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Move will save energy, reduce carbon dioxide
By Pamela Powers, Leader-Telegram, Nov. 30, 2009
MENOMONIE - UW-Stout's University Dining Services started the semester working toward going more "green."
The service switched to commercially compostable packaging for all food and beverages served in disposable containers.
All of the products used in the university's residence dining halls for take-out food are compostable.
In the university's nine dining retail operations, more than 80 percent of the packaging has been replaced with materials that are compostable.
This includes cutlery, hot and cold cups and lids, plates, hot and cold bowls, straws and clamshell-style hinged containers.
Some packaging is made from corn starch or a material reclaimed from sugar cane, said Ann Thies, director of dining services.
It costs about 60 cents total for a hinged container, a cup and cover, and cutlery, about twice the cost of Styrofoam and plastic, Thies said.
The extra cost is passed on to the people buying take-out food in the cafeteria. In the dining retail areas, the extra expense also is built into pricing.
While the compostable products cost more, their production uses less energy and produces less carbon dioxide compared with the traditional Styrofoam and plastic.
Using a program developed by Eco-Products of Colorado, the primary supplier of compostable packaging, UW-Stout has estimated it will save 2,755 gallons of gasoline and 27,146 pounds of greenhouse gases this school year by not using petroleum-based products.
"From my perspective, it is an important first step," said Sarah Rykal, UW-Stout environmental sustainability coordinator.
The next step will be to find a commercial compost site, which the university hopes to accomplish by January, Thies said. University officials met last month with a waste hauler about the project.
Currently the compostable items are going to a landfill, where they will not turn into compost.
When composting begins, the materials can be reused as ground cover for soil.
Powers can be reached at 715-556-9018 or pamela.powers@ecpc.com.
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Monday, November 30, 2009
Uw-Stout takes initiative on 'green' food packaging
Bio-breakthrough in Missoula
Company says it has found way to mass produce environment-friendly, wide-purpose chemical
AP, Spokesman.com, Nov. 30, 2009
MISSOULA – A former University of Montana chemistry professor said he and other scientists have discovered a way to cheaply produce large volumes of an environment-friendly chemical that has wide applications.
Don Kiely said the new technique means biodegradable glucaric acid can be produced in large enough quantities to make it feasible.
He said glucaric acid can be converted into high-value, bio-based chemicals to be used for such things as road salt and detergents. That means glucaric acid products could replace petrochemicals and phosphates that can last for centuries and harm the environment.
“We all have a chance to save the world bit by bit,” said Kiely, 71. “Our contribution to that would be improving water quality. So many harmful chemical products end up in our groundwater and are our major pollutants. But we think we are onto something that could change that.”
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Reportlinker Adds Lactic Acid - A Global Market Report
PR Newswire, Nov. 30, 2009
NEW YORK - Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:
Lactic Acid - A Global Market Report
http://www.reportlinker.com/p0164411/Lactic-Acid---A-Global-Market-Report.html
World consumption of lactic acid stands enthused by its use in key industries such as cosmetics, biodegradable plastics and food additives. The recently uncovered potential of lactic acid as a pH balancer in shampoos and soaps, and other alpha hydroxy acid applications, is expected to pep up consumption in this market. Use of lactic acid in biodegradable plastics is expected to gather momentum, given the rising demand for environmentally friendly packaging. Emerging application possibilities are additionally expected to prop up the market's growth in the upcoming years. Use of lactic acid bacteria in anti microbial compounds, food additives, flavoring agents, and as a substitute for hazardous solvents in industrial applications, will all help ensure steady consumption into the future.
These and other market data and trends are presented in "Lactic Acid: A Global Market Report" by BizAcumen, Inc. Our reports are designed to be most comprehensive in geographic coverage and vertical market analyses.
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Sunday, November 29, 2009
New machine turns waste into fertilizer
By MIKE TRELEVEN, Napa Valley Register, Nov. 27, 2009
At the St. Helena restaurant Press, gone are the days when kitchen staff scraped leftovers into trash bags destined for the landfill.
Instead, the restaurant has installed a state-of-the-art dehydrating system that takes wet food-waste along with other compostable materials and turns it into a dry, nutrient-rich soil additive.
The St. Helena restaurant is the first eatery in the Napa Valley to install the technology, which was developed in South Korea, where it has been in use for 12 years. It has been in the United States for 18 months.
Press’ kitchen staff will never have to cope with flies, rodents and smells or worry about clogging the sewer system with the food waste.
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Pipe-clogging cooking oil recycled into eco-friendly fuel
By David Kernodle, News 14, Nov. 27, 2009
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CHARLOTTE -- Black Friday isn't just a busy day for shoppers. Plumbers often spend the day clearing pipes clogged with discarded oil from Thanksgiving dinner.
But there are alternatives to dumping it down the drain. Charlotte Energy Solutions owner Mark Englander collects, refines, repurposes and eventually resells any and all old cooking oil -- most commonly for fuel.
