3p Contributor: Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Recent Articles
Burgerville Adds Compostable Cups and Lids to Menu
F
ast food chain, Burgerville, recently announced it is switching to commercially compostable cups and lids as part of its goal to divert 85 percent of the company’s waste stream from landfills. Burgerville is the first fast food chain to use compostable paper cups company-wide.
The compostable “ecotainer” soda cups and lids, developed by International Paper in cooperation with Coca-Cola, are made from fiber from sustainably-managed forests that meet the Sustainable Forestry Institute (SFI) guidelines. A corn-based coating, NatureWorks Ingeo, is used in the cups and lids to create a water-resistant barrier. And ecotainer products require less energy to produce than traditional paper cups.
Burgerville has also teamed with the Portland Roasting Company in an effort to bring Farm Friendly Direct coffee to all its customers. Proceeds from coffee sales help improve the lives of coffee farmers and their communities though the building of community centers, schools and water treatment centers.
Dumpster Diving Day Saves Burt’s Bees $25K Annually
The old adage “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” sure rings true for a North Carolina-based earth friendly natural personal care products company. In 2008, employees from Burt’s Bees took part in Dumpster Day, an event held to educate employees about waste reduction.
Trash destined for the landfill was collected for two weeks and divided into three categories – items that should have been recycled but were not, things that should be recycled and garbage. With about five tons of stockpiled trash dumped onto the parking lot, employees donned Hazmat suits and dove in to find out what they could dig up.
The Toxies Awards Recognize Worst Chemicals of the Year
Millions of people around the world tuned in to last weekend’s Academy Award show, bringing another Hollywood award season to a close. While nabbing an Oscar or Emmy is considered an honor, another lesser known red carpet event took place last weekend where winning an award is not recommended.
The Toxies were held at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood on March 3, 2010. Awards were given to Bad Actor Chemicals, chemicals and compounds found in everyday products that affect our health. There are over 80,000 synthetic chemicals currently registered for use in the United States. Many of those chemicals have not been adequately tested. 1,400 chemicals in use today that have been studied, have known links to cancer, birth defects and other health-related problems.
Hello Rewind Project Gives New Life to Old T-Shirts and Sex Trafficking Survivors
Let’s face it. Chances are pretty good you have an old t-shirt in your dresser that has seen better days, but for whatever reason, you just can’t seem to let it go. Whether it has sentimental value or is a one-of-a-kind vintage tee, if you can’t part with that shirt, a new company, that is combining recycling with a mission, can put it to use.
While staring at a pile of old t-shirts in her Manhattan apartment and with no room to spare, Jess Lin wanted to make “something usable” out of all those shirts. After developing a concept, Lin founded the Hello Rewind Project. Hello Rewind upcycles old t-shirts into a one-of-a-kind usable product while providing help and assistance to sex trafficking survivors in New York City.
Many people may be surprised to learn that sex trafficking occurs in the United States. In fact, this form of modern-day slavery has been reported in all 50 states. In 2004, the United States Department of Justice estimated that up to 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States annually. While most of the victims are women, men and children are also victims.
Recycling Is the Winning Ticket at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center
The Dunkin’ Donuts Center, located in Providence, Rhode Island, is taking a different approach when it comes to recycling. According to a recent company press release, two TOMRA UNO reverse vending machines (RVMs) have been installed in the food court at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The 31,000 square-foot facility serves as the premier events arena in the area, hosting sporting events, concerts and a variety of shows.
The machines, each about the size of a standard beverage vending machine, not only provide a clean and simple way to dispose of glass, plastic and aluminum beverage containers, they provide an extra incentive to recycle. Using high-tech, patented bottle recognition technology, each machine can sort, collect and store. Each machine is capable of handling up to 20 containers per minute and can hold up to 500 beverage containers. And both user-friendly machines, provided by Coca-Cola, display positive messages, like “give it back” and “live positively.”
A Greener Olympics: Coke’s Green 2010 Winter Olympic Games Efforts
Numerous organizations and companies have committed to making the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games more environmentally friendly. Whether it is the Olympic medals comprised partly of electronic waste or the Olympia electric ice-resurfacing machine, next to gold, green is the color of choice when it comes to the 2010 Winter Games.
Coca-Cola is taking part in a variety of sustainable efforts that are the largest and most comprehensive in the history of the company. The soft drink giant, an Olympic Games partner since 1928, is committing to be carbon neutral by reducing the company’s Olympic carbon emissions by 100 percent.
