Category: News

For hospitals, going green can be a challenge. However, the health care industry has been making important changes so that facilities become not only stewards of patients, but also stewards of the earth.

“Because of their 24-hour nature and the need for infection control, hospitals have, historically, been one of the biggest generators of waste and consumers of water and electricity in a community,” says Llora Wonder, vice president of marketing for health care products maker Medline Industries, Inc. “Many hospitals have now launched initiatives to conserve resources, lower their consumption costs and reduce their negative impact on the environment.”

Facilities trying to go green are focusing on two main problem areas: reducing waste and curtailing water consumption.

Read the complete article at The Randolph County Herald Tribune

By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press
Manufacturing.Net – January 21, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly two thirds of drivers could have more corn-based ethanol in their fuel tanks under an Environmental Protection Agency decision Friday.

The agency said that 15 percent ethanol blended with gasoline is safe for cars and light-duty trucks manufactured between 2001 and 2006, expanding an October decision that the higher blend is safe for cars built since 2007.The maximum gasoline blend has been 10 percent ethanol.

The fuel is popular in farm country because most ethanol comes from corn and other grains. It faces strong opposition, however, from the auto industry, environmentalists, cattle ranchers, food companies and a broad coalition of other groups. Those groups say that using corn to make ethanol makes animal feed more expensive, raises prices at the grocery store and tears up the land. There have already been several lawsuits filed against the EPA — including one filed by automakers, boat manufacturers and outdoor power equipment manufacturers — since the agency decided to allow the higher blends for newer cars in October.

Critics said the change could be frustrating for drivers of older cars who will have to figure out which service station pump to use. And they argue that many retailers will opt not to sell the higher blend because of the expense of adding new pumps and signs.

Read the complete story at Manufacturing.NET

January 19, 2011

President Barack Obama has promised to ease “absurd and unnecessary paperwork requirements” – and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is not immune.

Obama yesterday signed an executive order directing agencies to remove outdated regulations that have a negative impact on the economy.

The president outlined the order in a Wall Street Journal editorial. He wrote that some government rules have placed unreasonable burdens on business, “burdens that have stifled innovation and have had a chilling effect on growth and jobs.”

He added, “We are also making it our mission to root out regulations that conflict, that are not worth the cost, or that are just plain dumb.”

On the other hand, examples of necessary regulations include new safety rules for infant formula and fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks, Obama said.

As an example of a recent achievement in cutting red tape, Obama cited an EPA decision to loosen regulations on the artificial sweetener saccharin, which he said the FDA has long considered safe for consumption.

Read the complete article at ENVIRONMENTAL LEADER:

Deadline is January 10

The January 10, 2011, compliance date for the Environmental Protection Agency’s “6H” surface coating rule is fast approaching. The official name for this rule is the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Paint Stripping and Miscellaneous Surface Coating Operations at Area Sources* (40 CFR Part 63, Subpart HHHHHH).

6H applies, in part, to spray application of coatings to a plastic and/or metal substrate where the coatings contain compounds of chromium, lead, manganese, nickel, or cadmium. Auto body shops and other area sources* with spray operations are affected. Facilities using painting or coating products containing these metals in concentrations above those stated in the rule have several new requirements to meet, including notification, equipment specifications, and training programs for employees.

To continue reading the article, visit http://www.iowadnr.gov/air/news/articles/10dec28.html

Gear for smart, connected homes may give you consumers fine-grained control over home energy, but ThinkEco has got a light-weight approach to saving electricity.

At the Consumer Electronics Shows here, ThinkEco said that a consumer version of its connected plug and software will be available this spring for $50. Additional plugs cost $44.95.

The company’s modlet–short for modern outlet–is a two-outlet plug that fits over ordinary plugs and is equipped with a Zigbee radio. Using a USB stick in a PC, the owner can then see the energy usage and control whatever’s plugged into the modlet.

To continue reading the article, visit http://ces.cnet.com/8301-32254_1-20027709-283.html?tag=mncol;title

By Aimee Siegler

In the electronics industry, 2010 has been a year of awakening to the need for corporate social responsibility. There have been drivers from all directions, from the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) to Greenpeace to new standards, and all have had an impact on the industry.

The EICC requires its members to not only use the Electronics Industry Code of Conduct, but also to flow the requirements of the code to their suppliers. While the suppliers are not required to join the EICC, the effects of the use of the code will drive change in the supply chain. The code addresses a number of issues from labor and management systems to environment, health & safety and ethics. Some Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are not only flowing the requirements down to their suppliers, but are requiring their suppliers to flow the requirement to their own suppliers. This broadens the impact of the code in a year that has been filled with headlines like A look inside the Foxconn suicide factory and Inside Foxconn City: A Vast Electronics Factory Under Suicide Scrutiny. More recent news has focused on ethics issues like insider trading.
Greenpeace has also been a driving force with changes to the formula for their Guide to Greener Electronics. One of the factors that is now considered is not just the company’s use of brominated flame retardants and PVC, but whether or not the company lobbies on behalf of Greenpeace’s viewpoint. While my personal opinion is that this is a form of censorship, the fact is this measure has had an impact on the industry and its actions. As nations develop tighter controls on e-waste disposal, the amount of dioxins and furans generated through sub-standard end-of-life processing will decrease over time.

Read the complete article at TRIPLE PUNDIT:

EPA released a guidance aimed mainly at old school buildings on the proper handling and disposal of PCB-containing fluorescent light ballasts and how to safely retrofit them to fully remove the hazard.  EPA banned PCBs in 1979, but some PCB-containing ballasts were allowed to continue, provided they were not defective or leaking.  For more information on handling and disposing of PCB-containing light ballasts, go to http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/waste.htm.  The guidance document is available online at http://www.epa.gov/pcb

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) save energy and prevent greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global climate change, but when one breaks, a small amount of mercury vapor can be released into the air. To protect against mercury exposure, EPA has updated its CFL brochure with tips on how to properly clean up broken compact fluorescent lamp bulbs and how to properly recycle them. To read the updated guidance, go to http://www.epa.gov/cflcleanup.  For more information on CFLs, go to www.epa.gov/cfl