Control Climate Change

Aid to Artisans, a nonprofit group helping economically depressed artists generate sales from products created with local materials, also ensures the environment benefits from its endeavors.

The organization’s first project, started in Honduras more than a decade ago, involved recycling corn husks that even the pigs wouldn’t eat, said President Clare Smith. The husks were used to create wreaths and flowers that were then adorned with clay cherub figurines.

From these raw materials grew a thriving industry employing more than 600 villagers. Eventually, an export company owned by the local Hondurans was formed.

“The environment is a consideration in all our projects — it’s always a stipulation,” Smith said. “People are a part of the environment, so we try to integrate the two so everyone benefits.”

In Bangladesh, Aid to Artisans is developing a project to make paper products out the water hyacinth and another weed that clog many of the country’s rivers. However, the group must be careful not to create too large a demand for the paper.

“You have to be sensible,” Smith said. “While these plants now clog many rivers, if you had a big run on the paper, you could cause problems because a certain amount of the plants is needed to purify the water.”

Because of the delicate balance between creating economic opportunities and protecting the environment, Aid to Artisans develops relatively small-scale projects. Projects are currently under way in Jordan, Ghana, Mexico, Hungary, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet, Guatemala, Ecuador and Indonesia.

Aid to Artisans first sends designers to work with the local people in developing marketable products, then brings the products to the New York International Gift Fair, held twice a year, to take orders. The next step is to locate appropriate importers for the various product lines to create steady demand.

In 1990, the Mexican government created a reserve in a cloud forest along the Pacific coast, angering a local community which could no longer expand its coffee plantations by cutting down the forest. Ecologists who came to tell them about the law were threatened.

Aid to Artisans helped the community start painting T-shirts with images of birds and animals common to the cloud forests. A market for the shirts was created and now the community makes a living without continuing to destroy the cloud forest.

“We believe that what we do has to be suitable to both the people and their environment,” Smith said. “There’s an infinite number of things we can do to help save the planet — little by little.”

For more information about the group or to become a member, write to: Aid to Artisans, 80 Mountain Spring Rd., Farmington, CT 06032. Or call (203) 677-1649.

Earth Fact: Through the Aid to Artisans project in Honduras, more than 200 different products have been brought to the U.S. market.

Technorati Tags: environment benefits, save the planet, protecting the environment, cloud forest

To many children, pizza ranks as their favorite food on Earth. Now an environmentally correct pizza aimed at helping them save the Earth is available at natural food stores across the country.

Tree of Life, the nation’s largest distributor of organic foods to the natural food industry, introduced its new Pizza Power Pack in March. Pizza is the second product marketed under the company’s Small World brand, following the success of its Animal Grahams organic cookies.

Small World pizzas are made entirely with organic ingredients, said John Rowland, product development manager. Packaging used for the product is a recycled paperboard made from old newspapers and printed with soy-based inks. Also, the St. Augustine, Fla.-based firm donates 2 percent of all wholesale dollars to the Rainforest Action Network.

To help educate their young customers, as well as parents buying the product, the company includes an ecosystem card in each package of pizzas. Each fact-filled card features a color photo of an ecosystem and map of the world showing where it exists. Each card also explains what ecosystems are, how they work, why they’re in trouble and how kids can help.

“The idea is to educate children about Earth’s ecosystems. And the wonderful thing is the kids eat it up,” Rowland said. “They are very much in tune with the environment — much more so than adults. It has amazed us how ecologically minded they are.”

Small World Animal Graham cookies, introduced in 1990, set the tone for the pizza packaging. Each box of cookies contains an endangered-animal card instead of an ecosystem version. Each animal featured on a card matches one of the 10 cookie shapes. The cards also tell children and their parents how to learn more about organizations working to protect endangered animals.

Two percent of the wholesale dollars raised through the cookie sales is donated to environmental groups like the the African Wildlife Federation. And like the pizzas, Small World cookies also are made entirely with organic ingredients.

“By using organic supplies, we’re helping support sustainable agriculture and eliminating the use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides in the ingredients we use,” Rowland said.

Pizza was chosen to follow up the Small World Animal Grahams because the company already distributed the main ingredients — organic bread, cheese and tomatoes, he added.

“We knew kids liked pizza and we had all the ingredients,” he said. “It was a natural fit.”

More Small World foods are in the planning stages. Anyone interested in the products should visit their local natural food store. If they don’t carry the Small World brands, ask them to call Tree of Life.

Earth Fact: There are approximately 9,000 natural food stores in the United States.

Technorati Tags: ecosystems, organic foods, environmentally correct pizza, packaging, sustainability

A simple soil test could improve the growth of your vegetables and possibly the health of your children. The Chaney-Mielke soil test will help parents determine if the soil in their yard contains enough lead to threaten the health of their children.

