As part of the Big Sioux River Stewardship Summit I got to tour our new wastewater facility, our water purification plant, Millennium Recycling, and some other sites where people are doing good work in beneficial community sustainability. So grateful for this opportunity and for these neighbors.

I liked how things looked in the recycling facility. There is beauty in recycling, whether it be the container with the single word “METAL” or the compacted aluminum cans that looked like abstract art. Millennium is alsoa second-chance employer that hires people who have been released from prison. They pay well and offer good benefits to people who might not otherwise find employment.

At the water plant I learned that Sioux Falls uses 2-3 times as much water per capita in the summer as in the winter. I asked why. The reply: “lawns”. Seems wasteful to use purified drinking water to water lawns, wash cars, and flush toilets. We need to start making multiple uses of water. It’s not hard, and others have already led the way.

<img src=“https://davoh.org/uploads/2025/7688d51ce9.jpg" width=“450” height=“600” alt=“A large metal bin on wheels, labeled “METAL,” is situated in an industrial setting.">A large industrial facility features multiple rectangular tanks filled with water, situated under a high ceiling with overhead lighting.A wall of compacted aluminum cans with various colorful labels and logos.Two people stand near a drainage channel running alongside a grassy area, with a fence, trees, and a bus visible in the background.