Environmental News

A manufacturer-run program for collecting mercury thermostats is failing to keep the heavy metal out of the trash in most states, according to a new report released today by two environmental groups: the Multi-State Mercury Products Campaign (MMPC) and the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI). Source: Environmental Leader, 4/4/13

Employees who participate in workplace sustainability programs are likely to promote sustainable practices at home, and encourage others to participate. And three out of four will make purchasing decisions based on a company's environmentally-conscious practices, a new study finds. Source: Environmental Leader, 4/4/13

Ford Motor Company says it is expanding its 3-Wet paint capacity by 50 percent this year, adding the environmentally friendly process to four more plants on three continents. It expects the process to reduce CO2 emissions between 15 and 25 percent at those facilities. Source: Environmental Leader, 4/4/13

Researchers at the University of Georgia have found a way to transform carbon dioxide trapped in the atmosphere into useful industrial products. Their discovery may soon lead to the creation of biofuels made directly from the carbon dioxide in the air that is responsible for trapping the sun's rays and raising global temperatures. Source: University of Georgia, 3/26/13

The largest harmful algae bloom in Lake Erie's recorded history was likely caused by the confluence of changing farming practices and weather conditions that are expected to become more common in the future due to climate change. Source: University of Michigan, 3/17/13

Ecolab has introduced an industrial laundry program that it says cleans heavily soiled textiles without using hazardous chemicals and can save industrial laundry customers as much as 3 million gallons of water a year. Source: Environmental Leader, 4/2/13

Jennifer Woofter applies six barriers to innovation to sustainability initiatives. Source: Environmental Leader, 4/2/13

Harlequin romance novels and Toronto Star parent company Torstar has adopted paper procurement principles that it says will eliminate the use of fiber from ancient and endangered forests -- but it doesn't set any target deadlines or percentages. Source: Environmental Leader, 4/2/13

Procter & Gamble today announced that 45 of its facilities have achieved zero manufacturing waste to landfill. Source: Environmental Leader, 4/2/13

Perhaps one of the most well-known climate activists of our times, environmental writer Bill McKibben is on a mission to slow down the effect of greenhouse gases on the earth. Alongside his colleagues at the nongovernmental organization 350.org, McKibben has spearheaded a campaign calling upon communities, governments and universities all around the world to take action by divesting from fossil fuel companies. GreenBiz Interim Managing Editor Kristine A. Wong recently spoke with McKibben about lessons for business in the age of climate change. Source: GreenBiz, 4/1/13

Interview with Tim Lindsey, Global Director of Sustainable Development at Caterpillar. Source: GreenBiz, 3/31/13

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office announced plans to issue a new Wireless Metering Challenge to spur the development of low cost electric metering devices that can serve growing interest in panel level sub metering being seen throughout the commercial sector. Key features of the challenge specification include a low cost target, essential requirements for electrical energy measurement, and wireless data transmission to an onsite collection point. Draft specifications for the wireless metering device are now available for review. Source: Environmental News Bits, 4/2/13

Ohio University Campus Recycling has created a visual representation of how recyclable materials can add up over the course of just four weeks. Source: WOUB News, 3/26/13

Washington University plans to spend $30 million on sustainability efforts over the next five years, a push that comes as the institution gears up to host a big meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. Source: St. Louis Beacon, 3/27/13

Federal charges against a Surrey recycling firm for the alleged illegal export of hazardous electronics to China don't reflect the success of B.C.'s e-waste recycling system, according to a spokesman. Craig Wisehart, executive director of the Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA), said the stewardship agency fully supports the prosecution of "nefarious" recyclers who send e-waste to developing countries, where impoverished workers may be poisoned by toxins. He was responding to Environment Canada's decision to charge Surrey-based Electronics Recycling Canada with shipping cathode ray tube monitors and batteries to Macau in 2011. Source: Surrey Leader, 3/26/13

Boston -- Television, computer and other electronics manufacturers would be required to recycle their old products once consumers discard them, under a bill endorsed by a legislative committee immediately following a hearing on it. If passed by the Legislature, Massachusetts would join 24 other states which have imposed requirements on consumer electronics manufacturers to dispose of products after they are sold. Source: State House News Service, 3/26/13

In the United States, only species listed on state or federal noxious weed lists are regulated, and those lists are often biased toward species that affect agricultural crops. Conversely, invasive plant council lists include species that affect natural landscapes but have no regulatory clout. After comparing the lists and how they are created, researchers at the University of Illinois' Energy Biosciences Institute have developed some suggestions on how to improve the regulation of all invasive plant species, including new biofuels plants. Source: Biofuels Journal, 3/26/13

Industrial design sophomores participated Friday in Discarded to Precious, a competition challenging design students to collect discarded items and transform them into something "precious." Competition results will be announced Monday afternoon. Source: Daily Illini, 3/31/13

Applications are available on the IRA website for the Illinois Recycling Association Annual EXCELLENCE IN RECYCLING Awards. Nominations are accepted from any current IRA member in good standing. Persons/groups can be nominated by another person or by self-nomination. The awards will be presented at the Illinois Recycling Association's Annual Meeting, held during the annual conference at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel and Conference Center on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 during the luncheon. Deadline for award consideration is April 12, 2013. Source: Illinois Recycling Association, 4/1/13