After using leaded gasolines and paints in our society for years, lead particles have settled out of the air and chipped off buildings, contaminating portions of the soil, said Rufus Chaney, a research agronomist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Automobile exhaust alone has caused the inner-city areas to have high lead content in their soils,” he said. “We’re talking about tens of millions of homes potentially being at risk. And children are the people who need to be protected from high lead contents in the environment because this situation can cause lower IQ’s and behavioral problems.”

Children five years and younger are especially at risk to lead poisoning due to the rapid neurological development at this phase in their lives. It’s also the age when children tend to put dirt and unsanitary items in their mouth.

One of the biggest lead threats to children may be found in vegetable and flower gardens, Chaney said. The soil in these areas can potentially expose children to dangerous levels of lead.

While lead paint used inside homes is still a greater risk to children, he said lead content in soils also should be considered. Soils near the edges of homes and buildings are often the most hazardous because rain will rinse dust particles containing lead off the walls. Lead-based paint also can chip from older buildings, collecting near exterior walls, he added.

The soil test developed by Chaney and his partner, Howard Mielke, is available for a $10 lab fee from local county extension agents or soil-testing labs at universities. (If these sources are unfamiliar with the test, have them call Chaney at (301) 504-8324.)

All soils will test positive for some amount of lead, Chaney said, but if lead levels prove hazardous, there are corrective steps that can be taken. In some cases, the soil can be made safer by just tilling the top layer under under. In other cases, a sludge compound can be added to the soil to absorb the lead, which also will make the soil more fertile.

Earth Fact: Under the latest standards established by the Centers for Disease Control, millions of children in America have dangerous levels of lead in their blood.

Technorati Tags: lead poisoning, soil test, environment

A New Mexico radio station is using sunshine to increase its listening audience tenfold… and in doing so has become the nation’s only radio station transmitting solely on solar power.

Thanks to its solar boost, KTAO-FM, located in the resort community of Taos, can now tap an additional audience in New Mexico’s capital of Sante Fe, said Brad Hockmeyer, the station’s owner and general manager.

The system uses 135 photovoltaic panels to collect the sun’s energy, then stores the power in a bank of batteries weighing 44,000 pounds. The batteries can hold more than five days’ worth of power to transmit the station’s signal. And a six-day stretch of sun-less weather is unheard of in Taos, Hockmeyer said.

The solar system was built on top of 10,800-foot Picuris Peak overlooking Taos, a town of about 4,000 in the mountains of northern New Mexico. By transmitting KTAO’s signal from such a high elevation, the station’s potential listening audience grew from 15,000 people to 150,000.

Getting electricity to the top of the mountain would have cost at least $300,000, Hockmeyer said, and would have required an eight-mile trench through an archaeologically rich area. So solar power became a cost-effective alternative.

“I didn’t consider alternative energy until I had to,” he said. “Conventional power ended up being too expensive, so this became the best way we could get it done.”

Hockmeyer said he estimates the station will save $4,000 a year in electricity costs, making pay back on the $60,000 project very reasonable — especially considering the alternatives.

Since hooking up the system, Hockmeyer said he has been contacted by a number of radio station owners trying to find out if solar might be an option for their stations.

“I’d love to get people thinking solar,” he said. “The benefit that comes from just thinking of an alternative method — even if they can’t do it — is better than not even considering it.

“If this project gets them looking into the possibilities, maybe they’ll say, ‘Well, I can’t do it for my radio station, but I can do it for my hot water heater at my house or maybe I can do it to power part of my radio station.”

Earth Fact — The housing unit for KTAO’s new transmitter was built out of recycled tires and aluminum cans, then covered with adobe plaster to blend into the natural landscape.

Technorati Tags: radio stations, solar powered, solar energy

Did you know you can build your own solar panels, saving $10,00’s off retail price? You have probably read about it or seen it on TV, but have you tried it yourself?

There is a step-by-step video guide online right now that can show you how to reduce your power bill by making your own solar panels.

Take a look at it: Build Your Own Solar Panels

Why pay thousands of dollars for solar energy ($27,000 average cost) when you can build your own solar panel system for just a fraction of the retail cost. You can build a single solar panel or you can build an entire array of panels to power your whole house.

Some people are saving 50% on their power bill, some people are reducing their bill to nothing. But what’s most impressive is that just by following these instructions some are even making the power company pay them!

Get your video instructions here: Build Your Own Solar Panels

Technorati Tags: solar panels, solar energy, solar power

A one-of-a-kind environmental magazine is helping children channel their fears about the environment into constructive activities in their homes, schools and communities.

P3 Magazine, which stands for planet No. three or Earth, was first published several years ago and has grown steadily in circulation size since then, said Publisher Randi Hacker. More than 20,000 children, parents and teachers now receive the publication.

