Source: CarsonNow.org

Nevadans are recycling more, according to a report released Wednesday by state environmental officials.

In 2012, the recycling rate was 28.8 percent, surpassing the state’s goal of 25 percent, according to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. In 2012, Carson City had a recycling rate of 24.9 percent.

In 1991 legislation known as AB320 set a goal that at least 25 percent of municipal solid waste would be recycled in counties that have a population of greater than 45,000.

The recycling rate has fluctuated over the last decade, finally achieving the 25 percent goal in 2011. State recycling rates are calculated using tonnage of recycled material from large municipalities where recycling programs are required, according to a news release.
Continue reading Nevada recycling rate reaches historic high, Carson City inches closer to goal

Source: Environmental Protection On-Line.com

The USGS has conducted a new study to determine the contaminant vulnerability of public-supply wells around the country, and also to discover which pollutants in an aquifer will make their way into those wells.

In the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) public-supply well study, ten study areas were the main focus. Those areas included Modesto, Calif., Woodbury, Conn., near Tampa, Fla., York, Nebr., near Carson City and Sparks, Nev., Glassboro, N. J., Albuquerque, N. Mex., Dayton, Ohio, San Antonio, Tex., and Salt Lake City, Utah.

“Improving the understanding of the vulnerability of public-supply wells to contamination is needed to safeguard public health and prevent future contamination,” said Suzette Kimball, acting USGS Director. “By examining ten different aquifers across the nation, we have a more thorough and robust understanding of the complexities and factors affecting water quality in our public supplies.”

Results of the study indicated that some aquifers allow contaminants to stay in groundwater longer or travel to wells much quicker than other aquifers because of direct pathways, such as fractures in rocks or wellbores of non-pumping wells. Irrigation and high-volume pumping were also found as human-induced contaminants in groundwater. Arsenic and uranium were found as natural contaminants in drinking water as a result of geochemical changes.

Source: the Guardian Health Innovation hub
By: Dr Peter Thomond is co-founder and managing director of Clever Together, an organization that helps leaders empower people using crowdsourcing

The five top tips to harness potential and give staff a license to suggest changes.

To nurture innovation in healthcare, leaders must do less. This counter-intuitive advice draws on years of innovation research and the practices of the world’s most innovative organizations, the ones that get 10 times more bang for buck on their innovation activities than the rest.

Innovation is more than a shiny gadget or an elegant new pathway. It is the organization’s process of identifying, developing and successfully exploiting new ideas, which is deceptively complex. I’ve worked with only 19 health providers and commissioners so far, yet I consistently see the same challenges which, if addressed, would lead to phenomenal leaps in innovation outcomes. Here are five top tips for leaders of health and care organizations:
Continue reading What healthcare leaders can do to nurture innovation

National stormwater calculator helps manage stormwater runoff

WASHINGTON – As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released the National Stormwater Calculator, an innovative addition to the administration’s virtual climate resilience toolkit. EPA’s new calculator will help property owners, developers, landscapers, and urban planners make informed land-use decisions to protect local waterways from pollution caused by stormwater runoff. Preventing stormwater runoff, which can impact drinking water resources and local ecosystems, protects people’s health and the environment.

The calculator, which is phase I of the Stormwater Calculator and Climate Assessment Tool package announced in the President’s Climate Action Plan in June, is a desktop application that estimates the annual amount of stormwater runoff from a specific site, based on local soil conditions, slope, land cover, and historical rainfall records. Users can enter any U.S. location and select different scenarios to learn how specific green infrastructure changes, including inexpensive changes like rain barrels and rain gardens, can prevent pollution. This information helps users determine how adding green infrastructure can be one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce stormwater runoff.
Continue reading : EPA Software Helps Reduce Water Pollution as Part of President’s Climate Action Plan

Common-sense exclusion will save industry up to $27.8 million per year

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) modified the hazardous waste management regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to conditionally exclude solvent-contaminated wipes from hazardous waste regulations provided that businesses clean or dispose of them properly.   The rule is based on EPA’s final risk analysis, which was peer reviewed in 2008 and published for public comment in 2009, that concluded wipes contaminated with certain hazardous solvents do not pose significant risk to human health and the environment when managed properly.  EPA estimates that the final rule will result in a net savings of between $21.7 million and $27.8 million per year.
Wipes are used in conjunction with solvents for cleaning and other purposes by tens of thousands of facilities in numerous industrial sectors, such as printers, automobile repair shops and manufacturers of automobiles, electronics, furniture and chemicals.
“Today’s rule uses the latest science to provide a regulatory framework for managing solvent-contaminated wipes that is appropriate to the level of risk posed by these materials,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “I’ve heard directly from stakeholders about the benefits of this rule and the need to finalize it. The rule reduces costs for thousands of businesses, many of which are small businesses, while maintaining protection of human health and the environment.” Continue reading EPA Reduces Regulatory Burden for Industrial Facilities Using Solvent Wipes

The DEA website has announced the next National Take-Back Initiative event, October 26, 2013, to collect unwanted household pharmaceuticals. (http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/)

Law enforcement agencies can now call their state/regional DEC “Point of Contact” (POC) agent to register their sites.

POC names and numbers can be found at: (http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/poc.htm)

You can find information about organizing collection events at: http://www.takebacknetwork.com/ and http://www.healthyyouth.org/medication-disposal.php among others.

Note: With the DEA event, only a phone call is needed to set-up a collection site.  References to getting state permits would only apply to independent collection events.

WASHINGTON –– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the release of an upgrade to its popular online energy management and tracking tool, Energy Star Portfolio Manager. The upgraded tool can help businesses achieve the President’s call to make commercial buildings at least 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020. The new Energy Star Portfolio Manager delivers a more user-friendly interface, enhanced data sharing capabilities, better reporting, and for the first time, the ability to manage buildings across their lifecycle from design through occupancy.

Tens of thousands of organizations—including school districts, retail chains, hospital systems, and local governments—currently use Energy Star Portfolio Manager to measure the energy performance, water use, utility costs, and greenhouse gas emissions of more than 40 percent of the nation’s commercial building space.

“You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” said Janet McCabe, principal deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. “The new ‘turbo-charged’ Portfolio Manager makes it easier than ever for building owners and managers to make strategic business decisions that are good for the environment and good for the bottom line. Consistent with President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, this tool helps businesses cut wasted energy, reduce harmful carbon pollution, and save money.”
Continue reading EPA Debuts Upgraded Energy Star Portfolio Manager Benchmarking Tool

Source: FuelFix.com

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Gov. Brian Sandoval has sent a second letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz requesting a meeting about Department of Energy activities in Nevada, including plans to haul canisters of radioactive waste from Oak Ridge, Tenn., to the Nevada National Security Site northwest of Las Vegas and proposed cuts to state oversight funding.

In a letter dated July 12 and released by his office Monday, Sandoval reminded Moniz of his first letter sent a month ago, adding “I have received no official communication from your office regarding this request and now write again to request this important meeting as soon as possible.”

Sandoval raised questions about a recent DOE proposal to reduce funding that supports state oversight of waste management.

Leo Drozdoff, director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said figures are not yet firm, but the DOE is talking about chopping Nevada funding by about $300,000 — roughly 30 percent.
Continue reading Sandoval pushes for meeting with energy secretary