admin – Page 31 – The Business Environmental Program

Greener Meetings with New ASTM Standards

A collection of standards developed by Subcommittee E60.02 on Hospitality guides planners and suppliers on how to arrange more sustainable meetings.

It’s a meeting at an inn in Vermont designated as a “Green Hotel in the Green Mountain State” that, among other benchmarks, composts leaf and yard waste. It’s a corporate event by a firm that checks for needed products in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing database. It’s a meeting arranged by a planner who considers a destination’s public transportation system and a venue’s recycling program. A green meeting may be any one of these things, and more.

Increasingly, greener — or more sustainable — meetings are occurring across the landscape. Today, more sustainable meetings, encouraged by EPA guidance on the topic and also available with the help of professional planners, mean more than what’s green. Sustainable meetings, in addition to the environment, consider social factors; they also make good business sense.

And now, through the work of ASTM International Committee E60 on Sustainability and its Subcommittee E60.02 on Hospitality, and the broad industry representation on the group, eight recently released standards, with one more coming soon, can assist planners and suppliers in producing more environmentally friendly meetings.

The Benefits of Meeting

“We as human beings have a need to meet,” says Amy Spatrisano, principal of MeetGreen®, Portland, Ore., and an ASTM International member who served as a catalyst to begin the work on the new sustainable meetings standards; she also chaired the Convention Industry Council task force for its 2004 Green Meetings Report.
Continue reading Greener Meetings with New ASTM Standards

DOE Study Confirms LEDs Most ‘Environmentally Friendly’ Lighting

Source: Environmental Leader.com

LED lamps have a slight environmental edge over compact fluorescent lamps and a significantly lower environmental impact than incandescent lighting over the lifetime of the products, according to a Department of Energy report.

The report, LED Manufacturing and Performance, is the second part of a DOE project to assess the life-cycle environmental and resource costs in the manufacturing, transport, use and disposal of LED lighting products.

Part 1, published in February, concluded that the life cycle energy consumption of LEDs and CFLs are similar — about 3,900 MJ per 20 million lumen-hours. LEDs consume 12.5 watts of electricity to produce about the same amount of light as a 15-watt compact fluorescent lamp or a 60-watt incandescent.

The new report finds that the energy these lighting products consume during operation makes up the majority of their environmental impact, compared to the energy consumed in manufacturing and transportation.
Continue reading DOE Study Confirms LEDs Most ‘Environmentally Friendly’ Lighting

How you can help the economy and save money

Source: Reno Gazette Journal: Energy boost: How you can help the economy and save money

6:00 am, Jul 1, 2012 | Written by Mark Robison

We all know Nevada’s construction industry took a big hit in the economic storm we’re still trudging through.

Now imagine if you personally could help put contractors back to work while saving money on your energy bill so you can spend it on other things — a one-two punch to help the local economy.

That’s the idea behind the statewide Energy Fit Nevada program, which uses federal grant money to give homeowners rebates from $1,000 to $2,000 on work that increases the energy efficiency of houses by 20 to 30 percent.

But wait, there’s more. No, it’s not a free set of steak knives. Instead, you can pay for the home improvements with a 2.3 percent low-interest loan from Nevada State Bank — normally such a loan would be 15 percent and require a higher credit rating.

It sounds like a great plan but there’s $1.75 million in the pot to pay for the rebates — and when it’s gone, the program ends. That might be a problem because Southern Nevada has a lot more people so if we don’t jump on this program, Las Vegas will pump the bulk of that money into its economy and we’ll get crumbs.

By the same token, if we step up, we can snatch the lion’s share for ourselves — and because we’re smaller, that money will have a bigger effect.

How it works

Ideas on contests to boost participation in Northern Nevada, a homeowner telling about his experience and a contractor talking about what the program means for his business — they are all coming up.
Continue reading How you can help the economy and save money

New Energy Department Report Finds Lower Environmental Impact for Energy-Efficient Lighting

Source: Depart of Energy and Energy Efficiency

June 29, 2012

A new Energy Department report finds that LED lamps have a significantly lower environmental impact than incandescent lighting and a slight environmental edge over compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). The report, LED Manufacturing and Performance, compares these three technologies from the beginning to the end of their life cycles—including manufacturing, operation, and disposal. The most comprehensive study of its kind for LED lamps, the new report analyzes the energy and environmental impacts of manufacturing, assembly, transport, operation, and disposal of these three lighting types, and is the first public report to consider the LED manufacturing process in depth. This report supports the Energy Department’s efforts to protect our air and water, boost American competitiveness in the race for clean energy, and help families and businesses save money on their energy bills.