“We were alarmed about what was happening to the environment and noticed there wasn’t an environmental publication for children,” Hacker said about her effort to start P3 with her partner, Jackie Kaufman. “Kids need a consistent source of information to tell them what is wrong with the environment and empower them to do something about it.”

Recent surveys have shown that environmental problems rank near the top of lists of children’s biggest fears, Hacker said. By prompting them to take action, she said the magazine helps children control that fear.

The 32-page magazine, aimed at a 4- to 13-year-old age group, is printed on recycled paper periodically when funds permit. Seven issues have been printed so far, but Hacker said her goal is to publish on a regular basis as soon as possible.

P3 is filled with stories about the environment, along with colorful graphics, puzzles and comics. One section, called Earth Patrol, honors children’s activities to help the environment, and letters to editor are printed in each issue as they were received, complete with the children’s accompanying artwork.

Response to the magazine from both children and adults has been “better than we ever dreamed of,” Hacker said. More than 4,000 letters of appreciation have been received since P3’s inception. A four-year-old in Florida reportedly sleeps with the magazine like a Teddy Bear or favorite blanket, Hacker added.

“Children are committed to making the future a cleaner and greener place,” she explained. “They just want to save everything. And everything is black and white — either it’s good for the environment or it’s not.”

Every article in the magazine concludes with an action children can take. In a story about snow leopards, P3 asked readers to write the director of the Wildlife Institute of India. Later, the director, inundated with the children’s letters, wrote to Hacker explaining he was doing all he could to save the leopards.

Another issue covered the affects of last year’s Gulf War on the animals and environment of the Persian Gulf, Hacker said. Letters from children voicing their concerns about the situation prompted the coverage.

Technorati Tags: environmental tips, environmental magazine, recyled paper, environmental problems

Earth News Media is a pioneer in the field of environmental news and information. The company was founded in 1991 as an international news service. Its efforts have led to a syndicated environmental news column being published around the world.

Fashion designer Lynda Grose wanted to create an environmentally sensitive line of clothing. But before she put a proposal into final form, Susie Tompkins, owner of Esprit International, approached Grose with the same idea.

The result is Ecollection, a new line of clothing that incorporates innovative manufacturing processes — from handicrafts to high technology — to produce garments that are both ecological and fashionable.

From buttons made of reconstituted glass to organically grown cotton, each element of the line contributes to a better environment. The first of its kind, Ecollection consists of 14 pieces of apparel, including pants, shorts, jackets and shirts, Grose said.

“We’re attempting to make environmental considerations a part of the whole design process,” she said. “Designers should not be designing in a vacuum anymore — the environment should be considered as part of the criteria.”

Ecollection items cost more than other Esprit products, so at first the line will be offered only in Esprit stores to keep retail prices as low as possible. Grose said the hope is once a demand is created for environmentally friendly clothing, prices will drop along with the cost of manufacturing, allowing wider sales of the clothes in other stores.

“The product line benefits the environment, the customer and the supplier because we’ll be choosing suppliers that are thinking environmentally and producing products this way,” she said. “The idea is that Ecollection will create a catalyst — it will encourage changes in a positive way by helping people make a shift.”

Some manufacturing processes are eliminated and others modified for production of Ecollection. Naturally colored cotton that grows either brown or green, or low-impact, vegetable-dyed cotton, is used for the items.

Fabrics are mechanically, rather than chemically, pre-shrunk, removing resins and formaldehyde from the process. And non-rusting alloys are used for zippers to eliminate the toxic residues created by electroplating.

Additionally, the clothing company supports disadvantaged people and endangered environments by encouraging sustainable trade through Ecollection. Hand-painted wooden buttons are bought from a low-income cooperative in North Carolina, while other versions come from indigenous cooperatives in Ghana and Ecuador.

Eventually, as Esprit tests and refines these alternative production processes, these modifications will be incorporated into the company’s main collection, Grose said.

“If all designers thought this way or all companies made their purchasing decisions based on these types of environmental things — and we can certainly get so many layers deeper — the impact would just be amazing,” she said. “We know we can’t change the world overnight, but we need to start somewhere.”

Earth Fact: Bags used for the Ecollection are made from sustainably harvested ixtle cactus fibers and are handwoven in a Mexican cooperative.

Technorati Tags: ecollection, efashion, environmental things, environmentally friendly clothing

Earth News Media is a nationally syndicated environmental news service profiling the positive environmental efforts of individuals, organizations and corporations around the world.

In an effort to create a “good-forest-keeping seal,” a nonprofit institute in northern California has developed a system to identify lumber harvested in an ecologically sound manner.

The labeling program calls for land owners and logging operations to follow 10 elements of sustainability in harvesting their forests. To receive a seal of approval, the affected forests cannot be clearcut, doused with harmful chemicals or torn up by an abundance of logging roads.

