24th Episode of GreenNews4U

An Interview on E-waste Recycling E-waste is the disposal of electronics or in other words electronic waste. Technology is moving at such a fast pace and new electronics are manufactured to keep up with the technology so old technology is discarded. We see this in cellphones, smart-phones, computers, printers, monitors, refrigerators, TV's, washing machines, excreta, excreta. Let's use an example on computers. The average life of a computer is around 3 years. In America 76% of the people have computers. This number does not include companies, organizations or education facilities. According to the EPA, if you total it all up, each year in the US, 3.2 million tons of electronic waste is trashed. Globally its 50 million metric tons of electronics and the sad part is many of these electronics end up in a landfill. But letâs go back to computers. Did you know 99% of a computer is recyclable and that in the U.S. about 4.2 million computers are used in homes or businesses? In the U.S. an estimated 500,000 are recycled annually. That's a little less than 12% which is a very shocking number considering how many programs are in place to encourage electronic recycling. Now there is a lot that goes into promoting, handling, and recycling e-waste and Iâd like to get down to some nuts and bolts and take a look at the challenges, processes and the benefit of recycling e-waste. To do this I have one of Canada's industry leaders in e-waste solutions. The name of the company is FCM and on the line with me is Andrew Rubin.

Melvin Wylie

FCM Announces October 15th E-Waste Collection Event in Ottawa, ON

FCM will be holding an e-waste collection event located on the corner of Baseline Rd. and Clyde Ave. at the Scouts National Office on Saturday October 15^th from 12 pm to 3 pm in collaboration with the Scouts of Canada.   CORNWALL, Ontario, October 12, 2011 – FCM Recycling is pleased to announce that it will be holding a collection event located at the Scouts National office at 1365 Baseline Road in Ottawa, Ontario on Saturday October 15^th from 12 pm to 3 pm in collaboration with the Scouts of Canada. Staff from FCM and the Scouts will be on hand to assist Ontario residents to recycle their unwanted electronics including PCs, computer monitors, CD/DVD/VCR players, radios, printers, fax machines, keyboards, televisions, cell phones and other items. The complete list along with more information can be found at http://www.ontarioelectronicstewardship.ca/program/accepted-electronics. The collection will be free for all Ontario residents and a portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Scouts of Canada. More information can be found by contacting FCM Recycling at (888) 781-8111 or info@fcmrecycling.com.   About Scouts of Canada Scouts Canada is the country's leading youth organization. For more than 100 years, they have brought a world of adventure, outdoor experience and friendship to 17 million Canadian youths. Scouts have a lot of fun discovering new things and experiences they wouldn't have elsewhere. Along the way they develop into capable, confident and well-rounded individuals, better prepared for success in the world. For more information please visit http://www.scouts.ca/   About FCM Recycling FCM Recycling is one of North America's leaders in the recycling and safe disposal of end-of-life electronic equipment.  We dispose of EOLEs with no impact to the environment and the highest level of data protection. We boast major processing facilities with state-of-the-art equipment, government certifications, over 18 years' experience, and knowledgeable, dedicated personnel. One of our key objectives was to become a pioneer in e-waste environmental services. We have achieved that objective. Today we strive to maintain our position as industry leader by continuously improving our processes and using the best practices available to us and the recycling industry. EOLES received at any of FCM's various state-of-the-art recycling facilities, are broken down into various recyclable components such as copper, aluminum, plastics, glass etc.  Equipment is fully destroyed, ensuring that no data becomes exposed to pilfering, with Certificates of Destruction issued on request.   For more information about FCM Recycling please visit www.fcmrecycling.com

