This summer, more than 3,300 residents across Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma counties took a proactive stance against fraud and identity theft. They safeguarded their personal information by participating in Redwood Credit Union's free shred-a-thons, responsibly disposing of old financial records and paperwork.
Shred-It trucks were onsite at each event to help communities safely dispose of and recycle 134,940 lbs. of documents. And Conservation Corps of the North Bay collected more than 35,775 lbs. of e-waste, including old TVs, printers, monitors, computers, and other personal electronics for secure recycling. To put that in perspective, the environmental impact of the shredded paper alone is:
- 1,153 trees saved = 29 acres
- 472,290 gallons of water saved = watering 754 lawns for 1 week
“It’s a great feeling to look at these total numbers and recognize that we were able to help thousands of people take action to safeguard themselves from identity theft,” said Matt Martin, senior vice president of community and government relations at RCU. “Identity theft is a real risk these days, and RCU wants to help mitigate it in every way possible and provide an environmentally friendly solution for disposing of old electronics and sensitive documents.”
At each shred-a-thon location, attendees had an opportunity to donate to a local nonprofit. In total, the events raised more than $5,600 to support Lake County Child Care Planning Council, SchoolsRule Marin, Plowshares in Mendocino, Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center in Napa, and Conversation Corps North Bay in Sonoma.
RCU employees volunteering at a Shred-a-Thon event
Matt Martin, senior vice president of community and government relations