Sustainability


Recycling Facility Joins Cal/OSHA SHARP Program

"There are just over 1 million employers in California and of those, only 42 are current SHARP recipients," said Cal/OSHA Area Manager Kelly Howard.

Lighter Weight Plant Fibers May be Used for Vehicle Plastics

Although the process is costly, researchers from Brazil said it takes just one pound of nano-cellulose to produce 100 pounds of super-strong, lightweight plastic.

Microwave Method Converts Used Motor Oil into Fuel

Researchers at the U.K.'s Cambridge University mixed samples of waste oil with a highly microwave-absorbent material and then heated the mixture to convert nearly 90 percent of the samples into fuel.

The Cambrian Center

ARRA Funds Green Retrofit for HUD Facility

Salas O'Brien will engineer a cool roof and use fuel cells to save energy at the Cambrian Center near the Los Gatos-San Jose border.

Researchers Transform Bone Meal Waste into Partly Biodegradable Plastic

Clemson University study used meat and bone meal, which has been discarded due to Mad Cow Disease concerns, to make petroleum-free bioplastics.

LA Middle School Adopts Nation's First Environmental Curriculum

Stella Middle Charter Academy will implement environment-based education in science and history/social science from California's Education and Environment Initiative.

New York-based Architect Designs Bio-diverse Tower

International Architect Kevin Kennon has designed a mixed-use commercial building for Eco-City, Tianjin, China, that utilizes advanced Biophilic design technologies and strategies to reconnect people with nature.

Veolia ES Earns LEED Certification for Landfill Building

The new building at Veolia's Evergreen Landfill in Valdosta, Ga., will be used as a scale house for weighing all waste streams entering the landfill and as an on-site administrative office.



Solid Waste Privatization Lowers Costs, NSWMA Says

A National Solid Waste Management Association study describes how cities can privatize their garbage collection, disposal, and recycling programs while protecting the environment and often while maintaining employment.

GE: Better Incentives Needed to Stimulate Water Reuse and Recycling

Regardless of the incentive type, experience shows that incentives are most effective when implemented within a regulatory structure that already exists and functions well, according to the company's white paper.

Mercury can be recycled.

Allied Environmental Offers Mercury Recycling Program in Ohio

The Lima, Ohio, company will collect mercury and mercury-containing devices, following discontinuation of a similar program by Bowling Green State University.

Keeping organized is essential to any successful construction project.

A MasterFormat for Environmental Construction

A coalition of volunteer environmental engineers provided input to update and make this document organizing tool more useful.

Commercial Building Owners Need Access to Financing for Energy Savings Projects

C. David Myers, president of Johnson Controls Building Efficiency, told state leaders that building efficiency projects, which provide guaranteed energy and budget savings, can be achieved with no upfront cost to a government facility.

Top 10 Cities with the Most ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings in 2010

For the past three years, EPA has released an annual list of the top cities in the United States with the most ENERGY STAR certified buildings.

Researchers Find Catalyst for Greener Lactic Acid Option

From paint to diapers, manufacturers use acrylic acid from petroleum but now researchers in Asia say they have found a catalyst that can convert lactic acid into acrylic acid more selectively at lower temperatures.

Sims Metal Management Expands into European Recycling

The company purchased Device and egoTrade to further its electronics recycling.

Seven Simple Steps to Go Green on St. Patrick's Day

This year, SCA's Tork® brand is encouraging you to embrace another type of green by giving our planet a bit o' Irish good luck and making more environmentally responsible choices leading up to Earth Day, and beyond.

Hybrid Homes Cut Monthly Energy Expenses By Up to 70 Percent

With oil prices rising again, Blu Homes' highly efficient, innovative, steel-framed homes cost on average 50 to 70 percent less to operate on a monthly basis than conventional homes.

Commerce Department Launches i6 Green Challenge

The federal government will award up to $1 million to each of six teams with the most innovative ideas to drive technology commercialization and entrepreneurship for a green economy ─ as long as Congress appropriates the funding in the 2011 budget.

Nepal's New Eco-World Center For Peace and Unity Opens

On April 4, 2011, Trungram Gyaltrul Rinpoche, Buddhist Master and Harvard Ph.D., will preside over the grand opening of Lumbini Udyana Mahachaitya -- World Center for Peace and Unity, built as part of the international Lumbini Development Project in Nepal.