One way to encourage progress on a goal like energy reduction is to have a competition. Many of these competitions take place in the education sector. The ongoing Green Cup Challenge is one example. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has organized a number of national competitions, including the Battle of the Buildings and [...]
Archive for the ‘Recylcing’ Category
“eBay for Rentals” Rentstuff Goes Nationwide
January 30th, 2012
Justin Manger Take a quick look in your closet. Or your attic. Or your garage. If you’re like most Americans, you’ve got tons of “stuff,” a lot of which you use rarely, if at all. It seems like someone, somewhere may be looking for something that you have. It sounds like there may be a trade waiting to [...]
Growing Up in LA
January 29th, 2012
Eric Wilson A few weeks ago I was talking with another transplant from Los Angeles who also became interested in environmental sustainability. She asked what it was that got me interested in the topic. I told her that I never was big on going outside – not like I am now at least. I’ve hypothesized before on [...]
Five Friday Facts: Industrial Waste
January 27th, 2012
Eric Wilson As a follow up to yesterday’s post detailing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) most recent Toxics report, comes today’s Five Friday Facts. The EPA compared many of the 2010 figures to 2000. The facts below come from Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and Hunter Lovins (the latter two are co-founders of the Rocky [...]
EPA Publishes Toxics Release Inventory for 2010
January 26th, 2012
Chris DeArmond Every year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which provides emissions data on 650 toxic chemicals, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention practices of industrial facilities around the country. Data from TRI show that while releases and disposals of hazardous chemicals grew by 16 percent between [...]
From Used Mattress to Commodity
January 23rd, 2012
Eric Wilson If you’ve ever wondered what happens to your mattress after you’re done using it, Spring Back Recycling has one answer. The new company started recycling the old foam and spring amalgamations. Spring Back Recycling, which was founded last year, charges patrons $10 per mattress to recycle the old sleep-aids. More than just an environmentally friendly [...]
Game Day Challenge: College Football’s Other Season Long Competition
January 17th, 2012
Eric Wilson Last week the extended collegiate football season wrapped up with a one-sided victory by the University of Alabama over Louisiana State University. In the championship game matching two football powerhouses, there was little room for smaller schools to compete for the national championship against the proverbial “big boys”. Unlike the NCAA baskteball tourney – in [...]
My Issue with Keurig Coffee Cups
January 15th, 2012
Megan Stilley The new rage is K-cups, also known as Keurig individual cups of coffee. Not only do these individual coffee cups have individual packaging that is not recyclable, it also has its own coffee maker that you have to purchase in order to use the K-cups. The idea of these coffee cups bothers me, deep down to [...]
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