“Realistically, we know we can’t stop logging,” said Tracy Katelman, co-director of the Institute of Sustainable Forestry. “What we need is a more ecologically sound and sustainable way to do it.”

The idea for sustainable logging grew out of a company called Wild Iris Forestry in Redway, Calif. Owners Peggy and the late Jan Iris selectively harvested hardwoods on their land and sold the kiln-dried wood for flooring and cabinets.

The institute is taking the forestry system developed at Wild Iris and building a model that can be used to save forests around the world. A pilot project is planned for three pieces of land where the institute will carry out the logging and determine the exact costs of conducting operations in a sustainable fashion.

“You can’t have ecological stability without economic stability,” she said. “So in a lot of ways, this is a community-development project, as well as an environmental effort.”

The labeling program, called Pacific Certified Ecological Forest Products (PCEFP), first requires land owners or logging operators to develop a timber management plan. This plan provides a tree inventory, lays out long-term goals for the land and describes how the 10 elements of sustainability will be met.

When harvesting is started, periodic inspections are undertaken by the institute, along with the normal inspections conducted by the state government, Katelman said. If all conditions are met, the eventual lumber produced will carry the PCEFP label.

By purchasing the certified and labeled wood, consumers will know their buying power is supporting sustainable forestry and allowing them to influence forest-management policies, she said. Lumber producers will in turn have a marketing advantage through the creation of a market niche, much like that enjoyed by organic food producers.

The institute’s efforts are being supported by both forest-advocacy groups, along with the forestry establishment, including the U.S. Forest Service and California Department of Forestry, Katelman said.

“People who never used to talk to each other are now sitting down and agreeing on some plans and ideas,” she said. “This effort shows we can start working together to get things done.”

Tip/Stat — The information gathered from the institute’s pilot project will be used to create a Handbook of Ecological Forest Practices.

Technorati Tags: forestry, forest-advocacy groups, ecological stability, forestry system

In 1976, Alan Davis wanted to print an annual report on recycled paper, but had a difficult time finding a supply of it. So he switched careers and started a recycled paper company.

Today, the Conservatree Paper Co. is the country’s only paper wholesaler to distribute strictly recycled paper. Over the years, the San Francisco-based firm founded by Davis has introduced a number of new papers to the marketplace, including types using high percentages of post-consumer waste.

“From the beginning, we’ve been a trailblazer working ahead of the environmental movement,” said David Assman, vice president of information services. “We’ve led the way in introducing people to recycled paper and bringing new papers to the marketplace.”

Conservatree, like any normal business, works to make a profit and has performed well in the past. The company has made Inc. magazine’s list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the nation three different years.

But the company also has a social agenda. By its calculations, the thousands of tons of recycled paper sold by Conservatree have saved 687,000 trees and 246,000 kilowatts of energy, Assman said. Additionally, more than a million tons of air pollution effluents have not poured into the atmosphere thanks to the firm’s efforts, and nearly 30,000 tons of solid waste have been diverted from landfills.

Along with its efforts to pump more recycled paper into society, Conservatree also carries out an information-services effort to inform policy makers, manufacturers, businesses and consumers of important developments in the recycled-paper field.

The company produces a bi-monthly publication called Environmentally Sound Paper (ESP) News. Story topics include pending recycling laws, public-policy updates and new developments in the industry.

To receive ESP News, individuals or businesses can join the company’s Greenline Membership Program. Members receive three of the newsletters, three fact packs and an introductory library of articles containing more information on various recycled-paper issues.

“We treat Greenline members as a resource,” Assman said. “They help us support the recycling movement — a movement that is making recycling work for consumers, manufacturers and public-policy makers.”

Started in 1991, the program already has 1,500 members. They include corporate purchasers, environmentalists, printers, publishers and designers, policy makers, direct-mail marketers and recycling officials.

“We’ve definitely had an impact and have become a resource for the many recycled-paper issues,” said Assman. “But there’s room for more information to be passed along. We’re happy with our progress, but we still have a long way to go.”

Tip/Stat- Paper makes up 40 percent of all the material hauled to landfills.

Technorati Tags: recycled paper, environmental movement, energy , landfills, recycling laws, recycling tips

Some people proudly wear buttons proclaiming, “Save the Rain Forest.” Now they can also wear buttons that actually do help save the rain forest.

Thanks to an ongoing program that links human needs with conservation practices, tagua nuts from South American rain forests are being used to make ivory-like buttons for more than 30 clothing manufacturers around the world. The effort requires a complicated mix of diverse fields, including biology, business, community development and conservation planning.

More than 30 million of these buttons already have been sold through a unique partnership created in 1990 by Conservation International (CI), a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving rain forests and other threatened ecosystems. The more than 15,000 tons of tagua used has generated more than $3 million in button sales, said Robin Frank, CI’s director of SEED Ventures – an acronym for Sound Environmental Enterprise Development.

