P2 News Digest
Focusing on issues in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Search for Archived Stories
Making the Grade?
09/02/2010
Source: Waste Age, 8/1/10.
Refuse fleets testing alternative fuels say it's still too early to tell what the ultimate advantages or disadvantages of their use may be.Original Story
DEA Pushes Nationwide Medication Disposal Event
09/01/2010
Source: Earth911, 8/26/10.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is partnering with community law enforcement offices to offer nationwide collection events for unused prescription medications on September 25. It is the first nationwide program that will address the proper disposal of pharmaceutical waste.Original Story
Composting in the City
09/01/2010
Source: Earth911, 8/30/10.
For some city-dwellers, composting is as easy as adding your food trimmings and other compostables to the yard waste bin. But for the millions residing in urban areas without compostable pickup, this reduction endeavor requires a bit of additional effort.Original Story
Saving the Planet With the Flick of a Switch
09/01/2010
Source: Huffington Post, 8/31/10.
Jeff Bocan writes about improvements in LED lighting.Original Story
Dark nights: the global effort to tackle light pollution
09/01/2010
Source: Ecologist, 8/31/10.
The energy, financial and health costs of lighting up our homes and streets could be saved through better lighting and an end to wasteful illuminations.Original Story
Did Smartphones Get a Green Boost in O2's Rating Scheme?
09/01/2010
Source: GreenerComputing, 9/1/10.
O2 has today earned plaudits with the launch a major new initiative designed to rate the environmental credentials of 65 leading mobile phones and provide consumers with an easy to understand guide to which phones are greenest.Original Story
Companies Get the Basics of Green IT, But Lack Maturity
09/01/2010
Source: GreenerComputing, 8/31/10.
While awareness of green IT and energy used by a company's computing departments are widespread, a new survey sponsored by Fujitsu found that every area of green IT could use improvement, and that green IT practices as a whole lack maturity in every corner of the globe.Original Story
Climate Corps 2010: Four Ways to Plug in PC Power Management
09/01/2010
Source: GreenBiz, 8/30/10.
Through her success working on computer power management at eBay, Megan Rast found four key takeaways for working on sustainability and energy efficiency in IT.Original Story
Designer Creates Dress With Recycled Wires
08/31/2010
Source: Wired, 8/27/10.
Electronic waste can sometimes find a surprising second lease on life, as designer Tina Sparkles has proved by making a dress using recycled wires.Original Story
Eco-friendly phones: Today's market and tomorrow's prototypes
08/31/2010
Source: EcoSquid, 8/31/10.
Hopefully soon, the choice cell phone consumers make about what to do with their mobiles at the end of their lifespans won't be the only green decision they make.Original Story
Wacom Announces E-waste Program
08/31/2010
Source: Wacom, 8/31/10.
Wacom Technology Corp. announces the start of its e-waste (electronic waste) take-back program for customers looking to recycle interactive pen display models that are no longer being used or ready to be retired.Original Story
Indie Cafes Struggle Putting Sustainability on the Menu
08/31/2010
Source: GreenBiz, 8/17/10.
The U.K.-based New Economics Foundation (NEF) writes about the state of sustainability, healthfulness of food and social conditions in the so-called "casual eating" sector in its new report, "An Inconvenient Sandwich: The Throwaway Economics of Takeaway Food." Although the group based its report on interviews with cafe and quick-service restaurants in south London, the overall message is applicable elsewhere: The casual eating sector must be included in discussions and policies to increase the sustainability of the food industry.Original Story
IL: Cintas' Recyclable Shirt Made from Plastic Bottles, 'Eco-Charcoal'
08/31/2010
Source: GreenBiz, 8/25/10.
Cintas rolled out a new recyclable uniform this week made from a combination of recycled plastic bottles and "eco-charcoal" derived from coconut shells and nano-bamboo particles.Original Story
NEC Makes Cashew-Based Bioplastic for Electronics
08/31/2010
Source: GreenerDesign, 8/27/10.
Electronics company NEC has developed a bioplastic made with an extract from cashew nut shells and plant cellulose that is twice as strong as another bioplastic typically made from corn starch.Original Story
EcoPlus Drink Cartons Trim Packaging Emissions by One-Third
08/31/2010
Source: ClimateBiz, 8/30/10.
A maker of carton packaging for drinks and liquid foods has developed a new carton format that reduces the carbon footprint of packages by almost a third.Original Story
Design Roundup: Cleaners Packaged in Sugar Cane, Art That Dries Clothes
08/31/2010
Source: GreenerDesign, 8/27/10.
