Tomorrow, it will be illegal to dump plastic bottles into North Carolina landfills. The new law – passed in 2005 - also bans wooden pallets and oil filters from reaching landfills.
A press release from the city of Greensboro, N.C. says almost four of every five plastic soda containers, water bottles, milk jugs and detergent bottles — almost 288 million pounds of plastic — are thrown away in North Carolina every year. Recycling all the plastic bottles used in the state would keep more than 2.4 billion plastic bottles out of landfills annually.
Seems like North Carolina’s ahead of the crowd. They already ban scrap rubber and aluminum cans from the solid waste stream. This new law is designed to promote increased recycling and to [...]
State cracks down on plastic in landfills
Royal Caribbean makes environmental headway
I have to admit when I first read about this, my first take was “what’s the big deal on 4%!” But there’s more “juice” to this than I originally thought.
In their 2008 Stewardship Report, Royal Caribbean Cruises. Ltd. announced they had reduced fuel consumption by four percent, NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions by three percent, and water consumption by six percent. BUT they’ve also reduced refrigerant loss by 33 percent and solid waste generation by 32 percent! Much more impressive accomplishments, don’t you think?
As part of their environmental commitment, Royal Caribbean’s Celebrity Solstice is the first cruise ship to sport solar panels, a “green” roof and a dedicated environmental venue. But their newest ship, the Oasis [...]
Federal Judge says no to GMO sugar beets
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White says the government illegally approved a genetically modified, herbicide-resistant strain of sugar beets without adequately considering they might contaminate other beet crops.
In 2005, the Department of Agriculture began allowing Monsanto to sell their “Roundup Ready” sugar beets.
White said that in concluding that the new crop posed no significant environmental effects, the USDA discounted the likelihood that wind-borne pollen would spread to fields where conventional sugar beets, table beets and the beet variety known as Swiss chard are grown.
Planting genetically-modified sugar beets has a “significant effect” on the environment, White said in his ruling Monday, because of “the potential elimination of a farmer’s choice to grow non-genetically engineered [...]
The sweet (green) taste of Hawaii
With these cool mornings and longer days, steaming hot coffee or tea helps start the day. For sweetness, instead of sugar, stevia or the pink-or-blue stuff, my favorite is honey.
I recently came across rich Royal Hawaiian Honey, from Tropical Traders Specialty Foods. This artisan product originates from Hawaii’s Big Island. One of only a handful of family-run apiaries in the U.S., these 100 percent raw honeys are certified organic by the Hawaii Organic Farmers Association.
Most commercial honey is heated, blended and filtered, losing its nutritional properties, unique flavor and characteristics. But heat’s never applied to Royal Hawaiian Honey’s raw product – in harvesting or production – and it’s never blended. To preserve its natural [...]
Volvo to utilize a cleaner green fuel
Volvo announced plans to test Dimethyl ether (DME), a cleaner burning fuel sourced from renewable materials, in some of their trucks.
DME isn’t new, but its impact on the environment is impressive. This colorless, clean-burning gas has the potential to be 95 percent carbon neutral, with zero particulate emissions According to Wikipedia, as a fuel source DME shows promise for diesel, standard gasoline and gas turbine engines.
The DME for the Volvo project will be an energy-rich, highly viscous by-product of the paper pulp industry. Volvo plans to have selected customers test 14 of their trucks at four locations in different parts of Sweden between 2010 and 2012 at four Preem oil company stations.
To learn more, check out the video.
A Pesticide by any other name
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is cracking down on what retailers can claim their products can do, especially if they supposedly do something that’s healthy.
They’ve filed suit against San Leandro, California based VF Corporation for the alleged sale and distribution of unregistered pesticides through their outdoor gear and apparal retail company, The North Face.
The issue centers around over 70 styles of footwear that have an AgION silver treated footbed. The North Face sold these with claims that the footwear would prevent disease-causing bacteria. Their claims included:
• AgION antimicrobial silver agent inhibits growth of disease-causing bacteria
• Prevents bacterial and fungal growth
• Continuous release of antimicrobial agents
Making these claims, says the EPA, is a violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide [...]
Promises of Emission cuts are snowballing
The news is rampant with promises by corporate giants of large emissions cuts in the wake of the UN Climate Talks currently taking place in New York City.
The International Air Transport Association announced that airlines will cut 50 percent of their CO2 emissions by 2050. Representing 230 airlines which make up 93 percent of scheduled international air traffic, the association is targeting a 1.5 percent average annual improvement in fuel efficiency through 2020. Of course consumers can expect higher fares as fallout from adopting newer, more sustainable, energy efficient planes and related technologies.
On the corporate side, HP has raised their goal to reduce energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions from its products to a 40 percent reduction by 2011, [...]
Recycling Scotch Tape?
The list of what’s recyclable just keeps growing. And TerraCycle is right in the middle of making that happen.
Seems that TerraCycle has added another “brigade” to their list. Through a partnership with 3M, TerraCycle is accepting Scotch® Clear Tape Dispensers and Cores as a great way to keep them from winding up in landfills.
A small disclaimer here. I have no affiliation with TerraCycle. But if they keep being innovative and making news, I’ll be writing about it.
But I digress.
Like their other brigades, TerraCycle donates $0.02 for each item collected to the charity of your choice. Schools, organizations or individuals can be part of a brigade and you choose what charity to give to.
The program [...]
TerraCycle to take on Europe
TerraCycle, well known for their organic Worm Poop fertilizer and drink brigades, has announced plans to expand into the United Kingdom and Europe.
“It is with great excitement that we´re announcing our expansion. Having grown rapidly in the U.S., we wanted to come to London and use the city as a launch pad to build our business across the UK and Europe,” said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO.
TerraCycle has signed a partnership with Kraft Foods UK, an obvious extension of their U.S. working relationship to upcycle used Capri Sun drink pouches and other packaging into new cool products like back packs, pencil cases, bags, totes, lunch bags and even shower curtains. [...]
Creating Energy from Nature – but really?
The past few days I’ve seen news items touting scientific evidence – some real, some perhaps bogus – touting a variety of ways to create electricity from nature.
First came the dubious article about hair-based solar panels. Yesterday, the news wires buzzed with a story about creating energy from salt and pepper. And today there’s a story that scientists say they may be able to garner energy from of all things the sap from maple trees.
It makes me wonder what some of those scientists are imbibing.
Alright, I admit that creating energy from Nature is both a creative venture and cost effective in that the ways documented so far are renewable – [...]