by Northeastern Educational Television of Ohio, Inc., a private, nonprofit corporation and consortium of Kent State University, The University of Akron and Youngstown State University. A trusted community resource, Western Reserve Public Media uses the power of commercial-free television and related services to enrich the lives of people through high-quality programming and educational services that teach, illuminate and inspire.

Western Reserve PBS, a service of the organization, is the only broadcast television service that reaches all of northeast Ohio. It is available to 1.8 million households and 4.4 million people in the Cleveland and Youngstown designated market areas. In an average week, over 500,000 households tune in. The organization also operates three standard definition channels, Fusion (WNEO.2/WEAO.2), MHz Worldview (WNEO.3/WEAO.3) and V-me (WNEO.4/WEAO.4).

Through funding from eTech Ohio, Western Reserve Public Media provides K-12 educational technology training and instructional television programming to 21,500 educators and 256,700 students in eight Ohio counties. For more information about the organization, visit www.WesternReservePublicMedia.org or call 1-800-554-4549.