Melvin Wylie

First Synthetic Turf Industry Company with a Cradle to Cradle Certified Product

BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 7, 2011 - Brock International, the leader in performance base systems for synthetic turf, today became the first company in the industry to have a Cradle to Cradle Certified(CM) product. Recognized as the most comprehensive, rigorous environmental certification process, the designation is administered by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, which evaluates products and materials for their impact on human health and environmental health and design for future life cycles. "Our mission is to engineer the best, safest and most sustainable playing fields in the world for all levels of athletes," said Dan Sawyer, Chief Executive Officer of Brock. "For us, sustainability is not just a concept but a commitment. It is an honor to receive this recognition for our positive environmental impact." Brock was awarded the prestigious Cradle to Cradle Certified(CM) Silver Designation for its PowerBase product. The company worked closely with McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) to collect data throughout the supply chain, assess all materials for impact to human and environmental health, and evaluate manufacturing processes for use of renewable energy, water stewardship, and social responsibility. MBDC is a global consultancy and certification firm that helps clients create a positive footprint on the planet by implementing the Cradle to Cradle® design framework. Environmental stewardship is a core value for Brock, who has lead the synthetic turf industry in sustainability since the company's inception. Offering the only product in the market that can be closed loop recycled, the company's technologies reduce overall energy cost of constructing a field by 50%. Made in an ISO and TS certified manufacturing facility of 100% recyclable and non-toxic material, Brock PowerBase is certified to the world's most stringent environmental standards. Brock PowerBase is manufactured into an interlocking panel system with the highest quality, food grade 100% pure polypropylene, known for its longevity and environmental safety. The panels can be easily removed, cleaned and begin their next life as a quality, durable material with minimal use of additional energy or waste. Alternatively, as a pure mono-component material, the panels can be easily recycled and remade into new Brock panels, eliminating the demand for new fossil fuels for this use. Unlike many industrial hybrid materials used by others, which include a mixture of components that are difficult or impossible to be salvaged after their current life, Brock PowerBase is a pure non-toxic product that can be used over and over again. The Cradle to Cradle Certified(CM) program is a multi-attribute eco-label that assesses a product's safety to humans and the environment and design for future life cycles. The program provides guidelines to help businesses like Brock implement the Cradle to Cradle framework, which focuses on using safe materials that can be disassembled and recycled as technical nutrients or composted as biological nutrients. Unlike single-attribute eco-labels, MBDC's certification program takes a comprehensive approach to evaluating the design of a product and the practices employed in manufacturing the product. The materials and manufacturing practices of each product are assessed in five categories: Material Health, Material Reutilization, Renewable Energy Use, Water Stewardship, and Social Responsibility. For more information, visit www.c2ccertified.org.

Melvin Wylie

Postal Service Succeeds in Reducing Energy Use

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Postal Service marked National Energy Awareness Month as postal officials highlighted energy savings and cost avoidance — credited in large part to postal employees' actions — and with Go Green Forever stamp messages that encourage Americans to participate in low- and no-cost ways to go green. "The 2011 Energy Awareness Month theme is 'Turn Words into Action, Turn Action into Results,'" said Deputy Postmaster General Ronald A. Stroman. "Actions taken by the Postal Service to reduce energy use demonstrate we can save money and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions at the same time." In June 2011, USPS reported it had reduced facility energy use by nearly 30 percent since fiscal year 2003, equal to the average annual energy use of approximately 100,000 U.S. households. USPS also reported an 8-percent decrease in its greenhouse gas emissions since fiscal year 2008, equal to the average annual energy use of approximately 130,000 U.S. households. The decrease in facility energy use accounted for nearly 50 percent of the Postal Service's greenhouse gas emissions reduction. "Leaner, greener, faster and smarter is the Postal Service's sustainability call to action," said Tom Day, chief sustainability officer. "More than 400 employee Lean Green teams work every day to implement low- and no-cost ways to conserve facility energy and other natural resources and reduce costs. In fiscal year 2010, Lean Green teams helped the Postal Service save more than $5 million." Day reminded postal employees that Energy Awareness Month is a national effort and each time we turn off a light, take the stairs or use a revolving door the energy savings add up. The Postal Service works to achieve aggressive sustainability performance goals, including:

• Reduce facility energy use 30 percent by 2015.
• Reduce vehicle petroleum use 20 percent by 2015.
• Increase vehicle alternative fuel use 10 percent annually by 2015.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020.

  Details of USPS energy reduction and other sustainability performance results can be found in the FY 2010 Annual Sustainability Report. For additional information about USPS sustainability initiatives and the Go Green Forever stamps, visit about.usps.com/green and the Green Newsroom. USPS has won more than 75 environmental awards, including 40 White House Closing the Circle, 10 Environmental Protection Agency WasteWise Partner of the Year, Climate Action Champion, Direct Marketing Association Green Echo awards, Postal Technology International Environmental Achievement of the Year and Climate Registry Gold Status Recognition. USPS participates in the International Post Corporation's Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System, (an international postal industry program) to reduce participating posts' carbon footprint 20 percent by 2020 based on a fiscal year 2008 baseline. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Melvin Wylie

23rd Episode of GreenNews4U

As I've stated in my other podcast and you will most likely here me say this again and again. Water is a precious resource that we, we meaning those of us that are fortunate to have running water, take for granted. I'm just going to go through a list of some facts:

