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The EPA’s WasteWise Program had another banner year in 1997. In its fourth year, partners (participating businesses and government agencies) eliminated more waste, recycled more materials, and purchased more recycled materials than ever before. There are 779 partners and 73 endorsers. Compared to 1996, partners reported an 80 percent increase in waste prevention. More than 816,000 tons of waste were prevented, saving an estimated $26 million in waste disposal fees. Avoided paper purchasing costs could be as high as $60 million. 43 percent more material was recycled – a total of 6.8 million tons – saving an estimated $217 million in waste disposal fees, and yielded revenues too. Partners purchased $3 billion worth of recycled content products – more than 900,000 tons. WasteWise recognized several partners for outstanding achievement. In the Very Large Corporation category, BankAmerica, Bell Atlantic, and Target Stores received awards. BankAmerica, for example, switched to ATM envelopes made from 20-pound paper to lighter ones made from 15-pound paper. This one move saved 228 tons of paper and $500,000. The website is replete with other examples. WasteWise: 800-EPA-WISE; Tumarkin.Jeff@epamail.epa.gov [sorry this link is no longer available] FROM Waste Reduction Tips
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The Pima County Board of Supervisors rejected a proposed $900 million development which would have brought 6,100 homes, two golf courses, a hotel and an airstrip to an area 30 miles from downtown Tucson. This is the first time in 25 years the county voted down a major rezoning proposal. Ray Carroll, a county supervisor who opposed the project, said the vote represented a “paradigm shift” for the county from a longtime pro-growth philosophy to one favoring more restrained suburban expansion. Instead, the county will adopt a desert conservation plan which will preserve the area, preventing it from filling with suburbanized tract homes and strip malls. James Kuleish, of the American Subcontractors Association of Tucson, voiced the usual warning of impending doom, “A crisis is on the horizon. You’re telling the community your plan is for no growth, no jobs, no paychecks.” The county has enough land zoned for housing to accommodate another 400,000 people or so by 2020, when the current 823,000 county population reaches about 875,000.
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The Government Institute has updated their “Environmental Guide to the Internet,” which covers 1200 Internet resources, and has produced a directory, “Environmental Key Contacts and Information Sources.” The directory is 400 pages of contacts in environmental management, pollution control, recycling, hazardous waste, etc. Contacts are organized into eight sections: federal government, EPA, Senators and Representatives, environmental committees, state government, professional, scientific and trade organizations, publications, and environmental research centers. The “Address Directory for Politicians of the World” website makes it easy for you to locate contact information for the world’s politicians. It includes Monarchs, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Provincial Governors, and environmental ministries of 194 Countries. Government Institutes: giinfo@govinst.com [sorry this link is no longer available] Address Directory: aberdeen@trytel.com [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The Office Furniture Recycling Forum surveyed its 345 members, resulting in an interesting industry profile: The average office furniture recycling company has 30 employees with sales between $2-5 million per year. Total sales of recycled office furniture are $1.2 billion, an estimated 9% of the $13.6 billion commercial furniture industry. Selling used and remanufactured furniture is more profitable than selling new furniture and services. Only 3% of total sales is to the federal government. 86% of recycled office furniture is composed of post-consumer parts. http://www.bpia.org
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Green Seal, the national environmental labeling organization, has called for comments on its proposed standard for environmentally responsible lodging properties. Green Seal is partnering with Green Globe to promote the recognition of green hotel properties worldwide. Green Globe is an international organization created by the World Travel and Tourism Council in 1994 to promote environmental awareness and management practices in the industry. Green Globe created a worldwide environmental management certification process conducted by the certifying agency, SGS. Green Seal’s proposed standard reflects the Green Globe focus on seven key areas: waste minimization energy efficiency fresh water and waste water management hazardous substances purchasing policy cultural development Properties which meet the standard will have implemented a variety of measures and created the long-term infrastructure to maintain those actions. There are 49,000 properties and 3.8 million rooms in the U.S. If you’d like to read the Proposed Lodging Standard and comment: 202-588-8400 mpetruzzi@greenseal.org http://www.greenseal.org Source: Environmental Design & Construction: http://www.edc-mag.com
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As they visibly step up efforts to release alternative fuel vehicles, major automakers continue to buck attempts to control emissions. Nine auto makers, including GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler, formed a new lobbying group which will focus on safety and environmental issues, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. Peter Pestillo, vice chairman of Ford, will serve as the group’s first chair. Honda is the sole major auto maker opting out of the group, possibly because of its advanced emissions technology. In the early 1970s, it introduced an engine that met emissions standards other auto makers said were impossible to meet. Its VV, a hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle that gets more than 70 miles per gallon goes on sale this fall, and the company is working on a nearly zero-emission gasoline engine. The alliance’s first order of business is emissions, since new EPA standards will be much tougher, particularly for trucks and diesels.