GreenerDesign highlights several new products that are eco-friendly by design.Original Story
Deflating the Dangers of Vinyl With Greener Chemicals
08/31/2010
Source: GreenerDesign, 8/18/10.
Anywhere you go to cool off this summer you will likely find a sea of vinyl accessories, including inflatable tubes, rafts, arm floats and beach balls. These hot-selling hot-weather items are intended to keep children safe and happy in the water, but they are not made of the safest materials for human and environmental health.Original Story
EPA, DOT Propose New Fuel Economy Labels
08/30/2010
Source: U.S. EPA, 8/30/10.
As a new generation of cars and light trucks start appearing on the market, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are jointly proposing changes to the fuel economy labels consumers see on the window of every new vehicle in dealer showrooms. The proposed rule seeks public comment on label design options and related issues. The public can view the proposed rule and labels at: http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/ and submit comments as part of the rulemaking process via email to: newlabels@epa.gov. They can also review the proposed rule at http://www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy.Original Story
Entry into Force of the Amendments adding Nine Chemicals to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants on 26 August 2010
08/27/2010
Source: Stockholm Convention on Persistant Organic Pollutants, 8/26/10.
The amendments to list additional persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Annexes A, B and/or C of the Stockholm Convention, adopted by the Conference of the Parties of the Convention at its fourth meeting in May 2009, enter into force on 26 August 2010 for the 152 of the 170 Parties to the Stockholm Convention that have not submitted a notification or a declaration, respectively in accordance with paragraphs 3 and 4 of Article 22 of the Convention.Original Story
EPA Denies Petition Calling for Lead Ammunition Ban
08/27/2010
Source: U.S. EPA, 8/27/10.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today denied a petition calling for a ban on the production and distribution of lead hunting ammunition. EPA sent a letter to the petitioners explaining the rejection.Original Story
Is There a Case Against CSR?
08/27/2010
Source: Triple Pundit, 8/2/410.
Corporate social responsibility is more than "doing well by doing good." Companies have found that implementing measures related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues make a solid business case as well. Consumers have also become more aware of the impacts that their favorite products have on the planet and people, and are urging companies to respond in kind. CSR approaches are hardly monolithic: some companies focus on taking care of their employees and communities, like Ohio-based Smuckers. Others, like Timberland, educate their consumers on the where, why and how their products are manufactured, and work with their vendors to improve working conditions and economic opportunities for their workers. Many companies follow a reporting standard like that of the Global Reporting Initiative; others simply maintain a portal or issue an annual report.Original Story
Beware: Toxins in E-Waste
08/27/2010
Source: Urban Mining.
For all of the good in recycling and reusing old electronics, we must examine some of the potential hazards. All e-waste materials have toxins embedded within, and the processes used to extract the valued commodities -- gold, silver, platinum, copper, palladium, plastics, glass, etc. -- are risky, potentially exposing workers to highly toxic materials.Original Story
GAO e-Waste Report Misses the Mark on Basel Convention
08/27/2010
Source: Sustainable Business | Aug. 12, 2010.
The U.S. Congress released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report yesterday that addresses the management and trade of hazardous electronic wastes. The report correctly urges the EPA to deal with the massive flows of U.S. e-waste. However, according to the Electronic TakeBak Coalition, it misses the mark in recommending that the EPA put forward legislation that would ratify the Basel Convention, without first prohibiting the export of hazardous electronic waste to developing countries.Original Story
Technology Is Never Neutral
08/27/2010
Source: Tech News World | Aug. 13, 2010.
For some parts of the world, technology has come to deliver longer lives, better health and greater conveniences. However, that progress has also come at a cost to other parts of the world. We live in an era of cheap, disposable electronic consumer goods, and it's taken its toll on places where products are made before they're delivered to you, and where they go after they're tossed aside for the next big thing.Original Story
GAO Releases Report on Electronics Recycling
08/27/2010
Source: Recycling Today | Aug. 13, 2010.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report with its recommendations to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on next steps to safely increase the recycling of obsolete electronics.Original Story
Are e-mail attachments bad for the environment?
08/27/2010
Source: Mother Nature Network | Aug. 12, 2010.
Before you send that photo of Fluffy doing something cute to 20 people, consider the impact of every person downloading and storing it.Original Story
State mandates e-waste program
08/27/2010
Source: Brattleboro Reformer | Aug. 24, 2010.
Vermont has had almost 100 percent compliance as it rolls out its new e-waste program, which is intended to cut down on the amount of electronic waste that ends up in the state's landfills.Original Story
Smartphone, HDTV Boom Begets Gargantuan E-Waste Problem
08/27/2010
Source: PBS | Aug, 23, 2010.
