Posts filed under 'Recycling'
November 18th, 2009
That’s the headline I take away from this week’s Associated Press/NBC Universal poll.
According to the AP story:
A solid majority of Americans recognize the need to help the environment, although there are some things — like buying a hybrid car or taking mass transit — that people often talk about, but don’t necessarily act on.
What the numbers show (again, according to the story):
– 72 percent were very likely to recycle cans and bottles.
– 63 percent were very likely to turn down thermostats.
– 62 percent were very likely to buy energy-efficient appliances.
– 59 percent were very likely to use cold water for clothes washing.
– 59 percent were very likely to buy recycled paper products.
– More than half said it would help the environment if people brought their own shopping bags to stores, and 46 percent said they were very likely to do so, while 25 percent ruled it out.
– More than 6 in 10 people said they thought car pooling or using mass transit would help the environment. Yet only 3 in 10 said they were very likely to do it, and 4 in 10 said they were not at all likely to car pool or take mass transit.
– About 45 percent of those surveyed embraced the idea of gas-electric hybrid cars, but only 1 in 5 would be very likely to buy such a vehicle, and half said they were “not at all likely” to buy one.
My observations:
1. I understand the challenge of carpooling and mass transit: I don’t do either here.
2. I don’t totally buy the complaint that hybrids are “too expensive” — the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight start in the low $20,000s. While that is out of the price range for some, it’s in line with a lot of cars I see on the highway.
3. I can’t believe more people don’t recycle. That’s why I still find cans and bottles and jars in the garbage.
So I ask…
Do you see most people making a real effort to "go green"?
November 16th, 2009
The one from Home Depot that says you can get a $3 voucher toward new holiday lights if you bring in your old ones? I caught it last night.
Too late! That offer only ran Nov. 5 through 15. Sharing in case you were thinking of doing this.
It’s an annual program, so watch for it next year.
November 13th, 2009
I got a press release reminding everyone that Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful’s Recycling Center in Roscoe will be open from 9 a.m. until noon Nov. 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Lori Gummow, executive director, also says something important to keep in mind this time of year: “According to the EPA, between the Thanksgiving holiday and the new year, Americans throw away 25 percent more trash than during any other time of the year. This increase in trash amounts to 25 million tons, which makes the recycling effort all the more important.”
The Recycling Center is on the frontage road, one-half mile north of McCurry Road and Illinois 251 in Roscoe. It accepts:
– Glass containers: Food jars and bottles only (green, brown and clear). No caps or lids.
– Plastic containers: Bottles coded #1 and #2 with “necks and shoulders” and six pack rings.
– Laser/ink jet cartridges
– Metal cans: Food cans only.
– Aluminum: Cans and scrap (foil, pie tins, etc.)
– Corrugated cardboard
– Phone books
– Paper: Newspapers, sale ads, junk mail, paper bags, office paper, computer paper, chipboard and magazines.
– Cell phones
November 3rd, 2009
Seven and a half tons of steel from the World Trade Center were recycled to build the Navy assault ship USS New York, which is being commissioned this week.
Its motto: “Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget.”
October 23rd, 2009
Having stayed in a hotel this week, I wondered again why they make so many little bars of soap that go to waste after a use or two (like why can’t they just refill liquid soap dispensers?).
Someone is doing something about it, according to The Associated Press. Former refugee Derreck Kayongo has collected 10,000 pounds of soap from 60 hotels to melt down and distribute in Uganda. Soap that saves lives by combatting diarrhea and disease.
To learn more about the Global Soap Project:
Donations may be mailed to Global Soap Project, P.O. Box 94021, Atlanta, GA 30318.
October 9th, 2009
A followup from Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful after the Oct. 3 Fall Metals and Electronics Drive:
Lori Gummow, executive director, reports that 829 people dropped off 247 computer monitors, 90 dehumidifiers, 27 air conditioners, 21 refrigerators, 19 freezers and 12 propane tanks.
“Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful would like to thank the 74 volunteers who spent the day unloading items from vehicles, directing traffic and greeting the attendees.”
She also sent this photo:
Volunteers Steve Hall and Keith Kramke help with the refrigerators and air conditioners.
September 19th, 2009
I still have to buy one of those Sigg bottles (Christmas idea!), so I usually just refill a plastic bottle when I go to the gym or the soccer field.
The Rockford Christian cross country team, which drinks a whole lot of water, has gone green this season by using refillable bottles and bringing a cooler to meets. If they want sports drinks, they use individual flavor packets in their own bottles.
