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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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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
A Surge of Student Involvement
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.
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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