“Five gallon jugs for $1.50 a gallon,” he said.
Englander says demand for recycled cooking oil for fuel purposes is so high he can hardly keep up. One of his customers, Vince DiFrancesco, brought in two containers, about four gallons, of leftover cooking oil from Thanksgiving, and less than 10 minutes later, a buyer was in line to ready to fuel his car.
The Charlotte Energy Solutions cooking oil drop-off site is located at 337 Baldwin Avenue, near uptown Charlotte.
Plastic bags: Should we tax the sacks?
By Dorothy Pellett, The Burlington Free Press, Nov. 29, 2009
What flutters ghost-like from tree limbs, clogs storm drains and plugs the stomachs of sea turtles — OR keeps your library books dry in a storm and stashes your excess zucchini to be hung on a neighbor’s door? Plastic bags can be like a helpful household servant with an evil twin, their usefulness unquestioned but their damage to the environment occurring silently.
Taxing, banning, reusing or simply cutting down on their use — all are solutions up for debate as Vermont environmentalists search for the best solution, and the Legislature is poised to consider bag-tax measures in the upcoming session.
A bill before the House Ways and Means Committee would charge consumers 17 cents for each lightweight plastic bag they take home. State Rep. Johannah Leddy Donovan, D-Burlington, was the lead sponsor among 19 legislators on the bill, which was introduced last session.
“The 17-cent amount seemed significant enough to catch the attention of shoppers,” she said this month. “If we are going to change behavior, we must have a tax that is going to be meaningful.”
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Friday, November 27, 2009
Atlanta airport gets pet-friendly with new dog park
AP, USA Today, Nov. 27, 2009
ATLANTA — Furry travelers now have a place to stretch their legs at Atlanta's airport.
A new fenced-in dog park is part of the ground transportation center on the west end of the passenger terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The 1,000-square-foot park, which opened on Nov. 18, can accommodate two pooches at a time and features flowers, grass, rocks, benches and two original pieces of art.
Biodegradable pet waste bags are also available there.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Algae Could Be the Key to Ultra-Thin Biodegradable Batteries
By Ariel Schwartz, Inhabitat, Nov. 25, 2009
Algae is often touted as the next big thing in biofuels, but the slimy stuff could also be the key to paper-thin biodegradable batteries according to researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden. Eventually, the bio batteries could compete with commercial lithium-ion batteries.
Conducting polymers have long been thought to be a solution in developing lightweight, flexible, nonmetal batteries. But up until now, these polymers have had been impractical because regular paper can’t hold enough of them work effectively. Now Uppsala researcher Maria Stromme and her team has found that the smelly algae species that clumps on beaches, known as Cladophora, can also be used to make a type of cellulose that has 100 times the surface area of cellulose found in paper. That means it can hold enough conducting polymers to effectively recharge and hold electricity for long amounts of time.
The algae-based paper sheet batteries hold up to 200% more charge than regular paper-based cellulose batteries, and they can recharge in as little as 11 seconds. Eventually, they could be used in any application that requires flexible electronics — for example, clothing or packaging that lights up. Perhaps most importantly, the algae batteries could one day cut down on e-waste from conventional metal batteries.
Via Live Science
Huge Emissions Savings, Other Environmental Benefits Achieved Through Urban Compost Collection Program
Recology Press Release, Earth Times, Nov. 24, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO (Business Wire) - Officials and local farmers announced today that city residents and businesses have composted more than 620,000 tons of material, mostly food scraps, through the city’s green cart program. By composting all that food since the program was created instead of sending it to landfill, San Francisco:
* Avoided creating 137,000 tons of methane gas, which the Environmental Protection Agency reports is 21 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas.Blumenfeld, Director of San Francisco’s Department of the Environment, and Obama appointee to head US EPA Region 9, said “The reduction in air emissions achieved through the compost program represents real progress and tell us two things. We should compost all our food scraps, and this program should be replicated in many other cities. That would go a long, long way to reducing greenhouse gases.”
* Sequestered, or put back into the soil, 18,400 metric tons of CO2. That is the equivalent of keeping nearly 3,600 cars off the road.
* Created a total C02E benefit (methane avoided and carbon sequestered) of 155,000 tons. That’s equal to reforesting 35 square miles of sustainable forest for 23 years or offsetting emissions from all vehicles crossing the Bay Bridge for 311 days.
These numbers are based on a current, approved protocol set by the Climate Action Reserve. In addition to reducing air emissions, by placing food scraps in compost collection carts San Francisco residents and businesses help local farms improve soil health and structure, increase drought resistance, and reduce and even eliminate the need for supplemental water, fertilizers, and pesticides.
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More West Coast communities banning PS products
By Mike Verespej, Plastic News, Nov. 24, 2009
WASHINGTON - The bans and initiatives to ban polystyrene takeout food packaging on the West Coast continue to grow.