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The Awahnee Principles for Smart Economic Development: An Implementation Guidebook offers concrete examples to integrate social, economic and environmental factors to create vital communities. The book includes chapters on industry clusters, reinvesting existing communities, and local/regional collaboration. Many other publications from this group look good too. Local Government Commission lgc@lgc.org [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The stress and expense of owning a car could be at an end for those choosing a new way of getting around: car co-ops. Car co-ops have caught on in Europe – about 25,000 Germans and 20,000 Swiss have signed on. In the Netherlands, where the government subsidizes carsharing, about 57,000 people participate. Many people use public transportation, foot, or bicycle for most of their travels, and use a car share service when they need to lug groceries or get around at night. The largest car-sharing organizations offer touch-tone automated booking, computer-chip membership cards, and advanced vehicle-location technology. Co-ops are now springing up in the U.S., Canada, Scandinavia and Austria. A company named CarSharing Portland, in Oregon has been in business for seven months and has 80 members. “When cost is directly tied to use, most people tend to drive less and plan their trips better,” says Maren Souders with Carsharing. Members pay an initial refundable fee and then call anytime to reserve a car in their neighborhood. They pay only for the hours and miles driven – all insurance, gasoline and repairs are included. For those that drive under 10,000 miles a year, car sharing costs less than monthly […]
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Shareholder activism has been gaining ground, with the number of resolutions coming to vote increasing by almost 20 percent from 1997-1998. Some of the important votes in 1998 were: After two years of pressure, Sara Lee withdrew from the tobacco business. Anheuser Bush, GTE and Phillip Morris pledged to halt use of racist stereotypes in advertising, ending the use of the Cleveland Indian’s mascot “Chief Wahoo.” Coca-Cola endorsed the CERES principles, which commit the company to improve environmental performance, produce environmental corporate reports and engage in dialogue with shareholders. Ford agreed to implement the Macbride Principals on Northern Ireland. Resolutions planned for 1999: Human Rights: resolutions at Boeing and Allied Signal for adopting human rights criteria for doing business in China, and at Chevron, Sun and Texaco in Nigeria. Franklin Research & Development is hoping to stop Coca-Cola from doing business in Afghanistan due to tremendous problems there. Labor: Chrysler, Ford, GM, Johnson & Johnson, and Allied Signal will be asked to adopt global labor standards for their factories and suppliers. Environment: Exxon, Amoco, Texaco, Chevron, Ford, GM, Southern Company, and Reynolds Metal will be asked to report on the emission of greenhouse gases from their products and plants, and […]
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Reforestation and land rehabilitation in some areas of Nicaragua most affected by Hurricane Mitch will get a jump start from the Sustainable Forestry Investment Promotion Project, a $9 million credit approved by the World Bank. Certification of sustainable forestry practices is a primary aim of the newly funded project. “Unless a good market for forestry products can be developed, trees will continue to be looked upon as obstacles to agriculture, and be cut down or burnt down, since they present no economic benefit for the landowner or shifting cultivator,” says Paola Agostini, environmental economist of the World Bank and task manager of the project. A national forestry policy strategy will be created with relevant governmental agencies, the private sector and civil society. A grants program will finance pilot projects for private and communal forestry entrepreneurs. At current rates of deforestation, the remaining areas of productive broadleaf forests will be eliminated in only 10-15 years. Source: Environment News Service (ENS) [sorry this link is no longer available]
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