Landfill trash (Photo: D'Arcy Norman)
If you are dutifully recycling as much as possible, and your neighbor isn’t, you obviously aren’t getting the same share of trash collection bang for your tax buck. That inequity – not to mention overflowing landfills – is causing some communities to give their not-so-green members a not-so-gentle nudge in the right direction. The solution is “trash metering,” requiring residents to pay by the bag for curbside collection.
Consumers cited recycling as the most important environmental concern for packaged beverages.
A new beverage industry study found that 94 percent of Americans are concerned about the long-term effects that their packaged beverage purchases and consumption have on the environment. The study also shows that environmental concerns are driving down the consumption of bottled water.
Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory aren’t content to wait to see the effects of global warming in the arctic. Now, they are planning to speed up the process to get a sneak peek. ORNL is plotting a large-scale, long-term ecosystem experiment to try to accelerate understanding of the effects of increased temperatures on the icy layers of arctic permafrost. Scientists will purposely warm a test area in order to assess response to a change in climate conditions.
Dell and Goodwill Industries International have announced they will extend their Reconnect program, which lets consumers drop off any brand of computers or computer accessories for no-cost recycling, to Canada. Starting this week in Southwestern Quebec and on May 1 in London, Ontario, consumers may drop off used computers for no-cost recycling at Renaissance, a Goodwill affiliate, and Goodwill Great Lakes. The expansion adds to more than 1,900 Reconnect locations throughout the U.S.
Target will place recycling stations in all of its stores.
From Green Right Now Reports
Image: NYSERDA
New York State’s Industrial and Process Efficiency program will provide over $100 million over the next two years to help data centers and manufacturers control energy costs and improve competitiveness, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced this week.
Funding will go to energy studies and capital improvements designed to increase energy efficiency and reduce waste.
From Green Right Now Reports
PECO, FirstEnergy and PPL Utilities are working together on an environmental project that will help Pennsylvania residents lower their energy usage — and get rid of clunker appliances.
The energy and utility companies announced today that they have set up an appliance recycling center at JACO Environmental Inc. in Hatfield where they will turn in old, energy-gobbling refrigerators or freezers or inefficient, but working window air conditioning units.
The companies will collect the outdated appliances from customers, who will get paid — $35 for a junker refrigerator, and $25 for an old AC unit — and haul it away for free. About 80 percent of Pennsylvania’s residents are served by these utilities and will qualify to participate.
LED lighting at Cary McDonalds
When Ric Richards recently acquired an aging McDonalds in Cary, N.C., he knew the place needed an overhaul. The 25-year-old store was fraying at the edges.
Richards decided to give these particular golden arches a green touch.
Once he’d decided that the building needed replacing, the decision to go eco-friendly was not difficult. Richards knew it made sense from a business standpoint – it would cut energy costs dramatically – and he figured it would resonate with the educated customers living in the Research Triangle region, especially those interested in lower-carbon living.
“I felt it was the right thing to do,’’ said the owner-operator whose green restaurant celebrated its grand opening this winter. “We all need to be more geared for sustainability as we move into the future. We need to build buildings or live at home using fewer resources.”
From Green Right Now Reports
MIT’s Center for Transportation & Logistics will launch the Global LEAP (Leaders in Environmental Assessment and Performance) research consortium at its annual Crossroads Conference on March 25, in Cambridge, Mass.
Chiquita Brands and Lockheed Martin are the first commercial organizations to sign up for this new project to design supply chains that meet the sustainability goals that are redefining the way companies operate. Inaugural members have pledged comprehensive support for the new consortium including a financial commitment, in-kind resources, thought leadership, and active participation.
From Green Right Now Reports
UL Environment, which provides environmental evaluation and certification, will develop sustainability standards for plastic materials used in consumer and manufactured goods. The standards will establish environmental requirements for common plastics based on scientific assessment and broad stakeholder collaboration.
This year, more than 300 million tons of plastic will be produced and 10 percent of all generated waste will be plastic—much of which ends up existing in landfills for centuries. Evidence is mounting that some chemicals in plastic pose health risks when absorbed by humans through food, water, air, dust and contact with consumer products. Environmentally preferable plastics can lead to fewer harmful chemical emissions being released in our environment.
Barbara Kessler
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