This is the second report produced through a larger Energy Department project to assess the life-cycle environmental and resource costs of LED lighting products in comparison with traditional lighting technologies. The report uses the conclusions of the previous report, Review of the Lifecycle Energy Consumption of Incandescent, Compact Fluorescent and LED Lamps, released in February 2012, as a point of departure to produce a detailed, conservative assessment of the manufacturing process and use it to compare the three lighting technologies, taking into consideration a wider range of environmental impacts.

The first report concluded that CFLs and today’s LEDs are similar in energy consumption—both consuming significantly less electricity over the same period of usage than incandescent lighting—and that operating these products consumed the majority of the energy used throughout their life cycle. Similarly, the new report finds that the energy these lighting products consume during operation makes up the majority of their environmental impact, compared to the energy consumed in manufacturing and transportation. Because of their high efficiency—consuming only 12.5 watts of electricity to produce about the same amount of light as CFLs (15 watts) and incandescents (60 watts)—LED lamps were found to be the most environmentally friendly of the three lamp types over the lifetime of the products, across 14 of the 15 impact measures examined in the study.

Other key findings:

CFLs were found to have a slightly higher environmental impact than today’s LED lamps on all measures except their contribution to landfills. The aluminum contained in an LED lamp’s large aluminum heat sink causes a greater impact on landfills because of the energy and resources consumed in manufacturing.
The report projects that in five years, the environmental impacts of LEDs will be significantly lower than today’s LED products, based on expected near-term improvements in LED technology.
As the market transitions from incandescent sources to energy-saving light sources that save consumers and business money, LEDs and CFLs are expected to achieve substantial reductions in environmental impacts–on the order of three to 10 times current levels.

To download a PDF of the report and view other market studies and technical reports on solid state lighting, go to the Solid State Lighting website.

DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) accelerates development and facilitates deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality. For more information about DOE’s support of research, development, demonstration, and market support of energy-efficient solid-state lighting, visit the EERE Solid-State Lighting website.

Exposure to Wood Dust Hazards Revealed in New Online Video

Source: Environmental Expert.com

The IAQ Video Network produces another educational video about microbial pathogens, toxins and occupational health hazards.

Phoenix, AZ, June 27th, 2012 — Today, the IAQ Video Network and Cochrane & Associates announced the release of another online video to help educate the public about issues that may impact their health. The latest educational video discusses health hazards associated with wood dusts.

In 2009, wood dust was added to California’s Proposition 65 list as a substance known to the State of California to cause cancer. Many workers across the nation are exposed to wood dusts at sawmills, wood processing facilities and during construction and renovation activities.

Wood dust can be created when wood is cut, drilled, sanded, machined or processed. Wood dust becomes a potential health problem when wood particles become airborne.

“Breathing these particles may cause allergic respiratory symptoms, mucosal and non-allergic respiratory symptoms, irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, pulmonary function impairment, and even cancer,” reported Paul Cochrane, President of Cochrane and Associates, the company behind the IAQ Video Network and the new public outreach video. “In addition to the health effects of wood dust, airborne dust can create the potential for a dust explosion. Significant accumulations of fine particles of wood dust can result in a fire hazard and explosion risk. We hope this video helps to educate people about potential risks associated with exposure to wood dusts.”

To view this video please visit:

http://youtu.be/tq2ruF4iy2U

This educational video was sponsored by a number of organizations and leading industry professionals that help protect the public’s health. Sponsors include: EMSL Analytical, LA Testing, UltraViolet Devices, EC2, Sussex Environmental Health Consultants, Clark Seif Clark, IAQ Index, Legends Environmental Insurance Services, Advanced Building Assessment and the Institute for Safety and Health Management (ISHM) to name a few.

To learn more, or to inquire about IAQ Video Network sponsorship opportunities, please visit http://www.IAQTV.com or http://www.cochraneassoc.com, email info@cochraneassoc.com or call (602)510-3179.

EIA Examines Alternate Scenarios for the Future of U.S. Energy

Source: Environmental Protection Online.com

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) today released the complete version of Annual Energy Outlook 2012 (AEO2012) which, in addition to the Reference case projections, includes 29 alternative cases which show how different assumptions regarding market, policy, and technology drivers affect projections of energy production, consumption, technology, and market trends and the direction they may take in the future.

“Uncertainty is inherent in long-term projections,” said EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski. “By modeling scenarios using a range of assumptions about market, policy, and technology drivers, we gain a better understanding of the potential impacts in critical areas of uncertainty.”

