Category: News

Reprint from Environmental Leader:

PCC Natural Markets, the nation’s largest member-owned grocery retailer, has selected its Issaquah, Wash., store for its first on-site food scrap “harvester.”

PCC is undertaking the pilot project in partnership with local clean technology firm WISErg Corporation, which developed the harvester. The overall system includes a sealed harvester that grinds food scraps, as well as a finishing process that results in an organic liquid fertilizer called WISErganic.

WISErganic is sourced from PCC’s own food scraps and available for sale to PCC customers in all nine of the market’s locations.

The harvester has been on site for six weeks and continuous digital monitoring and feedback confirms that the harvester performs well, PCC says. The base fertilizer has also been subject to early testing at Washington State University.

PCC says that its goal, of producing an organic fertilizer with bio-stimulatory effects that can compete with consumer-oriented synthetics, both in terms of cost and efficacy, appears within reach. The fertilizer also improves soil health, unlike petroleum derived synthetics, the company says.

The unit is the result of two years of research and development by WISErg. PCC says the technology offers the opportunity for grocery stores to lower their carbon footprint by significantly reducing the volume of food scrap waste transported offsite.

According to the EPA, about 100 billion pounds of food is wasted each year in the United States. Wasted food that gets thrown out accounts for almost 34 million tons of the solid waste generated in the United States. Less than three percent of that food waste is recovered, PCC says.

In February, UK grocery giant Tesco began trialing a packaging strip developed by It’sFresh! Ltd. in an effort to make food last longer and prevent waste. The supermarket giant will be the first retailer to test the packaging on tomatoes and avocados, which are the food items that go to waste most often. The company says the strips could save 1.6 million packs of tomatoes and 350,000 packs of avocados a year.

Also in February, food company Kraft announced that it now has 36 facilities in 13 countries that send zero waste to landfills. One Kraft plant in San Leandro and two in Fresno, California diverted more than 100 tons of food waste – such as corn skins – for use as animal feed, helping to cut waste to landfill about 26 percent since 2009. The Philadelphia cream cheese plant in Beaver Dam, Wisc., partnered with the city in 2010 and 2011 to build an anaerobic digester that turns whey waste into biogas.

Posted by Healthcare Packaging on April 25, 2012

Cromwell Polythene is re-launching its clinical waste sacks range, making extensive use of star seal technology to maximize carrying capacity, while optimizing leak resistance. The new range includes yellow sacks for transporting hazardous waste for incineration, orange sacks for waste that is disposed of by a licensed or permitted facility, and yellow sacks with a black stripe, also known as “Tiger” bags, for waste collection and disposal that is not subject to special requirements in order to prevent infection and which are disposed of by deep landfill.

Used by leading healthcare, clinical, and specialist waste collection companies, to help comply with European legislation for the collection, transport and disposal of appropriate wastes as detailed in the European Waste Catalogue (EWC) classification 18 01, the UN-approved yellow and orange LLDPE sacks come in 5 kgs, 8 kgs, and 10 kgs capacities and are supplied in rolls of 25, packed eight rolls/ carton.

CHSA-approved “Tiger” bags are available in 10 kgs capacity, and are supplied in either an LLDPE blend or 100% recycled LDPE blend, which features a standard gusseted bottom weld. All sacks make use of Cromwell Polythene’s LOWCP2T™ technology to reduce the weight of the bags, bringing about savings in CO2 and other emissions throughout the supply chain and the products’ lifecycle. ??

Star seal technology enables bags to be manufactured without gussets, eliminating gaps along the seals where leaks sometimes occur. It also leads to a less formed shape, allowing the sack more easily to mold itself to the contours of a container, in those instances where one is used, distributing the weight of the content evenly around the bag. Compact packaging means less space taken up in vehicles, which provides a further boost to the sustainability of these products.

LED surgery lights, HVAC systems and improved facility design, among other technologies, can cut large hospitals’ energy costs in half, according to a Department of Energy Guide.

The Advanced Energy Design Guide for Large Hospitals, the fourth and final publication in the AEDG series, is designed to help 100,0000-square feet or larger medical centers achieve 50 percent energy savings.