Over the years, Sprint has taken many steps to make its operations greener, such as reducing its paper use, squeezing carbon emissions from its supply chain and removing plastic from its packaging. At the same time, the telecom giant has also focused on its products, including the requirement that all of its cellphones receive green certification. In this Q-and-A with Nina Kruschwitz at MIT Sloan Management Review, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse explains how the company's strong focus on sustainability is paying off in cost savings and long-term brand image, even if customers aren't yet paying attention to whether the phones themselves are green. Source: GreenBiz.com, 3/26/13

Surrey company Electronics Recycling Canada has been charged with 24 federal counts related to the unlawful export of hazardous recyclable material -- lead-acid batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries and cathode-ray tubes. Source: The Times Colonist, 3/25/13

A Michigan computer company and its owner were sentenced yesterday for trafficking in counterfeit goods and services and violating environmental laws. U.S. District Judge David M. Lawson sentenced Mark Jeffrey Glover, to 30 months in prison and a $10,000 fine, and his company, Discount Computers, Inc. (DCI), a $2 million fine with $10,839 in restitution to Mich. landlord, for trafficking in counterfeit goods and services. DCI was also sentenced for storing and disposing of hazardous waste without a permit. Glover pleaded guilty to the charges on his behalf and that of his company in October 2012. DCI, headquartered in Canton, Mich., with warehouses in Maryland Heights, Mo., and Dayton, N.J., operated as a broker of used electronic components, including computers and televisions. DCI resold working and disassembled broken items, selling them for scrap. A large part of DCI's business involved exporting used cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors to countries in the Middle East and Asia. Egypt prohibits the importation of computer equipment which is more than five years old. To evade this requirement, all three DCI locations replaced the original factory labels on used CRT monitors with counterfeit labels, which reflected a more recent manufacture date. Over a five-year period, DCI sent at least 300 shipments to Egypt, with a total shipment value of at least $2.1 million, constituting more than 100,000 used CRTs monitors. Source: eNews Park Forest, 3/26/13

The deadline for application submittal is May 31, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Applications will only be accepted electronically. The award ceremony will be held this fall in Peoria, and once again ISTC will also host the Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact Awards Program in conjunction with the Governor's Sustainability Awards program. Source: ISTC, 3/26/13

The DEQ has opened nominations for the fifth annual Michigan Green Chemistry Governor's Awards. The Governor's Awards recognize advances that incorporate the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacturing, or use. The awards acknowledge efforts to design, implement, and promote safer and more sustainable chemicals, processes, and products. Awards are open to individuals, groups, and organizations, both non-profit and for profit. The program was established by the Michigan Green Chemistry Roundtable to celebrate innovations using green chemistry in Michigan. Thirteen winners have been presented with an award in the first four years of the program. Entries must be sent no later than July 19. The awards will be presented at the 2013 Michigan Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference: "Designing a Sustainable Michigan," which is scheduled October 23-24 at Grand Valley State University. Source: Michigan DEQ, 3/24/13

Here are three pro-sustainable business policy items the American Sustainable Business Council is working on in conjunction with many other organizations. Source: GreenBiz, 3/26/13

This article is the first in a three-part series exploring the challenges manufacturers face to design healthier products and the resources available to help them avoid chemicals of concern. Each post will focus one of the three phases in the Cradle to Cradle framework: inventory, assessment and optimization. Source: GreenBiz, 3/26/13

Over the years, Sprint has taken many steps to make its operations greener, such as reducing its paper use, squeezing carbon emissions from its supply chain and removing plastic from its packaging. At the same time, the telecom giant has also focused on its products, including the requirement that all of its cellphones receive green certification. In this Q-and-A with Nina Kruschwitz at MIT Sloan Management Review, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse explains how the company's strong focus on sustainability is paying off in cost savings and long-term brand image, even if customers aren't yet paying attention to whether the phones themselves are green. Source: GreenBiz, 3/26/13

Fungi, with the exception of shitake and certain other mushrooms, tend to be something we associate with moldy bread or dank-smelling mildew. But they really deserve more respect. Fungi have fantastic capabilities and can be grown, under certain circumstances, in almost any shape and be totally biodegradable. And, if this weren't enough, they might have the potential to replace plastics one day. The secret is in the mycelia. Source: Union College, 3/12/13

Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University researchers have developed efficient solar cells using natural substrates derived from plants such as trees. Just as importantly, by fabricating them on cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) substrates, the solar cells can be quickly recycled in water at the end of their lifecycle. Source: Georgia Institute of Technology, 3/26/13

Researchers at Michigan Technological University are looking to milk jugs as a way for 3D printing to gain more widespread use. To make this practical, the research group created the RecycleBot, a device that melts the plastic (after it has been washed and the labels have been removed) and turns it into a long, thin string of plastic filament. Source: Michigan Technological University, 3/26/13

The Behavior, Energy and Climate Change (BECC) Conference brings together a range of academics, practitioners, and policy-makers from a variety of fields engaged in energy and climate efforts to provide the latest and most relevant behavioral research, best practices, and methodologies. The Organizing Committee is now accepting abstract submissions for their 2013 conference. Source: Environmental News Bits, 3/26/13

There is a temptation to brand water as the "new oil" or treat it like GHG, but these comparisons aren't appropriate. Source: GreenBiz, 3/22/13

Has Harvard guru Michael Porter become sustainable business's newest hero? Source: GreenBiz, 3/25/13