1. 884 million people lack access to safe water supplies; approximately one in eight people.
2. 3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease.
3. The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.
4. An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than a typical person in a developing country slum uses in a whole day.
5. Only 62% of the world's population has access to improved sanitation – defined as a sanitation facility that ensures hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact.
6. Lack of sanitation is the world's biggest cause of infection.
7. 2.5 billion People lack access to improved sanitation, including 1.2 billion people who have no facilities at all.
8. Diarrhea remains in the second leading cause of death among children under five globally. Nearly one in five child deaths – about 1.5 million each year – is due to diarrhea. It kills more young children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined.
9. Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease.

Less than 1% of the world's fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human use. No one is immune to this problem and it cannot be swept under the rug. Now I can go on and on with facts but let's start looking at solutions to address these issues. Let's face it, the old way of water treatment is outdated and we need to look at new ways to treat water. To talk about this I have Melissa from Organica Sustainable Water. The company is Engineering fresh solutions for fresh water. To find out more information on Organica Sustainable Water go here

Melvin Wylie

Saudi Arabia Inaugurates First Solar Power Plant

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Saudi Arabia inaugurated its first solar power plant on October 1 as it continues to diversify its energy sources. The 500-kilowatt plant, located on Farasan Island, will save the equivalent of transferring 28,000 barrels of diesel fuel to the island annually. The plant was constructed by the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) and Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K., a Japanese energy company partly owned by the Saudi Arabian Oil Company. This is one of the many initiatives led by SEC to introduce clean energy throughout the Kingdom. "Saudi Arabia is committed to building and refining alternative energy solutions," said Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir. "This program is one large step that will benefit the environment and the Saudi people." The Kingdom is a prime location to harness solar energy because of its year-round sunshine. The sun in Saudi Arabia emits about 7,000 watts of energy per square meter over an average of 12 hours every day. In February 2010, the Saudi government, in coordination with the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, began building the first solar-powered water desalination plant. For more information on Saudi Arabia, please visit www.saudiembassy.net and follow the Embassy on Twitter (@SaudiEmbassyUSA) or on the Embassy YouTube page.

Melvin Wylie

Demand for Water & Wastewater pipe to increase 6% annually through 2014

US demand to increase 6% annually through 2014 US demand for water and wastewater pipe is expected to increase six percent annually to $19 billion in 2014, equivalent to approximately five billion feet. Stimulants include a rebounding residential building construction sector, the growing obsolescence of sewer and drainage systems, and needs to upgrade municipal water systems. Plastic pipe will advance at the fastest pace, reflecting a strong rebound in construction applications as well as opportunities in drain and sewer applications and water transmission. Broadened plastic pipe use will be driven by performance upgrades made possible by resin and processing improvements. Plastic pipe to advance at above-average pace Demand for plastic pipe will advance at an above-average pace through 2014. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe will remain clearly dominant with growth driven by improved joining technologies and resins such as molecularly oriented PVC. Polyethylene pipe will exhibit healthy growth based on opportunities in potable water and corrugated drain and sewer applications. Good growth is also anticipated for crosslinked polyethylene in water distribution applications. Demand for concrete pipe will expand 3.4 percent per year through 2014, driven by drain and storm sewer applications. Growth will be fueled by concrete's excellent crush resistance and longevity, making it ideally suited for demanding large diameter water pipe applications. Opportunities will also be driven by the growing frequency of leaks and ruptures caused by an aging water distribution network. Concrete pipe is primarily used in high pressure, large diameter water distribution trunk lines. Copper pipe's rapid advances will reflect renewed growth in the building construction segment, primarily for distribution pipe, aided by a moderation in prices. Steel and cast iron pipe will also exhibit good growth in areas such as water transmission and drainage. Large municipal market will be steady; construction to exhibit strong rebound Municipal markets dominated water and wastewater pipe applications in 2009 and are expected to exhibit good growth through 2014 in light of financial availability and the obsolescence of many water pipe systems. Building construction markets are expected to rebound significantly through 2014, particularly in the residential segment. Study coverage The new industry study offers US historical demand data (1999, 2004, 2009) plus forecasts in dollars for 2014 and 2019 by material, market and application. Footage data is also included for each material. In addition, the study considers market environment factors, evaluates company market share data and profiles US industry competitors.   To order this report: Water distribution and treatment Industry: Water & Wastewater Pipe Market More Market Research Report

Melvin Wylie