Olympic Medals Reuse E-Waste: Green is the new Gold for 2010
The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have added another color to its coveted gold, silver and bronze medal lineup – green! For the first time in Olympic history, the 2010 athlete medals contain metals from end-of-life electronic waste, commonly referred to as e-waste.
Teck Resources, Ltd., a diversified mining company based in Vancouver, is the exclusive supplier of the metals used in the Olympic medals. Components from circuit boards originally destined to landfills, have been added to all of the athletes’ medals. In fact, 6.8 metric tonnes of circuit board from end-of-life electronics were diverted from landfills for the making of the 1,014 medals. The company is also an Official Supporter of the Games.
The E-Waste Market: The Good, Bad and the Ugly
While technology has become more affordable and readily available, discarded electronic waste, commonly referred to as e-waste, has become a great big problem. That shiny new gadget you buy today will probably be obsolete tomorrow. So what happens to all that electronic waste?
According to a 60 Minutes segment, an estimated 130,000 computers are thrown out every day in the US. In 2005, four billion pounds of e-waste was tossed out in the United States. While most is either incinerated or dumped in landfills, some of the waste that is “recycled” actually ends up being exported to developing countries. Workers, often paid low wages, process the materials in primitive conditions, putting the workers and the environment at risk.
Cargoshell Collapsible Shipping Containers: A Greener and Flatter Way to Transport Goods
Shipping containers play an integral role in moving goods from one location to another. A Dutch company, Cargoshell, has designed an innovative collapsible shipping container that may soon revolutionize the way products are transported.
While traditional containers can transport an enormous amount of cargo, when the containers are empty, they take up a massive amount of space that is not utilized. On the other hand, the volume of a folded Cargoshell container is one-fourth the size of a steel container, reducing space up to 75 percent. Touted as the “container concept of the 21st century,” it takes one person less than 30 seconds to fold and unfold the container.
A Greener Apple: iPad Includes Eco-Friendly Features
The world finally got its first glimpse of the newest gadget in town, the iPad. Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs, unveiled the new tablet computer earlier this week in San Francisco.
Weighing less than two pounds, the iPad is less than 10 inches tall and is only half an inch thick. But besides its super-sleek design and advanced technologies, the iPad also includes several eco-friendly features as well.
Solar-Powered Plane One Step Closer to Around-the-World Flight
What began as a dream years ago is now becoming reality for two very talented Swiss pilots. Dr. Bertrand Piccard, a 51-year-old psychiatrist and aeronaut, along with former fighter pilot and project CEO Andre Borschberg, are getting ready to fly around the world in a solar-powered aircraft. Imagine flying from here-to-there without the need for fuel.
In December, test pilot Markus Scherdel took their prototype solar aircraft, the Solar Impulse HB-SIA , on a successful first test flight near Zurich. After the flight was completed, the craft was dismantled and moved to another location for further testing.
Solar-Power Innovations Helping Haiti
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th, caused not only a tremendous loss of life, but considerable damage to the nation’s infrastructure. As people around the world watch the heart-wrenching images coming out of the earthquake ravaged nation, donations are pouring in.
But getting aid into Haiti has been a slow-going process, especially when the lines of communication are interrupted. Communication is critical in getting humanitarian aid, services and information into the disaster area.
But despite the overwhelming obstacles and destruction, Haiti does have one bright spot – the sun. Besides food, water, shelter and medical supplies, solar-powered devices are also being distributed – many of which will have long lasting benefits beyond the immediate crisis. Solar lighting, water purification systems, mobile phones, laptops and even Audio Bibles powered by the sun, are all being donated.
Adobe Installs Windspire Turbines in Downtown San Jose
Adobe Systems is yet another company that has jumped on the alternative power energy bandwagon. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Adobe Systems has installed 20 Windspire vertical axis turbines atop the parking garage of its LEED certified office complex.
While the feasibility of placing wind turbines in urban areas was once problematic, new integrated systems have made it possible for wind energy to be used in cities and residential areas.
Green Jobs: Wind Power Provides Dream Job for Climbers
With a “high” unemployment rate, many people are scrambling to find a job. Whether you or someone you know is hunting for work or simply considering a different career path, turbine maintenance is not only challenging, it is guaranteed to have you reaching for the stars.
Combining climbing and caving techniques with green technology, specialized rope access technicians, also called rope specialists, utilize their techniques to inspect, clean and repair wind turbines, reports the New York Times. According to rope-based service provider Ropeworks, “Rope access technicians descend, ascend and traverse ropes for access and work while suspended by a harness or a work seat. For years, these fearless workers scaled the likes of oil rigs, skyscrapers, bridges and mountain cliffs. But today, rope access technicians are keeping our green technology in good working order.
Recent Comments