The town of Issaquah, Wash., with a population of 11,000 some 17 miles east of Seattle, has approved a ban on PS takeout packaging, effective Oct. 1, and said that food service providers should immediately begin to make “reasonable efforts” to purchase recyclable or compostable packaging instead of PS packaging.
Pre-packaged soups and pre-packaged foods that grocery stores, restaurants and food vendors purchase and resell to customers are exempt from the ban, which was enacted Nov. 16.
In California, the town of Del Ray Oaks, with an estimated population of 1,650 three miles east of Monterey, is expected to approve a PS ban when the ordinance is read and heard for the second time Dec. 15. The ban will go into effect 30 days after that.
On a larger scale, Monterey County, which issued a study and a draft proposal for a PS ban earlier this month, will hold three public hearings in December on its proposal and plans to approve the ban early next year with an effective date one year after it is passed.
The Monterey County ban would apply to the approximately 170 restaurants, grocery stores and food vendors that operate within the unincorporated areas of the county. There are estimated 2,200 restaurants, grocers and food vendors in all of Monterey County, with PS bans already in effect in Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel, and with Del Ray Oaks expected to soon join them.
Altogether, 26 California towns and two counties have banned PS takeout packaging, most of them in northern California from the Monterey area to just north of San Francisco. Five California cities and one county have banned the use of PS takeout packaging at city facilities or events.
Further up the coast, Seattle, Portland and Issaquah have PS bans.
On the East Coast, Boston is considering a proposal introduced last month to ban PS takeout packaging at food-service establishments that have more than 5,000 square feet or more than five different locations in the city.
Three of the underlying reasons the bans continue to grow is that legislators view PS takeout packaging as a litter and landfill problem and because PS takeout packaging manufacturers, the industry and restaurants have developed very few programs to recycle PS — which has led to a conviction on the part of legislators that PS food service packaging is not recyclable.
“There are currently no meaningful ways of recycling polystyrene-based food packaging,” said the Issaquah city council in its summary statement that recommended the adoption of the ban.
The Del Ray Oaks council made a similar assertion. “Food service ware made from polystyrene foam is not biodegradable, returnable or practically recyclable,” the Del Ray Oaks council said in its findings. “It is not economically feasible at this time to recycle polystyrene foam in or near the city” — a thought that was echoed by Monterey County in the draft of its proposed ban.
In addition, legislators, in general, have a negative view of PS food service products, even after they receive feedback from packaging manufacturers, grocers, restaurants and industry associations.
For example, the Council Sustainability Committee in Issaquah held six meetings to get feedback from the companies and businesses the ordinance would impact.
But the final summary statement from Issaquah city council still made the assertion that “polystyrene packaging … has many detrimental effects, including the chemicals released during the manufacturing process, the lack of ability to recycle the material in Washington, [and] the volume of landfill space” it occupies. Its “non-biodegradable nature … makes it a major contributor to the litter found along our roadways and in our waterways.”
Its ordinance was equally as blunt in its disrespect for PS food service packaging. “The use of polystyrene-based … food packaging and service ware serves a limited purpose that is disproportionately detrimental to the welfare of the environment [as it is] often used, and disposed of, in minutes or days,” read the bill. “There is no meaningful method of recycling polystyrene-based food packaging and service ware.”
Del Ray Oaks made a similar assertion.
“Take-out food packaging that is biodegradable, compostable or recyclable is the most responsible and sustainable choice for the tourist economy, the citizenry and the environment,” said the Del Ray Oaks council in its findings “Biodegradable takeout packaging [products] do not harm the environment and are not a permanent blight on the landscape.”
The Issaquah ban applies to PS containers, clamshells, bowls, plates, trays, cartons, cups, lids, straws, utensils and any other items used in the food service business, including containers for leftovers. But it won’t apply to lids, containers, knives, forks and spoons used for hot foods and beverages until May 1, 2011.
The Issaquah law also requires all food service business utilize either a commercial food waste recycling service for compostable products and recyclable materials or provide containers onsite for recycling and composting.
Food service operators are also required to use compostable products made solely of organic substances or recyclable products, defined as products made from materials that can be separated from a waste stream and collected and delivered to a processor for reuse or remanufacture.
The Del Ray Oaks ban, expected to be approved Dec. 15, would not apply to single-use plastic straws, cup lids and utensils. It does not have an exemption for hot foods and hot beverage containers, lids and utensils, but, like the city of Issaquah, it will permit food service operators to sell pre-packaged food that food service operators buy and resell to customers.
The Del Ray Oaks ordinance would also require food service operators to use biodegradable, compostable or recyclable products. It defines recyclable plastics as plastics coded with resin identification codes of 1-5 and recyclable as any material that is accepted by the city of special district recycling program, including, but not limited to, paper, glass, aluminum, cardboard and plastic bottles, jars and tubs.
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Environmentalists target foam food trays
By Laura Isensee, Reuters, Nov. 24, 2009
LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) - Environmentalists and green businesses are targeting foam food trays used to sell vegetables, fruits and meat in grocery stores.