“Deforestation of the rain forests is driven by a lack of alternatives for the local people. We want to offer viable economic alternatives for the long run that will help them and save these ecosystems,” she said.

Called the Tagua Initiative, sportswear makers Patagonia and Smith & Hawken Ltd. were the first companies to join the venture, which demonstrates that rain forests are more valuable left intact rather than cut for lumber. Companies such as Esprit, The Gap, Banana Republic and Timberland have since boosted the effort with more tagua-button purchases.

Tagua palm trees grow throughout western South America, but the species with the highest quality nuts grows only in northwestern Ecuador. The nuts are now harvested by local people, then dried and sliced before being shipped to button manufacturers for final processing. The initiative now employees more than 1,800 Ecuadorian community members in part- or full-time jobs, ranging from collecting the nuts to handcrafting buttons.

Tagua was a popular button material in the first part of this century, until inexpensive plastic versions took its place. At one point in the 1930s, one in five buttons manufactured in the United States was made from tagua.

Because the golf-ball-size nuts resemble elephant ivory in texture and appearance, markets for tagua jewelry, chess pieces and carvings also are opening up, she said. An artistry training center has been set up in Ecuador to teach local artisans how to create tagua carvings of endangered animal species and other subjects. Men who once cut down tagua palms are now protecting the trees so they can sell nuts. One Ecuadorian has quit working as a logger because he can now make a living handcrafting tagua buttons and carvings.

To ensure that SEED Ventures accomplish their goals, community development must be tied to scientific research to protect the rain forest from any possible damage, Frank said. Strict business and marketing practices also must play an important role in each project.

“The whole management issue is crucial,” she said. “We must harvest the rain forest using a scientific basis or there will still be a potential for harm. To that end, ecological monitoring assures that products are collected without damage to the surrounding forest, while social and economic monitoring provides insight into just how great our impact is.”

Conservation International currently has a number of other projects under way in other parts of the Developing World. Hundreds of other sustainable rain-forest products that have economic potential are being researched by the organization. For instance, the same Ecuadorian rain forest that provides tagua is being studied for its potential to provide a variety of waxes, oils and foods.

As an example of alternative land use, the initiative has become of focal point in local debates in Ecuador concerning how to manage the forest. Local people rejected a proposed 30,000-acre banana plantation in part because of the initiative’s success.

“The Tagua Initiative is providing a perfect example of how this can work,” Frank said. “If we can manage the rain forest and provide income and jobs for the local people year after year, these projects are going to make a difference.”

Technorati Tags: save the rain forest, tagua nuts, ecosystems, conservation planning, green nonprofit organizations, deforestation

Cargill Inc. has created a new biodegradable packaging material from farm crops. The material could help limit the amount of disposable packaging that continues to pile up in the nation’s landfills.

The company, a farm commodities processor, will open a pilot factory in early 1992 to begin producing lactic-acid polymers from corn and other crops. Because the material is clear, degrades like paper and is not readily soluble in water, Cargill hopes it can start replacing packaging made from long-lasting petrochemicals.

“You hold this material up and you’d swear it was normal plastic, but it’s not — it’s made from renewable resources,” said Paul Dienhart, a Cargill spokesperson. “It’s an exciting project we’re hoping will work out. It’ll be good for the country if it does.”

The material can be produced in sheets or as a foam and can be molded for many different uses, he said. It also can be used as a coating for other forms of packaging, such as cardboard.

The term “biodegradable” has been tainted by earlier efforts in the 1980s to produce trash bags, Dienhart said. Although they were called biodegradable, the bags ended up leaving pieces of petroleum-based plastic behind when they decomposed.

“Through composting, however, this new material will leave no plastic residue, and you’ll end up with stuff you can spade right back into the garden,” he said.

This new plastic is not a replacement for materials that can be recycled, Dienhart pointed out, because recycling is still a better alternative to composting.

“But if this country makes a commitment to composting as an alternative to landfills, then a product like this has a lot of potential,” he said. “The big question is: Where is this country headed on the composting issue?”

After starting up its pilot plant, Cargill will determine the feasibility of large-scale production. The pilot program will help determine the cost to produce the new material, Dienhart said, and how much interest there is in this alternative.

“We’ve already received a number of calls from potential customers, so we’re pretty sure there’s plenty of interest out there,” he said. “But are people willing to pay a little more for it?”

Cargill has been researching lactic-acid polymers for the past 10 years. Other companies also have been studying these polymers, searching for a reliable plastic that is biodegradable and doesn’t require petroleum in its production.

“It will help if this country starts emphasizing composting in all forms,” Dienhart added. “That is the key to how useful this technology is going to be.”

Tip/Stat — The primary ingredient in Cargill’s new packaging material is lactic acid — a syrupy liquid created by fermentation and found in sour milk, molasses and various fruits and vegetables.