Key results highlighted in AEO2012 include:

The rate of growth in energy use slows over the projection period, reflecting moderate population growth, an extended economic recovery, and increasing energy efficiency in end-use applications

Overall U.S. energy consumption grows at an average annual rate of 0.3 percent from 2010 through 2035 in the AEO2012 Reference case. The U.S. does not return to the levels of energy demand growth experienced in the 20 years prior to the 2008-2009 recession, because of more moderate projected economic growth and population growth, coupled with increasing levels of energy efficiency and rising energy prices.
Continue reading EIA Examines Alternate Scenarios for the Future of U.S. Energy

Fifty Communities Across The U.S. Rally for Increased Recycling

Source: Environmental Expert.com

Nationwide Challenge Will Award Winning Community a $100,000 Grant from SC Johnson

RACINE, Wis., June 27, 2012 /PR Newswire/ — Americans recycle only one-and-a-half pounds of the more than four pounds of waste they generate daily(1), adding unnecessary waste to our nation’s landfills. In an effort to help slow this trend and further inspire waste reduction efforts, SC Johnson has partnered with Recyclebank®, the award-winning recycling incentives program, to launch the SC Johnson Green Choices Recycling Challenge. The program encourages 50 communities, one in each state, to compete for the highest recycling participation rate during the six-month challenge. The winning community will receive a $100,000 grant from SC Johnson.

‘Companies have a responsibility to make more environmentally conscious products and operate more sustainably, but we also need to find ways to inspire families and help them to make green choices, like recycling, an everyday action, said Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. ‘The SC Johnson Green Choices Recycling Challenge along with our recently announced Sustainable Behavior Change Program will help us to better understand what motivates people to change their actions when it comes to waste reduction.’

The SC Johnson Sustainable Behavior Change Program is a five year research project that will bring together academics, environmentalists and consumers in an effort to identify what drives behavior change around a number of sustainable actions. Overlaying consumer-action programs will test different message techniques across communities to understand what motivates that behavior change. The program’s initial research will dovetail with the SC Johnson Green Choices Recycling Challenge.

While the challenge aims to increase consumers’ recycling, it will also contribute to the company’s goal of becoming landfill neutral by 2016. Through operational commitments as well as with the help of Recyclebank and communities(2), across the country, the company will eliminate or divert more than 480 million pounds of waste from the nation’s landfills, which is equivalent to more than its U.S. waste footprint. The company defines its waste footprint as all its U.S. manufacturing, office and consumer packaging waste and shipping materials.

The 50 new communities involved in the SC Johnson Green Choices Challenge will join more than 300 communities across the U.S. and the U.K. that have implemented Recyclebank programs to help increase recycling rates through incentives and reward residents with deals on everyday household and grocery items. In addition to significant environmental benefits, increased recycling also has a positive impact on municipal finances through disposal cost savings and revenues from the sale of recyclables.

‘At Recyclebank, we believe that the key to unlocking the greatest environmental impact depends on businesses, government and communities working together to inspire and motivate everyday green actions,’ said Jonathan Hsu, chief executive officer at Recyclebank. ‘Through our partnership with SC Johnson and our growing network of municipalities, we can reach an even wider audience to better educate and incentivize a daily routine to the benefit our environment, one small step at a time.’

Recyclebank is similar to a frequent flyer program; rather, members instead earn points for living a more sustainable lifestyle. Members can use those points to ‘shop’ at Recyclebank.com for rewards such as discounts and deals from hundreds of reward partners in more than 10 categories including food and beverage, health, beauty, home, clothing, accessories and gifts. Available rewards include deals on a suite of SC Johnson brands such as Ziploc®, Windex®, Scrubbing Bubbles®, Glade®, and discounts from national retailers and restaurants. Over the course of a year, an average family can earn hundreds of points that can be redeemed for special rewards; this translates into real value — more than $160 annually.

Communities participating in the SC Johnson Green Choices Recycling Challenge include:

Trussville, Ala.	The Big Island, Hawaii	Westwood, Mass.	Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, N.M.	Rapid City, S.D.
Eagle River, Alaska	Hailey, Idaho	Huntington Woods, Mich.	Aurora, N.Y	Lewisburg, Tenn.
Show Low, Ariz.	Buffalo Grove, Ill.	East Grand Forks, Minn.	Fuquay-Varina, N.C.	Hutto, Texas
Russellville, Ark.	Lake Station, Ind.	Clinton, Miss.	Horace, N.D	North Ogden, Utah
Capitola, Calif.	Independence, Iowa	Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo.	Moraine, Ohio	Underhill, Vt.
Milliken, Colo.	Newton, Kan.	Bozeman, Mont.	Choctaw, Okla	Red Rock HOA – Leesburg, Va.
Farmington, Conn.	Franklin County, Ky.	Bellevue, Neb.	Klamath Falls, Ore	Mill Creek, Wash.
Middletown, Del.	St. Tammany Parish, La.	Incline Village, Nev.	Macungie, Pa.	Bridgeport, W.Va.
Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.	Scarborough, Me.	Hampstead, N.H.	Woonsocket, R.I.	Union Grove, Wis.
Marietta, Ga.	Ocean Pines, Md.	Chatham, N.J.	Bluffton, S.C.	Laramie, Wyo.