The ubiquitous trays, which are made from polystyrene, have a long shelf life in landfills, much like plastic bags which the green brigade also took aim at in recent years.
"The developers of expanded polystyrene made the perfect material. They brought the costs down. Functionally it works great. There are no complaints ... But it never goes away," said Richard Feldman, chief executive of G4 Packaging.
The Los Angeles-based company makes trays primarily from sugar cane pulp that can be composted in 90 days or recycled.
Some U.S. cities have started to limit the use of foam trays. Portland, Oregon passed a ban in 1989 and last year Seattle, Washington voted to ban foam containers from all businesses serving food.
Seattle will ratchet up its measure next year. Beginning in July grocery stores will have to stop using foam trays for meat packaged on site and all businesses must use food containers that are compostable, as well as recyclable.
"Most plastics have pretty significant environmental impacts and we didn't want them sent to the landfill," said Dick Lilly, the business area manager for waste prevention at Seattle Public Utilities.
Smaller cities in Washington followed Seattle's lead while the Costa Mesa, California-based nonprofit Earth Resource Foundation is pushing for statewide ban in California.
"This plastic problem is as big as global climate change ... It hurts your health, the economy and the environment," the group's executive director Stephanie Barger said.
Feldman believes legislative pressure could help to propel eco-friendly trays into a $100 million market.
His two-year-old company has more than $300,000 in monthly sales. Its deals include supplying trays for zucchini and peppers sold at upscale grocer Trader Joe's. A veteran of the food packaging industry, Feldman has previously worked with fast-food giant McDonald's Corp.
But going green in groceries will cost money -- a major hurdle even when the economy is on an upswing. Trays made from natural materials like sugar cane pulp or bamboo weigh more and cost more than traditional foam trays.
Trays made by G4 Packaging can cost 8 cents each, about double the cost of a traditional container, Feldman said.
"At some point more and more people will say I as a consumer am willing to pay three or four cents more in order to go ahead and see this change," Feldman said.
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World's first bio-sourced degradable smart cards
plastemart.com, Nov. 24, 2009
The world's first bio-sourced degradable smart cards has been introduced by Gemalto. The card body is made from renewable material, is easily recyclable and compostable, and can be incinerated without emissions of toxic fumes. Also, the company offers packaging made from recycled paper and vegetable inks that significantly reduce the product's environmental impact. These bio-sourced smart cards will be ready for mass production in Q1-2010.
This innovation meets the global demand from banks and operators - a bio-sourced smart banking card and a bio-sourced SIM card, each compliant to the industry standards in their respective sector. The bio-sourced smart cards complement Gemalto's portfolio of eco-friendly cards, made from paper-based materials for short-term use (e.g. scratch cards), as well as ABS and PETG based products, a chlorine-free alternative to PVC cards. The company opted for non-chlorine polymers in the late 1990's and today, adopting material stemming from agro-products is a major step forward in promoting sustainable solutions for card vendors and end users alike.
European Bioplastics Conference breaks visitor record
Packaging, Nov. 24, 2009
The fourth bioplastics industry conference held recently in Berlin set a new visitor record despite the difficult financial situation.
Three hundred and eighty visitors and 27 exhibitors attended the conference hosted by the European Bioplastics Association.
Experts still expect continued growth in the field of compostable and biobased materials.
"Where will the industry be in five years' time?", "What are the trends?", "Which materials will dominate the market?", "How can we communicate the advantages for the environment? and what are the optimum utilisation fields for bioplastics?"
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Biogas made available to UK homes
Envirotech Online, Nov. 23, 2009
A sustainable energy firm in the UK is set to offer biogas as an alternative fuel to British households.
Power company Ecotricity has announced that it can now supply biogas using a combination of green and brown sources, with the intention of increasing the percentage generated from green fuel as its customer base grows.
The organisation will take compostable waste that would usually go straight to landfill and use it to produce biogas.
According to Ecotricity, approximately 18 million tonnes of food is wasted by British households annually, which could be used to produce enough biogas to supply more than 700,000 homes.
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Mixed Waste Composting Review
Twelve facilities composting mixed municipal solid waste in the U.S. continue to fill a niche, turning difficult waste streams into useful product.
By Rhodes Yepsen, BioCycle November 2009, Vol. 50, No. 11, p. 23
COMPOSTING mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) is an attractive solution for many communities that want to divert organics from landfills, but don’t have the population density to support a source separated organics (SSO) scheme. These facilities are capital intensive and not always successful, however. About half of the facilities constructed in the U.S. in the last 25 years have closed, with only 12 remaining. Most recently, the plant in Cobb County, Georgia, built to process 200 tons/day of mixed waste, was converted into a materials recycling facility (MRF).
“In the European Union we’re seeing a push for biomechanical waste processing, but that’s in response to mandatory landfill diversion goals,” says Robert Spencer, an environmental planner who helped start up a few MSW composting facilities, including Cobb County. “Without a mandate, economics rule, and right now there aren’t many places in the U.S. with the right conditions.”