The AEDG for Large Hospitals, along with the rest of the series, is available for free download on the ASHRAE website.

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader

FierceHealthcare

Hospitals embracing sustainability, such as recycling programs, food management and other waste-reduction initiatives, require a commitment from the top, according to a recent report by the Health Care Research Collaborative. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates the healthcare industry spent more than $6.5 billion on energy, surpassing all other service industries with the exception of transportation, the report noted. And healthcare facilities generate 5 million tons of solid waste each year — 5 percent of which is hazardous, the report added. More

SAN FRANCISCO—The EPA recently proposed to limit nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions at Reid Gardner Generating Station in Moapa Valley, Nevada, as part of a national effort to reduce regional haze that impairs visibility at protected national parks and wilderness areas. The proposal published on April 12, 2012 would establish lower limits for NO_x emissions under Federal and state plans that require the facility to install Best Available Retrofit Technology to control these emissions.

On Thursday, May 3, 2012 the EPA will host two separate public hearings as well as informational sessions in advance of the public hearings. The first hearing is at the Big Auditorium in the Administration Building of Moapa Band of Paiutes on 1 Lincoln Street in Moapa from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, with an informational session from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. The second hearing is at the Ron Dalley Theater of Moapa Valley Empowerment High School on 2400 St. Joseph Street in Overton from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, with an informational session from 5:00 to 6:00 pm.

Any person may provide written comments, oral comments and/or data pertaining to the proposal at either the public hearings or directly to EPA on or before June 4, the close of the public comment period. The Agency intends to respond to comments and take final action no later than July 13.

The proposed actions are designed to reduce the fine particle air pollution that results in visibility impairment, known as regional haze. This haze obscures the view of scenery and objects at a distance, reducing the beauty of our protected natural areas.

Congress set the goal of the “prevention of any future, and the remedying of any existing, impairment of visibility in mandatory Class I Federal areas which impairment results from manmade air pollution.” These Class I areas include 156 national parks and wilderness areas such as the Grand Canyon National Park. Under EPA’s Regional Haze Rule, the states are required to establish long-term strategies for making reasonable progress toward achieving natural visibility in Class 1 areas.

For more information, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/air/actions/nv.html

April 28, 2012  10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 28, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications.

Americans that participated in the DEA’s third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on October 29, 2011, turned in more than 377,086 pounds (188.5 tons) of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at the 5,327 take-back sites that were available in all 50 states and U.S. territories. When the results of the three prior Take-Back Days are combined, the DEA, and its state, local, and tribal law-enforcement and community partners have removed 995,185 pounds (498.5 tons) of medication from circulation in the past 13 months.

“The amount of prescription drugs turned in by the American public during the past three Take-Back Day events speaks volumes about the need to develop a convenient way to rid homes of unwanted or expired prescription drugs,” said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “DEA remains hard at work to establish just such a drug disposal process, and will continue to offer take-back opportunities until the proper regulations are in place.”

“With the continued support and hard work of our more than 3,945 state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners, these three events have dramatically reduced the risk of prescription drug diversion and abuse, and increased awareness of this critical public health issue,” said Leonhart.

Collection Site Locator:

Find a collection site near you. Check back frequently as collection sites are continuously being added.

Law Enforcement Agencies Only:

For law enforcement agencies that wish to host a collection site please call the POC in your area.

Take-Back Day Partnership Toolbox:

Here you will find a list of files that you can download to use for your own purposes.

General Public Inquiries:

Inquiries can be made at 1-800-882-9539.

According to Klaus Reichardt, founder and CEO of Waterless Co., Inc., drilling for water, storing water, and delivering water to and from facilities uses a considerable amount of energy.

“This means if we can conserve water and use it more efficiently, we can also save energy,” explains Reichardt.

For example, at least 19 percent of all the energy currently used in California is expended just to transport water. Taking this a step further, some experts now believe most of the energy consumed in the Western half of the United States is in some way related to water production or delivery.