A leaderboard at www.recyclebank.com/greenchoices will track progress each month, and the winning community will be announced in January 2013. To learn more about SC Johnson’s sustainability efforts, visit www.scjohnson.com/greenchoices, follow them on Twitter @SCJGreenChoices or access its 2011 Public report at www.scjohnson.com/2011Report

ABOUT SC JOHNSON
SC Johnson is a family-owned and managed business dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, KIWI®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, TANA®, BAMA®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, MR. MUSCLE®, and RIDSECT®. The 126-year-old company, that generates $9 billion in sales, employs nearly 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com

ABOUT RECYCLEBANK
Recyclebank helps create a more sustainable future by rewarding people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from more than 3,000 local and national businesses. Through its online platform and partnerships with municipalities, haulers, small businesses and corporate brands, Recyclebank is empowering individuals to make a collective impact on the environment by increasing household recycling, reducing household energy usage and taking other environmentally-preferred actions. A Certified B Corporation, Recyclebank has been recognized as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, a Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Programme and for Outstanding Excellence in Public/Private Partnerships from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Recyclebank is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit www.Recyclebank.com

(1) ‘Municipal Solid Waste.’ EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. <http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm

(2) The Recyclebank® partnership looks at waste reduction holistically and will look to recycle both SC Johnson brands and other consumer goods products to help reach the company’s goal.

New Life For Aging Artificial Turf Fields

Source: Environmental Expert.com

— Artificial Turf Recycling Process Developed to Support Industry

CINCINNATI, June 27, 2012 /PR Newswire/ — The problem was becoming monumental. Artificial turf fields installed 8 to 12 years ago are in desperate need of replacement. But what to do with the old turf? Landfills have become expensive options – and in some states with tough sustainability laws – not an option at all. With an estimated 31,000 U.S. fields on the line for replacement in the next 25 years, each with 500,000lbs + of material, this paralyzing dilemma was looming large until now.

Turf Reclamation Services (TRS), has developed a unique solution for artificial turf removal and recycling that has the entire industry breathing easier. It’s the combination of new equipment that slices and rolls the turf carpet and a new recycling process that extracts the infill and recycles the carpet that makes field replacement an easier process for architects, contractors, and organizations who own the fields. ‘No other organization has developed such a comprehensive beginning to end solution,’ said Mark Heinlein, President, TRS. ‘We’ve been in the artificial turf business since 1999, so we had a good perspective on what was at stake. And we found great partners to help us innovate a solution that is simple, efficient and scalable.’

Leveraging over a decade of front line artificial turf knowledge, TRS developed specialized equipment that removes the field with minimal disruption to the base. The equipment includes a self-propelled drive unit, called the Wrangler™ and two accessories for reclaiming the field. The Viper™ attachment slices the turf into manageable 45′ ribbons the entire width of the field. Each ribbon is then tightly rolled using a second attachment called the SideWinder™. These rolls can then be easily loaded onto trucks for transport. A separate machine, the Rattlesnake™ is in final development to remove and supersack the material directly on site. The prototype Rattlesnake has proven this concept on several fields and the commercial unit is expected in late 2012.

Depending on the customer’s needs, a number of things can happen to the turf and infill once removed from the site. The turf can be repurposed into a secondary market or be recycled into new products such as synthetic turf infill. The rubber and sand infill can be reused on the project or further cleaned, sieved and separated for use on future synthetic turf projects. The entire recycling process is managed by TRS which can supply a Certified Chain of Custody to ensure the field elements have been properly handled and processed.

‘Architects love the idea of being able to recycle the old turf and remove it in a way that keeps the base intact. It eliminates two major hurdles in the client’s decision to install a new field,’ said Heinlein. TRS crews are providing removal services to turf contractors and have already completed projects throughout the Midwest, South and East Coast. Contact us for your upcoming turf removal needs. The turf removal equipment is available to enterprising contractors for sale from TRS (www.recyclemyturf.com).

FOR MORE INFO CALL Division Manager, ADAM COLEMAN at 855-801-5081. Or email acoleman@recyclemyturf.com www.recyclemyturf.com

SOURCE Turf Reclamation Services