Ultimately, the success of MSW composting facilities comes down to site-specific circumstances, such as area landfill fees, local government commitment and possible markets for MSW compost. “There are several variables that can be controlled, such as installing sophisticated screening technology,” says Spencer. “Also, the most successful plants in the U.S. are co-sited with a landfill, which allows for internalized residuals disposal cost and a destination for possible off-spec compost as cover material.”
The MSW composting facility in Delaware County, New York is colocated with a landfill, and Susan McIntyre agrees that this is significant. “Quite a few municipalities tour our MSW composting facility and are interested, but it’s difficult to determine how viable it would be for them,” says McIntyre, Solid Waste Director of the Delaware County, Department of Public Works. “We are uniquely advantaged — isolated, high organics waste stream content, and we can control the waste because we own-operate the adjacent landfill, meaning we aren’t dependent on tip fees to make revenue or meet payroll.”
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There's only one winner in green diapers
By Ryan Roff, Tainted Green, Nov. 19, 2009
In the past, a green diaper was a cloth diaper. If a family wanted to be eco-friendly and avoid the harsh realities of a diaper sitting in a landfill for half a millennium, they would have to devote a lifetime (or at least it feels like a lifetime) to redundant cleaning and washing. Now, however, hybrid diapers offer the eco-friendly benefits of a cloth diaper with the convenience of a disposable diaper.
Green diapers have become a hot topic because of the distressing statistics surrounding the disposable diaper industry. According to the Real Diaper Association, 27.4 billion disposable diapers end up in landfills. The EPA estimates that is more than 3.4 million tons of waste.
The $5.7 billion disposable diaper industry continues to grow and with its growth, the amount of carbon emitting waste also continues to grow, but a new segment of the market, green diapers, may actually have an environmentally friendly impact.
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A Surge of Student Involvement
Those involved with the Associated Students of the University of Arizona have initiated a composting program, and are involved in a range of other efforts on campus to promote sustinability efforts.
By Lew Serviss, UANews.org, Nov. 23, 2009
On Veterans Day, when classes were adjourned and many buildings were dark, three environmentally conscious students gathered shortly after 2 p.m. in an aromatic corner of the Student Union Memorial Center basement to weigh kitchen garbage.
Lesley Ash, sustainability director for the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, found their quarry: a garbage can whose lid bore the warning: ASUA Compost, Do Not Touch. Inside were assorted kitchen scraps with a dusting of coffee grounds.
Alex Harris, a sophomore chemical engineering student, hoisted the can onto a scale and Jennifer Tobin, a senior chemical engineering student, read it off: 109 pounds.
The exercise, "a waste audit," was repeated at 9 p.m. After about three weeks of weighing the offerings, the students will have an idea of the amount of compost volume and the capacity of the composter they'll need to buy to begin a student-run composting program. Ash said the projection was that the various Student Union kitchens would produce two tons of compostable food waste a day. This day was especially light because of the holiday.
"We would divert several hundred tons of waste annually," said Ash, a veterinary science senior. She said estimates were that the program could save the University almost $80,000 a year in tipping fees. A small percentage of the compost will be used on campus and the rest will be sold in bulk for bioremediation purposes at the mines or to consumers, she said.
The composting program is just one of eight groups working under the banner of sustainability for the ASUA. Participation has soared from a year ago, Ash said. Her composting group has grown to eight students, each working fours hours a week, from largely just herself a year ago.
This year, more than 50 students have joined the sustainability program as interns – receiving some sort of academic credit – compared to 15 active volunteers a year ago, she said. In fact, there's a waiting list.
The response has been gratifying. "Part of it is to make a measurable difference on campus," Ash said, "but what really drives me is to see students who didn't know about environmental sustainability at the end of the day say, ‘Oh my gosh, I really can make a difference.' It's really cool to see that switch in a student."
In addition to the composting project, the ASUA sustainability program has seven other teams: General Sustainability, Sage Fund, Education/Outreach, Athletics, Garden in the Desert, Solar Dorm Initiative and Earth Day.
The Solar Dorm group is working to install a cogeneration, solar and hot water system on the roof of Posada San Pedro. "We hope to set up live energy monitoring so it would be a good comparative study," Ash said. "From a practical standpoint, we're hoping to save students money" in lower dorm costs.
The Garden in the Desert group was expected to break ground in November for a demonstration and productive garden of native plants at Udall Plaza, Ash said. "The idea is to expand to a larger productive garden where the produce grown would be sold to the Student Union, which would in turn generate compost in a closed-loop cycle," she said.
The General Sustainability group has taken "this really interesting direction," she said. One of their projects is to develop a multilayer interactive map of sustainability elements on campus. "We could give input to campus planners." Students tracked bicycle thefts, mapped high-theft areas and recommended changes to combat theft. "People will ride bikes, hopefully, if there's less of a probability that they will be stolen," Ash said.