Technorati Tags: biodegradable packaging, packaging, landfills, waste management, recycling, composting, going green

From dead chickens to old potatoes to crab scraps — if a smelly material is causing problems, Will Brinton has a recipe to make it go away.

Brinton, president and founder of Woods End Research Laboratory in Mount Vernon, Maine, is developing new methods to compost animal and vegetable garbage that decomposes too slowly and smells too bad to be tossed into a normal compost pile.

In doing so, Brinton is creating a new avenue for businesses that must dispose of large quantities of undesirable material. Instead of paying high prices to have the material accepted at a landfill, they can have Brinton whip up a recipe to make the material decompose in a hurry. The remaining compost is then ready for farm or garden use.

For example, when a fire smothered thousands of chickens owned by a Maine egg producer, the company buried the carcasses on its land. However, state environmental officials — fearing ground-water contamination — told the company to dig up the birds and dispose of them properly.

With a thousand tons of rotting chickens on its hands, the company decided to call Woods End rather than pay the high cost of having the material hauled to a landfill.

Brinton and his 12-member team at the laboratory first analyzed the birds for their chemical composition, then started adding various substances to the material to see which ones promoted rapid decomposition. Eventually, a mixture of carbon, sawdust and chicken manure was used to turn the mess into compost in a matter of months, Brinton said.

“At $70 a ton to have waste dumped at landfills, in many cases it’s more cost effective to have it composted,” he said. “We can take your waste material, analyze it and tell you what kind of compost it can make.”

Brinton, a plant and soil scientist, uses a computer program he developed to determine the most effective way to compost different organic wastes. By finding the right mix of materials and combining them in proper proportions, Brinton said he can get almost any waste to decompose quickly into high-quality compost.

“By diverting these wastes, we’re buying time for our landfills,” he said. “And compost is much better for fertilizing than chemicals because it actually helps rebuild the soil naturally.”

With several dozen companies already on his client list, and samples continually arriving for opinions, Brinton said the future looks good. Perhaps a composting recipe book is on the horizon.

Tip/Stat — According to Brinton, between 12 and 30 percent of the waste hauled to landfills could be recycled through composting.

Technorati Tags: compost pile, landfill, waste management, composting, water contamination

While many people take good care of their automobiles, statistics indicate thousands of others don’t. One quarter of the vehicles on the road cannot pass emission inspections, according to the Car Care Council, while another 21 percent have underinflated tires.

When it comes to the environment, this neglect spells trouble.”Every 60 seconds, 70 million gallons of water flow over Niagara Falls,” said Donald Midgely, president of the Car Care Council. “That’s how much gasoline is wasted every 10 days in this country by motorists who drive with underinflated tires and poorly maintained engines.”

In the past, service station attendants helped make motorists aware of possible problems. But now, 80 percent of all drivers pump their own gas. Surveys show self-serve gas customers don’t look under the hood or check their tires as often as they should, Midgely said.

“Vehicle maintenance is going down, not up,” he said. “As long as the car starts, most people are content.”

But according to the council — a nonprofit organization that promotes safety and environmental awareness through vehicle upkeep — nearly 90 percent of all vehicles need some sort of ignition work. Another 30 percent have low or dirty oil and 44 percent need to have their coolant checked.

A simple tune-up can do wonders for a vehicle and the environment. Dirty filters, worn spark plugs and underinflated tires can have a dramatic impact on air pollution and fuel consumption, Midgely said.

“Typically, an engine that needs a tune-up will use 10 percent more gasoline than one that’s running efficiently,” he said.

Additionally, as cars get older, their problems get worse. Since the average car in America is 7.6 years old and has been driven about 80,000 miles, it’s important to give these cars plenty of attention, Midgely said. By properly maintaining these vehicles, they will last much longer and reduce contributions to junk yards and landfills.

“People treat their cars like their health — they wait for problems to develop before taking action,” Midgely explained. “But if all cars were properly cared for, we could save 2.2 billion gallons of gasoline in this country next year.”

Tip/Stat — Tires can lose one pound of pressure for every 10 degrees the temperature drops. Not only does this waste gas, but it wears out the tires more quickly.

Technorati Tags: emission inspections, vehicle maintenance, tires, landfills, environment, green causes, fuel consumption

In an attempt to keep more paper in the recycling process, Adhesives Research Co., of Glenrock, Penn., has developed a new recyclable label.

“A lot of paper products are labeled — envelopes, newspapers, reports, you name it,” said Rick Alexander, market manager for Adhesives Research. “That material can’t be recycled into more paper without removing the label, so it often ends up in a landfill.To solve this problem, we’ve developed a label that’s recyclable.”