The digital media revolution promises to improve the quality of our lives though an expanded capacity to communicate, collaborate, learn and make informed decisions. Yet our seemingly insatiable demand for digital media is driving a proliferation of consumer electronic devices and IT infrastructure, which are significantly contributing to a tsunami of toxic electronic waste.Original Story
Scientists Concerned About Environmental Impact of Recycling of E-Waste
08/27/2010
Source: Science Daily | Aug. 26, 2010.
Much of the world's electronic waste is being shipped to China for recycling and the cottage industry that has sprung up there to recover usable materials from computers, cell phones, televisions and other goods may be creating significant health and environmental hazards.Original Story
E-waste recycling a 'health and environmental hazard'
08/27/2010
Source: SifyNews | Aug. 27, 2010.
Scientists are concerned that recycling of electronic waste from computers, cell phones and other goods might be creating significant health and environmental hazards.Original Story
HP, DiData tackle Aussie e-waste
08/27/2010
Source: ZDNet | Aug. 16, 2010.
Dimension Data and HP have both launched e-waste-related products today, while Fujitsu released a Green IT report that found there was a relative lack of green IT policies across large organisations in Australia, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and India.Original Story
Coinstar Going After E-Waste Market
08/27/2010
Source: Reuters | Aug. 17.
Coinstar, a U.S. based kiosk operator with brands that include its flagship Coinstar machines as well as the popular "redbox" DVD rental kiosks in supermarkets, has announced an undisclosed investment in ecoATM, a maker of kiosks which pays consumers for recycling their old electronics.Original Story
African countries clamp down on PC donations
08/27/2010
Source: TechCentral.
Camara, an Irish charity that specialises in the delivery of technology solutions to schools in under-resourced areas in Africa and Ireland acknowledge the problem of e-waste that has sparked this campaign. This problem, which was further highlighted in a UN Report, indicating that global e-waste is growing by about 40 million tons a year, much of which is being dumped in developing countries.Original Story
Green lights on the IT highway
08/27/2010
Source: Telegraph Journal | Aug. 27, 2010.
We are living through the information revolution. Whether it is smart phones, tablet computers, social media or new user-friendly software, new information and communications technologies (ICT) are having a profound effect on our lives, our workplaces and our future.Original Story
GREEN TELECOM: Biodegradable Material For Mobile Phones
08/27/2010
Source: Voice & Data | Jul. 27, 2010.
NEC says that it has developed a new form of bio-plastic that could be used for mobile phones and is 70% made from a mixture of cellulose, a main component of plant stems, with cardanol, a primary component of cashew nut shells.Original Story
Target, Best Buy join the used games market
08/27/2010
Source: Network World | Aug. 26, 2010.
Two big retailers waded into the used games/trade-in market today with separate approaches. Target wants your trade-ins and Best Buy will take what it can get. With the Target trade-in program, consumers can turn in their "new or used iPod, iPhone, video game, GPS system, camera, and DVDs and Blu-ray discs" and receive a Target GiftCard to spend on anything in any Target store. The program is part of a joint effort between Target and NextWorth, an electronics recycling system committed to reducing e-waste.Original Story
How to Move Green IT From Defense to Offense
08/27/2010
Source: Reuters | Aug. 25.
My work as a Forrester analyst is focused on helping strategists at IT suppliers (vendors) align their development, positioning, and messaging with the big trends and disruptions in the industry. Mobility, cloud computing, globalization ... trends at that high altitude. Over the last three years or so, that has included sustainability as it has appeared on and risen higher the strategy agenda of companies around the world.Original Story
Dell Sets Packaging Bar High For Electronics Industry
08/27/2010
Source: Earth911.
Technological advances and stringent legislation have made 2010 a big year for the electronics industry. But despite a high interest in e-waste exportation and the development of sleeker designs that allow for easier recycling, many manufacturers are still skipping over one important detail: packaging.Original Story
GAO to Congress: Stronger Electronics Management Needed
08/27/2010
Source: Earth911 | Aug. 27.
August has been a big month in the realm of electronic waste and recycling, as the subject was both the focus of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study and a named an international priority by the EPA. The GAO study was prepared for the House of Representative Committee on Science and Technology and released to the public August 11.Original Story
LEDs promise brighter future, not necessarily greener
08/26/2010
Source: Science Centric, 8/25/10.
Solid-state lighting pioneers long have held that replacing the inefficient Edison light bulb with more efficient solid-state light-emitting devices (LEDs) would lower electrical usage worldwide, not only 'greenly' decreasing the need for new power plants but even permitting some to be decommissioned. But, in a paper published Thursday in the Journal of Physics D, leading LED researchers from Sandia National Laboratories argue for a shift in that view.Original Story
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