The General Sustainability group will also map water flow from campus roofs to identify sites for water harvesting.
The Sage Fund is staffed by interns, Ash explained, but provides seed money to campus sustainability programs independent of the ASUA. The fund was set up that way so that it would not be impeded by a less sustainability-minded ASUA administration, she said.
"Ideally the purpose is the grant cycle, where not just students but faculty can apply for a grant or loan that involved sustainability." The money comes from fundraising, teamed up with the alumni foundation and UA Cares. They're seeking other partnerships as well. "We're seeing where this leads."
The Athletics team has taken on the challenge of trying to establish the carbon footprint of the athletics program.
Education/Outreach is working with elementary and junior high schools near the campus to develop a sustainability curriculum. The group has produced sustainable fashion shows called "Project Greenway," which feature recycled and used clothing to demonstrate "you can be sustainable and be fashionable at the same time," Ash said. "Actually, some of the recycled clothing looked pretty cool."
Ash said she hopes the increasing student involvement signals a change in culture. "It's bringing to a peak in recognition that this is important," she said, "and that ideally it won't regress but it will become second nature." She said a significant number of freshmen have become involved. "They have very original ideas."
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Students participate in composting programs
BY MARCY MIRANDA, coloradoan.com, Nov. 16, 2009
Students at Lesher IB World Middle School are learning a lesson in waste and recycling: If it was ever alive, it's compostable.
Lesher is one of two Poudre School District schools participating in composting pilot programs, said John Holcombe, the district's environmental and safety coordinator.
Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School has also been trying to reduce its impact on landfills by sorting its waste into compostable material.
"Composting is more sustainable," Holcombe said.
Lesher began its program in September and Kinard in October. Both average between 60 and 90 pounds of compost per day, Holcombe said.
Many everyday items that are not recyclable are compostable, said Annie Carey, marketing director for Clean Air Compost, which is working with Lesher.
Students have been learning items such as egg shells, vegetable peelings, paper towels and coffee grinds can be broken down instead of dumped in a landfill, she said.
Larger composting facilities that use heat to break down materials are also able to break down items not typically recommended for home composting, such as toilet paper rolls, corn-based containers, cups, disposable silverware and meat bones, Carey said.
Her company is also working with several restaurants in town, collecting their compost in an attempt to reduce waste.
"If you think of the volume of food waste, leftovers, cardboard boxes, they can significantly reduce their trash volumes and reduce their trash bill, their cost of compost," she said.
Holcombe was approached by Clean Air Compost, which asked about the possibility of setting up a composting program with the school district. Before taking it districtwide, Holcombe randomly chose Lesher as a pilot site. After getting approval from the principal, the cafeteria added a third waste bin to collect compost.
Students separate their lunch waste into recycling, composting and trash. The compost bin is equipped with a rack and a vent to separate and air out the water from the material, Carey said.
Each day, a different student serves as compost monitor, said Wiley Cate, a counselor at Lesher. Monitors help keep trash, recyclable and compostable material separate and educate their fellow classmates about composting.
"We've been having kids learn about composting and how it really lessens the amount of trash we put into the dump," Cate said. "I know our custodian said it's been cut significantly."
Carey said 18,000 pounds of compost have been picked up from Lesher since September.
At Kinard, the school's environmental group has a worm compost to help reduce the amount of garbage they created, Holcombe said. The success of the worm composting program was so great, the group realized it had more compost than it could feed the worms.
The school approached Holcombe to see if they could also participate in a composting program.
"We are trying all kinds of different things to try and divert the food from landfills," he said.
Holcombe hopes to add a third school to the composting program in January.
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Biopack Announces Initial Sales of New Water Resistant Trays
Filing Services Canada, Nov. 23, 2009
Hong Kong - Biopack Environmental Solutions Inc. a leading designer, manufacturer, and supplier of 100% biodegradable packaging products, is pleased to provide the following update to its press release dated October 22, 2009 and announce initial sales of a water resistant or "coated" fish tray to one of the largest international food conglomerates in the world. Biopack has designed, tested, manufactured and shipped this new coated fish tray that was custom made upon request to meet packaging needs of the food conglomerate, which operates nearly 3,000 retail stores in the United States and Europe under 11 different brand names generating approximately $40 billion in annual revenue.
Biopack's eco-friendly, 100% biodegradable and compostable coated fish tray was specifically made to complement an existing product within this retailers Sustainable Seafood Program, a 10-point policy which dictates how seafood is purchased and sold, based on social, ecological and economic considerations. The goals of this retail giant for delivering sustainable seafood into its stores are to:
* Promote the sale of seafood that is harvested in a sustainable way;
* Avoid the sale of species that have been over-fished or are in jeopardy;
* Actively work with the industry, NGOs, and governments to monitor and improve long-term viability of fish stocks.