This new type of label eliminates a costly problem from the paper-making process — a problem paper mills call “stickies.” These are pieces of conventional labels, coated with rubber-based or acrylic adhesives, that make their way into the paper-pulp process.

These “stickies” cause shutdowns at paper mills which cost thousands of dollars in lost time and material each year, Alexander said.

“Paper mills understandably get very upset when this happens,” he said. “As a result, paper containing conventional labels is downgraded to a mixed-paper category and is usually hauled to a landfill.”

Paper mills are presently the largest users of Adhesive Research’s new label stock. But the company is starting to find acceptance from other industries, like direct-mail marketers and newspaper publishers, Alexander said.

“At the National Recycling Congress in Milwaukee, we were extremely pleased with the response we got,” he said. “The repulpable labels account for about 20 percent of our current label sales, but the growth prospects for them look very good.”

Large-volume users of labels like industrial corporations, banks, insurance companies and government agencies can benefit economically from switching to these repulpable labels, Alexander explained.

These organizations might pay as much as $20 per ton to dispose of waste paper with conventional labels. But if the same waste paper carried recyclable labels, it could be sold to a waste broker for about $50 per ton — a net difference of $70 per ton of paper.

After adding up the environmental and economic benefits of these new labels, why would anyone get stuck with anything else?

Tip/Stat — An average office worker disposes of 180 pounds of high-grade paper per year.

Technorati Tags: recycling process, recycling, landfill issues, environmental tips

Liquid-pouch packaging, which takes the place of rigid plastic bottles, is one example of source reduction whose time has arrived.

While its popularity has grown in Europe and Canada during the past few years, the flexible-pouch concept was first patented in France in the early 1960s. It is now being used for the first time in the United States in packaging for S.C. Johnson & Son’s Agree Plus combination shampoo and conditioner.

The new package, called an Enviro-Pouch by the company, uses 80 percent less plastic than conventional shampoo bottles. It also is completely collapsible, resulting in 92 percent less waste being sent to landfills.

“It looks like a ’space age’ type of package today, but within a few years, it will be commonplace,” said Tom Benson, environmental action manager for S.C. Johnson. “This is the future of packaging.”

An entire 10-ounce Enviro-Pouch package contains no more plastic than the cap of a typical shampoo bottle, he said. Collapsed, the pouch slides easily into a standard business envelope.

Agree Plus in the the new pouch is now being test marketed in three U.S. cities, but will be launched nationwide next spring, Benson said. The company also is testing pouches made from recycled plastic for use in 1993.

Additionally, to boost its environmental effort, S.C. Johnson will contribute one percent of all Agree Plus sales revenues to established environmental groups.

In customer surveys, nearly 70 percent of the people who have used Agree Plus say they prefer using the Enviro-Pouch over a conventional bottle, Benson said.

Pouch technology is currently used primarily in Europe, Canada and the Middle East. In Germany, refill pouches for concentrates are in heavy demand.

Milk is sold in pouches in Canada. Dupont’s pouch system in that country already has captured 55 percent of the Canadian milk packaging market and has reduced rigid container waste from 56 million pounds to 22 million pounds per year.

According to a report on the environmental advantages of plastic pouch packaging by the consulting firm, Mastio & Company, “Liquid pouches are lighter in weight, require less storage space, dramatically reduce shipping costs, consume less energy, and cost less to produce, fill and distribute.”

Because source reduction — using the minimum amount of materials needed in packaging — is so important in solving this country’s landfill crisis, liquid-pouch packaging may be one of the key elements in the success of this effort.

(Tip/Stat — The Environmental Protection Agency has set a goal for the United States of a 25 percent reduction in municipal solid waste by the end of 1992.)

Technorati Tags: packaging, energy, environment, plastics, environmental groups

Anyone with a sweet tooth and conscience should love the idea behind EnvirOmints — eat chocolate and save animals from extinction.

Since May 1990, the EnvirOmintal Candy Co. has been producing chocolate mint squares and giving away 50 percent of its profits to qualified nonprofit organizations working to save endangered animals and their habitat.

“We wanted to get away from just sending out an envelope asking for money, like most nonprofits do,” said co-founder Patrick Clarke-Delehanty. “This way people get candy instead. And it’s not just another candy — the product has a tremendous educational value.”

Included with each peppermint-flavored chocolate square is a animal species card. Each card features a photo of an endangered animal, along with the date the animal was placed on the Endangered Species List and the historic range it used to occupy.

“There are so many endangered species now, we could come out with a new set of 48 species cards every six months and not duplicate any for the next eight years,” Clarke-Delehanty said.

Additionally, customers can write the company for a free Wildlife Action Guide. The guide tells people how they can take action by writing their political representatives or regional fish and wildlife offices. It also lists several organizations currently working to save the environment.

“We’re providing people with educational materials to help keep them informed,” Clarke-Delehanty said. “We hope it gets them thinking about wildlife, and endangered wildlife in particular.”