I love this quote from Brenda Young’s story:
“It’s definitely out of my comfort zone,” Rockford Christian coach Randy Moore said. “It’s going to take time for them to adjust, but everyone is on board. Some are really good and some forget. But just like cross country, you have to train. You have to train the body and now we have to train the mind to recycle.”
Any other teams doing something cool like this?
September 16th, 2009
I feel like there’s green news going on all over the place. Maybe because I’m playing post-vacation catch-up.
1. Loves Park approved its continued support ($2,000, to be exact) of Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful’s Christmas tree recycling program. Collection sites include the city’s Martin Park. Trees are chipped and turned into free mulch.
2. Construction has begun near the airport in Rockford for Wanxiang Group’s solar-panel assembly plant. According to Thomas V. Bona’s coverage this week:
By the time the 40,000-square-foot facility is fully ramped up next year, it will employ about 60 people. In future years, as demand increases, Wanxiang hopes to expand to 160,000 square feet with upward of 200 employees.
3. This holiday season, the Festival of Lights in Rockford’s Sinnissippi Park is going green by using LED light bulbs for its nearly 150,000 bulbs. I may do a separate post on the fate of the holiday tree if I can get my questions answered.
4. The area’s “green school,” Willowbrook Middle in South Beloit, has run into a noise problem (especially spreading from the gym) that could be solved by working on the ducts.
September 2nd, 2009
About two years ago, our newsroom stopped printing daily budgets for the morning news meeting because we could access a computer on a projection screen. If you figure 12 pieces of paper were printed a day (conservative estimate to account for the fact that some people still take their own notes), that means we saved 3,120 pieces of paper in a year.
If you have been wondering about “Creating a Green and Paperless Office,” go to the Natural Land Institute Corporate Council’s session from noon to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at Katie’s Cup, 502 Seventh St., Rockford.
The presenter will be Patrick Winter, director of information technology at Specialty Screw in Rockford. He has been turning Specialty Screw into a paperless office over the past 24 years.
Lunch is $10. The program is free.
E-mail your reservation to nli@aol.com by Sept. 21 or call 815-964-6666.
August 26th, 2009
With the $3 billion incentive program Cash for Clunkers over, instead of turning in your gas guzzler, now you can turn to buying a new refrigerator or freezer.
According to the AP:
This year’s stimulus bill funded a $300 million program that will offer rebates of varying amounts — possibly u$$50 to $200 — to buyers of energy-efficient appliances and other products that carry the “Energy Star” label.
The rebate programs are being run by the states, and the details are still being worked out. But unlike Cash for Clunkers, you probably won’t have to drag your old stove into the store to get money for a new one.
Here are some questions and answers about the rebates.
Q: What is this program, and why haven’t I heard much about it yet?
A: There hasn’t been much talk of the program yet because it’s still taking shape.
Here’s what we know: The government has set aside about $300 million for states to use to give out rebates to buyers of energy-efficient appliances like freezers, refrigerators, furnaces and central air conditioners.
Q: When will this start?
A: States had to send letters saying they wanted to participate to the Department of Energy by Aug. 15. In the next week, they’ll start to receive 10 percent of their funding allotments, which department spokeswoman Jen Stutsman said will be used to help develop the programs.
Plans for the programs — including which products qualify and how much the rebates will be worth — are due back to the federal government by Oct. 15. The Department of Energy estimates that the full $300 million will be awarded by the end of November, and consumers should start to see the rebate programs in stores later this year or early next year.
“It will really just depend on how complex the state’s program is and the infrastructure they have to put in place,” Stutsman said.
Q: Is this a new idea?
A: Yes and no. An energy rebate program was first included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, but it was never funded until this year’s stimulus bill. From the Department of Energy’s perspective, this is a new federal program. But the trade group estimates that 25 states already have their own rebate programs, which either states or utilities pay for.
Q: What’s the thinking behind the program?
A: Similar to the clunkers program — which gave car buyers up to $4,500 if they turned in a gas guzzler for something more efficient — the goals are to stimulate the economy and improve the environment.
The rebates might spur new appliance sales, which would help an industry that’s really been struggling — sales of big-ticket items like major appliances have slumped in the recession. So far this year, shipments of new appliances to retailers are down 15 percent, according to the trade group. That’s on top of a 10 percent drop last year.
The Department of Energy says it hopes the program will ripple throughout the economy by saving families money on their energy bills and by creating jobs and helping businesses because it will create new sales.
As for the environment, replacing old appliances with new, efficient ones means less energy is required to operate them. The Department of Energy recommends that states focus their programs on rebates for heating and cooling equipment, appliances and water heaters, saying they offer the greatest energy savings potential.
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