Many global corporations are placing more emphasis on going green and sustainability. For example Walmart's Sustainability Index, announced earlier this year, is part of a major attempt by the retail giant to develop a more transparent supply chain. The index will show what is in each product and how the product is made - from raw materials to disposal. Eco-friendly sourcing of product and eco-friendly packaging are becoming more visible in many companies' business initiatives.
Click here to read the full article
Monday, November 23, 2009
Freedonia Focus on World Bioplastics
MarketResearch.com, Nov. 30, 2009 report date
This report discusses world bioplastics demand for the years 2003 and 2008, with forecasts for 2013. Topics covered include demand by product and market; production trends; regional demand overview; demand in North America, Western Europe, Asia/Pacific, and aggregate other regions; industry composition and leading participants. Product segments include biodegradable (starch-based and other) and non-biodegradable bioplastics. Market segments cover nopackaging and packaging. This 28 page report also includes a highlights summary and a resources section.
Click here to read more or order the report
KAIST/LG Chem Improve Bio-Plastics Process
New process cuts cost and complexity for biodegradable plastics.
By Levi Beckerson, DailyTech, Nov. 23, 2009
Polylactic Acid doesn’t sound like a friendly neighborhood chap, but it is in fact a common plastic. Not only is it biodegradable, it can be made from renewable resources like sugarcane and corn starch. The current common technique for producing PLA is both expensive and complex, involving bacterial fermentation and then chemical polymerization.
A collaboration between KAIST University (Korea) and LG Chem, led by professor Sang Yup Lee, has developed a new process which produces PLA using the same resources. The process is a one-step direct fermentation, but it utilizes a slightly unsavory, though common bacterial component: E. coli.
“By developing a strategy which combines metabolic engineering and enzyme engineering, we've developed an efficient bio-based one-step production process for PLA and its copolymers. This means that a developed E. coli strain is now capable of efficiently producing unnatural polymers, through a one-step fermentation process,” explains Lee.
“The polyesters and other polymers we use everyday are mostly derived from fossil oils made through the refinery or chemical process. The idea of producing polymers from renewable biomass has attracted much attention due to the increasing concerns of environmental problems and the limited nature of fossil resources. PLA is considered a good alternative to petroleum based plastics as it is both biodegradable and has a low toxicity to humans.”
Though the use of E. coli in the process seems at first unsettling, the benefits of such a process are readily apparent. Reduced production cost would allow for greater use of PLA in plastic products, possible reducing or even replacing the need for many of the non-biodegradable, petroleum-based products presently in use. Though it may indeed be a small step, Lee’s team’s research adds another bio-friendly product to a stack of growing “greener” products and resources.
The research work is published in the 50th anniversary of the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering.
Globe Guard Introduces Eco Friendly Bubble Wrap, Breakthrough in Biodegradable Packaging
PRWEB, Nov. 10, 2009
Plainfield, IL - Another gap in sustainable packaging has been filled by the Globe Guard Products division of Salazar Packaging, Inc. with the introduction of Eco Friendly Bubble Wrap.
The new material, a general purpose void fill, cushioning, and surface protection packaging product, is now in stock and available for immediate shipment throughout the U.S. market.
Eco Friendly Bubble Wrap is 100% recyclable, 100% degradable, and 100% biodegradable. In addition, it is CFC free / non toxic and does not deplete the ozone layer.
Beyond its impressive sustainable and biodegradable packaging characteristics, the material has excellent stretch to wrap securely around sharp corners and edges, superior strength to maintain protection in harsh shipping conditions, and high air retention to provide long lasting cushioning.
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
Resorts work to reduce waste, increase recycling
By Pamela LeBlanc, statesman.com, Nov. 22, 2009
VAIL, Colo. — Worms that eat coffee grounds. Old motor oil that heats workshops. Patio furniture made of recycled milk jugs.
Colorado ski resorts are going beyond standard recycling in an effort to green up their industry — and lure skiers and snowboarders concerned about the impact their sport is having on the mountains they love.
Sometimes it's hard to reconcile our ski-loving, traveling side with the side that cringes at the environmental effect of all those people on the snowy slopes and the travel we do to get there. On one hand, you're gliding past pristine, snow-frosted pines, sucking crisp mountain air into your lungs and bursting with love for the outdoors. Then you sit down for an hour at an on-mountain restaurant and watch heaps of napkins, disposable silverware and plastic cups get tossed in the garbage can.
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What's on the horizon for eco-friendly products?
By Heidi Thorne, The Business Ledger, Nov. 21, 2009
The eco-friendly product world continues to evolve. Since staying on top of what’s happening in this arena is critical for my business, I thought I’d share with you some of the trends that I see emerging:
Plastics that safely degrade/biodegrade
Since petroleum-based plastics can have life spans that run into millennia, I think we will see a preference for degradable and biodegradable products that don’t add to the billions of tons of waste plastic already in existence.
You might ask why we can’t just recycle all that plastic. The answer is that we can, but the levels of participation in recycling are still very low.
Let’s take plastic bags for example. The Worldwatch Institute reports that each year Americans “throw away” about 100 billion plastic bags; only 0.6 percent is recycled.