The company also has made the candy’s foil wrapper easier to recycle. By offering to sell one of its endangered species T-shirts for only $9.00 if accompanied by 20 candy wrappers, the company is receiving more than a hundred wrappers a day from interested customers. The foil wrappers are then bundled and shipped to Chicago for recycling.

The mints can currently be found in about 15,000 stores around the country. They retail for 25 cents a piece.

“Most people say they want to do something about the environment, but they don’t have a vehicle for doing it easily and at a price they can afford,” said Clarke-Delehanty. “This product gives consumers a very inexpensive and fun way way to help endangered wildlife.”

Tip/Stat — There are 355 endangered species in the United States alone.

Technorati Tags: environment, endangered species, endangered animals, wildlife, educational materials

Earth News Media is a pioneer in the field of environmental news and information. The company was founded in 1991 as an international news service. Its efforts have led to a syndicated environmental news column being published around the world.

EnerWorks has secured $5.1 million in new investment through a private placement which closed January 15, 2009.

Solar Power Inc. (SPI) announced that it has received an additional order from a German solar integrator for the company’s 200-watt solar modules. On January 6, SPI announced that an initial supply of the modules was shipped to the integrator during December, 2008.

The world needs a one-off switch-over to renewable energy — and this could be largely accomplished in just forty years time, slashing energy costs and greenhouse gases while allowing healthy economic growth, experts say.

EnerWorks has made a bold statement of its commitment to solar cooling with its technology now powering the largest solar thermal heating and cooling installation in the world. 640 EnerWorks solar thermal collectors are rack-mounted on the roof of the Fletcher Business Park in Fletcher, North Carolina, providing solar thermal heating and cooling for the industrial/commercial warehouse and offices.

MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA – February 2, 2009 – ICP Solar Technologies Inc. (OTCBB: ICPR.OB, FRANKFURT: K1U.F), a developer, manufacturer and marketer of proprietary solar panels and products, today announced that the Company has reached an agreement with Integrated Metering Systems (IMS) of Largo, Florida to market the GreenMeter™ in North America in conjunction with IMS technology – providing an accurate, reliable means for net metering. IMS has been manufacturing electric submeters since 1989 for a variety of applications.

SolCool One, LLC delivered its 1.5 ton Millennia solar heat pump to ConGlobal Industries last week for installation in the city of Santa Monica’s new eco-office. The 660 square foot eco-office produced by The Paradigm Project will be a city showcase for affordable, low carbon footprint, low operating cost office space for Santa Monica employees.

Morningstar Corporation is pleased to annouce the introduction of a string calculator for estimating the proper sizing and configuration of photovoltaic (PV) modules when used with the Morningstar charge controllers.

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is pleased to announce the release of the Utility Solar Tax Manual, providing timely clarity regarding solar tax credit changes for the utility and solar industries. The manual also sheds light on the implications of these changes on new business models for both industries and their customers. The full report may be downloaded for free by SEPA members and purchased for $2,495 by non-members at www.solarelectricpower.org.

PV Powered, the leader in grid-tied solar inverter reliability, installability and serviceability, announces immediate availability of the IntelliString™ line of smart string combiner boxes.

IntertechPira, a leading conference and research organization is pleased to announce the final program for the 3rd annual Organic Photovoltaics conference set for April 27 – April 29, 2009 at the Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA, US.

Dr. Alexandre Pavlovski, PEng, CEO of Green Power Labs Inc. is pleased to welcome Jim Fletcher, FCSCE, MASc, PEng, PMP, and LEED AP to the position of Chief Engineer with the company.

Kyocera Solar, Inc. today announced that it has provided the photovoltaic (PV) modules for Arizona’s largest customer-owned solar electric generating system – a 500-kilowatt installation on the roof of a distribution facility operated by The Gatorade Company, a division of Pepsico (PEP), in the city of Tolleson.

BEDFORD, MA – (Business Wire) – January 20, 2009 – Spire Corporation (Nasdaq: SPIR), a global solar company providing turnkey factories and capital equipment for manufacturing photovoltaic (PV) modules and cells worldwide, today announced it has finalized a strategic relationship with Hind High Vacuum Company Private Limited (HHV) located in Bangalore, India. Spire and HHV shall cooperate to better address the Indian PV industry by offering a more complete and competitive portfolio of solar manufacturing equipment and service capabilities.

The Solmetric SunEye(TM) version 2.8 adds new views of shade data and further enhances solar energy site analysis. In the Obstruction Elevation View, the SunEye shows the angle of obstruction elevation vs. azimuth. In addition to Solar Access, the SunEye can now also display Total Solar Resource Fraction (TSRF) which compares how much energy at a site is available with the given orientation and shading compared to the optimal orientation without shading. Both features facilitate applications for state incentive programs.