“In many ways, all of our conservation and sustainability efforts are interconnected in some way,” says Reichardt. “But with water, the connection with energy — and, with that, the need for imported oil — is rather dramatic.”

Reichardt adds that this is true not only in the U.S. but all over the world, especially in underdeveloped countries where serious water shortages are becoming an everyday occurrence.

“[In] many areas of the world, water is accessible but the power, fuel, and energy necessary to drill and deliver it are not,” he says. “This is why for millions of women in underdeveloped countries, their number one job each day is to walk several miles just to find water and bring it [back] home to their families.”

Reichardt suggests that as Earth Day approaches, North Americans should try to view turning on a water tap as they would turning on a power generator: “Do it, but do it wisely.”

Visit Clean Link news for additional articles

• Apr 26, 2012

According to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spokesman, indoor air pollution causes 50 percent of illnesses globally. This statistic should catch the attention of every physician, every lawmaker and every layperson reading this paper. That’s more than all the cancers and all the heart disease combined. It is time we started to pay more attention to the indoor air we breathe. It is staggering to comprehend the enormous impact on our global society as literally millions of individuals and families are harmed by contaminants inside our homes, schools and workplaces.

Global Indoor Health Network, a non-profit network uniting experts in the field released a new paper titled “Common Toxins in our Homes, Schools and Workplaces.”

Changes over the years in building philosophy, construction materials, pesticides, usage patterns, etc., along with new awareness and improved testing capabilities, have brought us to the understanding that some buildings are sick and can make their occupants sick. Shoddy construction practices and environmental disasters also contribute. Americans spend, on average, 22 hours a day indoors. As such, it is a disconcerting thought that the structures we live in, work at and where we educate our children might lead to significant and even deadly health problems.

Radon, asbestos, products of combustion (such as carbon monoxide and cigarette smoke), volatile organic compounds (such as formaldehyde, benzene, pesticides and some personal care products), particulate matter, lead and a number of known and emerging disease-causing microbiological agents are discussed in this paper. However, the most space is reserved for the discussion regarding the secondary metabolic products of molds and bacteria released into the air of water-damaged buildings as these potentially may harm the most people and because of the disinformation war currently being waged suggesting that human disease from these toxins cannot exist.

Naysayer articles spend valuable print space suggesting that disease from mold can only occur after ingestion, or can only occur in the presence of large amounts of aerosolized toxin, or can only occur in an acute exposure. In light of the overwhelming peer-reviewed and journal-published evidence to the contrary, it is unimaginable that such papers are still being inked, are still being used in courts as evidence and are still considered relevant in any way. It’s the “Big Lie” all over again “say something long enough and loud enough and many will believe the lie”.

“Big Business” has been shown repeatedly to use this tactic regarding the dangers of their products, and the histories of such substances as radium, asbestos and coal are evidence of the same. Workers in these industries, and other industries, were exposed to dangerous materials for decades while those making the profits knew the potential harmful health effects.

Mold illness, mold-related illness and biotoxin related illness are euphemisms which are collectively referred to as Multi-system Exposure Related Illness (MERI) in this paper. MERI is a multi-symptom, multi-system disease occurring in many people due usually to long-term exposure to the interior of water-damaged buildings. While a massive acute exposure can lead to MERI, the most common mechanism is chronic exposure to low level toxins leading to an inflammatory response in the body. Written by treating physicians and researchers in the field, this paper is a collaborative effort which provides detailed information on the pathophysiology and diagnosis of MERI, as well as details regarding the treatment protocols used by some of the leading physicians.

It is time to move beyond the focus of “establishing the fact of mold disease”, because it has already been established in numerous research papers and in the treatment of thousands of patients. It is time for our national and world leaders to develop a comprehensive public health response to this devastating epidemic that has the potential to cripple our individual and collective futures. The paper provides specific recommendations in the Call to Action. The Global Indoor Health Network looks forward to collaborating with government agencies and organizations in the public and private sector in this search for better health and safer living and working conditions.

The paper can be found, in its entirety, at:

http://globalindoorhealthnetwork.com/position_statement.html