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Ban on plastic bags now gets thicker
By DNA Correspondent, DNA, Nov. 20, 2009
Gandhinagar, India: Following the Union ministry of forest & environment's new guidelines, the state government is likely to publish a notification banning manufacturing and use of 40 micron and 12x18 inches plastic bags. Plastic bags of 20 micron have already been banned.
State government sources said that non-recyclable laminated plastic/metallic pouches, multilayered packaging, and other non-recyclable plastic too would be prohibited.
Biodegradable plastic bags or containers or pouches or multilayered packaging made from biodegradable plastic films will have to meet BIS specifications. Under the newnorms, each carry bag will have to carry either 'Virgin Plastic' or 'recycled plastic' or 'bio-degradable plastic' markings. Manufactures will be required to print their name and address on the plastic carry bag."
Sources further said that the government may also ban use of plastic in eco fragile, tourist spots and in public places among many other sensitive areas. State chief secretary, D Rajagopalan has asked state forest & environment department to stringently follow the central government order.
Emarat uses only Biodegradable Plastic bags in all its Service Stations
Al Bawaba, Nov. 19, 2009
Emirates General Petroleum Corporation "Emarat" is using eco-friendly biodegradable plastic bags in all its service stations in Dubai and Northern Emirates reaffirming the Corporation's commitment towards the environment's safety and green standards.
Mr. Hussain Kazim, Manager Corporate Communications at Emarat, said that the Corporation is well aware of the risks imposed by use of regular indecomposable plastic bags on the environment. He said “Emarat stands committed to taking strict measures to ensure that we play a responsible and active role in the local community to reduce such waste. Biodegradable bags have been designed to protect the environment as they decompose once exposed to sunlight or buried underground.“
To further this positive initiative Emarat has instructed all its sites not to give out shopping bags on purchases of small items but only on major purchases or when requested by the customer.
He urged others in the region to follow suit emphasizing that a collective effort from all retailers will have a sizeable impact on protecting the tomorrow of our children!
BASF's biodegradable plastic: from paper cups to packaging
The German company says its new products made of renewable raw materials are expected to be introduced to the market in the first quarter of 2010.
by Lisa Sibley, Cleantech Group, Nov. 13, 2009
The world's leading chemical company BASF said it has added a new biodegradable plastic to its existing Ecovio product line.
The Ludwigshafen, Germany-based (ETR:BAS) company said the plastic has specific applications in coating paper and for manufacturing so-called shrink films, which are used to wrap packaged goods. The products have been branded as Ecovio FS Paper and Ecovio FS Shrink Film.
“In order to obtain effective paper coatings, a film made of the new Ecovio FS Paper has to be easy to process and exhibit good adhesion to the paper, even when applied in thin layers. Such coatings are used, for example, on paper cups or cardboard boxes,” said BASF’s Gabriel Skupin, in a news release. Skupin heads the company’s technical product development for biodegradable plastics.
The products mark a company effort to be more specialized with its offerings for specific market segments. The plastic—made of biodegradable polyester and polylactic acid extracted from corn starch—also biodegrades more rapidly than its predecessors and has a higher content of renewable raw materials, BASF said.
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Saturday, November 21, 2009
Where To Take Thanksgiving Cooking Oil?
The green way to dispose of used cooking oil
Charlotte Energy Solutions, is accepting used cooking oil for recycling purposes.
Drop it off at our location day or night.
337 Baldwin Ave.
Charlotte, NC 28204
(704) 333-4358 or mark@charlotteenergysolutions.com
Thinking of making fried turkey this Thanksgiving? Thousands of Charlotteans do each year and some would argue it's the only way to go, but clean-up can be troublesome. Luckily, there are many options for how to dispose of the remaining cooking oil.
Cooking oils can usually be used multiple times when used for deep-frying. Simply strain the left-over oil to remove any batter pieces or other debris, place the oil in a clean, sealable plastic container and use it again.
Small amounts of cooking oil can also be combined with organic materials for composting, or soaked into shredded paper and discarded in the trash.
With 3 to 5 gallons of cooking oil, however, it isn't practical to simply toss it into the trash -- and forget about pouring it down the drain!
Cooking oil and grease poured down drains can build up in pipes causing backups at home, in municipal water systems, and wreak havoc on sewage treatment. Dumping into a storm drain is even worse, because all that grime will flow directly into lakes, rivers and oceans and pollute natural habitats.
Instead, large quantities of oil can be recycled and turned into other products -- including biodiesel fuel.
We are centrally located near downtown Charlotte between the two hospitals at
Charlotte Energy Solutions
337 Baldwin Ave,
Charlotte, NC 28204
(704) 333-4358
mark@charlotteenergysolutions.com
www.CharlotteEnergySolutions.com
Carolina Green FoodService Supply - Biodegradable, compostable, & sustainable foodservice packaging & restaurant supplies.
http://carolinagreensupply.com
