Posts Tagged Recycling
Rethinking Resources
Posted by Victor M in Alternative energy on March 16th, 2011
Reduce, reuse, recycle. The three Rs have been the mantra of ecological thinking almost as long as our concept of sustainability has existed. According to BIOFerm Energy Systems, it’s time to add a fourth R – resource.
The international BIOFerm provides clean renewable energy solutions by designing and constructing biogas plants to recover energy from organic waste and biomass. Originally conceived as a way for farmers to recoup losses from excess crops, a BIOFerm biogas plant can serve anyone that creates 6,000 tons of organic waste in a year. Not just farms. According to Caroline Chappell of BIOFerm USA, a biogas plant “could be based at a university, a composting facility, a food processor – any producer of organic waste who is looking for alternatives to the landfill.”
To read more go to: http://www.worldgreen.org/home/wg-feature-articles/5821-rethinking-resources.html
I hope you have found this post useful and I have also included links to further resources that maybe of interest to you best retractable clothesline, umbrella clotheslines, pulley clothes line, laundry clothes hamper, wall mount clothesline, outdoor rotary clothes dryer, indoor clothes airer
Republicans recycle an old idea: the foam plastic coffee cup
Posted by Victor M in Environment on March 3rd, 2011
What a shame that good recycling ideas are being reversed:
Polystyrene makes comeback in US Congress building after Republicans reverse green initiatives brought in by Democrats.
A bit like the Republican party, they are white, seemingly indestructible and bad for the environment. But after an absence of four years, foam plastic coffee cups have made a comeback in the basement coffee shop of the United States Congress building after Republicans began reversing a series of in-house green initiatives undertaken byDemocrats.
The about-turn was announced by a press aide to John Boehner, the speaker of the House of Representatives, who tweeted on Monday morning: “The new majority – plasticware is back”.
When the Democrats held the house, the former speaker Nancy Pelosi put the cafeterias at the centre of a plan to hugely reduce the carbon footprint of Congress.
The ancient power plant in Washington DC a few blocks from the Capitol building, which provides heating and cooling for Congress and the supreme court, was converted from coal to natural gas. Compact fluorescent lighting and energy-efficient vending machines were introduced.
In the cafeterias, polystyrene packaging was replaced with trays and utensils made of biodegradable corn starch. Four separate stations were installed for recycling and sorting. A healthier menu was also introduced in 2008, offering cage-free eggs and antibiotic-free beef.
To read the full text go to: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/28/republicans-foam-coffee-cup-environmentally-bad
I hope you have found this post useful and I have also included links to further resources that maybe of interest to you best retractable clothesline, umbrella clotheslines, pulley clothes line, laundry clothes hamper, wall mount clothesline, outdoor rotary clothes dryer, indoor clothes airerReduce, Reuse, Recycle
Here are some really useful ideas to help reduce waste.
- Recycling Bins – Always have recycling bins available and labeled with the appropriate recycling stickers
- No More Plastic Grocery Bags – A reusable canvas shopping bag is a great alternative to plastic shopping bags that fill up the landfills.
- Reusable Water Bottles – Invest in a reusable water bottle and coffee mug. Save money while reducing waste in the landfills.
- Paperless Reading – Read books, magazines and newspapers on an iPad, Kindle or PC. Save the trees with eBooks and eReading Devices.
- Rechargeable Batteries – Save money and reduce waste buy using rechargeable batteries.
- Buy Recycled – Buy products made from recycled materials help you to save the planet while shopping
- Donate Clothing – Never throw out clothing! Donate old clothes to your local thrift stores.
- Bed Sheets – Use old sheets for drop clothes when painting
- Crafts – Recycle egg cartons, old Christmas cards and Kleenex boxes for craft supplies.
Waste Beer + Pop Soda=Ethanol
Posted by Victor M in Eco news, Environment on February 18th, 2011
A plant that will eat up waste pop soda and beer and will output ethanol good for use in fuel tanks will be set up by the end of February in Atlantic Canada.
The $500,000 pilot plant is part of a project led by New Brunswick Community College’s bioenergy and bioproducts applied research and technology facility in Grand Falls, New Brunswick, located near the Maine border.
The project will use Milco Industries’ waste pop and beer for a trial. The company usually drops those in landfills and pays between $100,000 and $200,000 for disposal. With the ethanol plant installed, they will produce between 250,000 to 500,000 gallons of ethanol yearly… only from recycled waste!
If everything goes as scheduled, Milco Industries will even acquire a larger-scale ethanol plant for their own internal use. The test one will be moved somewhere else, to see what else the thing could “eat” to generate energy.
“What sort of changes can we make to this initial pilot plant that we’re going to put up, to make it so it can operate economically at a small scale,” Kevin Shiell, scientific director for New Brunswick Community College asked. “This may be too small, but maybe a million liter plant we can actually get it so that it is feasible.”
Ethanol is cleaner than fossil fuels because it burns cleaner and because, if made from renewable resources such as waste organic products, the net CO2 emission is zero. If successful, this kind of plant should be taken as an example by waste recycling companies and landfill owners to reduce the formation of methane and other greenhouse gases. Instead, the energy could be used to provide useful power.
I hope you have found this post useful and I have also included links to further resources that maybe of interest to you best retractable clothesline, umbrella clotheslines, pulley clothes line, laundry clothes hamper, wall mount clothesline, outdoor rotary clothes dryer, indoor clothes airer