Sustainability


CEA, eCycling Leadership Initiative Reports 460 Million Pounds of CE Products Responsibly Recycled

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) recently reported that the consumer electronics (CE) industry dramatically increased its recycling in 2011, advancing the goals set by the eCycling Leadership Initiative.

Local Governments Adopt Producer Responsibility Resolutions

In California, products banned from landfills exceed $500 million annually, according to a report done by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). There is no estimate of the total cost of collection and disposal.

Approximately 80,000 Acres of Guatemala Forest Protected

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and partners signed an agreement this month that will safeguard some 80,000 acres of intact forest in Guatemala in the heart of the sprawling Maya Biosphere Reserve. Home to jaguars, macaws, pumas and various wildlife, the protected land will continue to serve as a safe haven to all inhabitants.

Best Practices in Solar Energy Production Highlighted in New Report

Survey of Over 100 Solar Manufacturers Reveal Current Environmental, Worker Safety, and Fiduciary Considerations

Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge Wins Civil Engineering Award

The 2012 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award was presented March 22 by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Green Jail to Demonstrate Power of Microgrids

If all goes according to plan, this “mega-jail,” housing about 4,000 inmates, will seamlessly disconnect itself from the electric grid and switch over to its own microgrid, powering itself.

Roadway with Recycled Toilets Labeled 'Greenroad'

Greenroads, a rating system developed at the University of Washington to promote sustainable roadway construction, awarded its first official certification to a Bellingham project that incorporates porcelain from recycled toilets.

Following a Watershed's Winding Path to Sustainability

Cherokee Marsh, it's called, this sunken enclave surrounded by cattails and bulrushes. The marsh is a mere dot on a map of the state of Wisconsin, but its importance reaches far beyond the wetland's edge.



Natural Levels of Nitrogen in Tropical Forests May Increase Vulnerability to Pollution

Waterways in remote, pristine tropical forests located in the Caribbean and Central America contain levels of nitrogen comparable to amounts found in streams and rivers flowing through polluted forests in the United States and Europe. This discovery by a Princeton University-led research team raises questions about how tropical forests might respond if they were to become exposed to additional nitrogen through water and air pollution.

Developing Sustainable Power

The invention of a long-lasting incandescent light bulb in the 19th century spurred on the second wave of the industrial revolution, illuminating homes, extending leisure time and bringing us to the point today where many millions of people use a whole range of devices from mood lighting to audiovisual media centers, microwave ovens to fast-freeze ice makers, and allergy-reducing vacuum cleaners to high-speed broadband connected computers in their homes without a second thought.

Researchers Find Consumers Willing to Buy Sustainable U.S. Cotton

As the interest in environmentally responsible business practices grows globally, researchers are interested in how that interest translates into consumer sales. Researchers from the University of Missouri (MU) have found that United States consumers are more willing to buy clothing made from sustainably grown U.S. cotton than apparel produced using conventional practices in an unknown location.

Dallas-area Habitat for Humanity is First to Install Solar Array

The solar array is the first-ever installed on the office building and ReStore location for any Habitat for Humanity affiliate in the United States.

Tips Tuesday: Minimize, Eliminate Environmental Risks Associated with Runoff from Rainfall, Snowmelt

Here are relatively simple and inexpensive best management practices that can minimize or eliminate environmental risks associated with runoff from rainfall and snowmelt.

MIT Studies User-controlled Efficient Lighting Systems

MIT study finds potential for significant energy savings through user-controlled efficient lighting systems.

Plastic Bag Collection Events Tip the Scales on America Recycles Day

Plastic bag recycling took on an educational and festive flair in schools, village squares, college campuses and retail store parking lots during America Recycles Day 2011, as community groups in 35 states embraced the message that plastic bags should not be treated like trash.

New Plastics Recycling Website for Recycling Professionals

Numerous organizations dedicated to increasing plastics recycling have launched a new website (www.RecycleYourPlastics.org) to aggregate the extensive but often far-flung information on plastics recycling that exists on the Internet.

Self-healing Electronics Could Work Longer, Reduce Waste

When one tiny circuit within an integrated chip cracks or fails, the whole chip – or even the whole device – is a loss. But what if it could fix itself, and fix itself so fast that the user never knew there was a problem?

Ottawa Cannot Legislate Climate Change Policy

Earlier this year the federal government introduced sector-by-sector emissions reduction regulations as its stand on climate change. However, according to Prof. Al Lucas and co-author Jenette Yearsley, the Constitution limits Ottawa's ability to enact climate change legislation limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

EPA Reduces Air Pollution In and Around the Port of San Juan, Puerto Rico

The Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico will install pollution-reduction technology on 72 heavy-duty trucks and replace 10 old heavy-duty trucks with 2010 or newer less polluting models.

Tips Tuesday: Glow-worm's Guide to a Low Carbon Christmas

The team at U.K.-based Glow-worm, has put together an eco-friendly holiday guide to help us all achieve a low carbon Christmas. Bursting at the seams with facts, figures and energy saving tips for 25 days of December.

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