How Green is Your High School?

Consumers Energy's Green Scenes Video Contest to Award $5,000 to Winning Entry Consumers Energy's Green Generation program is inviting Michigan high schools in its electric or combination service territory to participate in a video contest showing their school's commitment to renewable energy. The grand prize entry will receive $5,000 for their school, with smaller prizes for first, second and third place. Videos can be submitted from now through November 15. Information on this contest is available at www.greenscenescontest.com, including official contest rules. "This program taps into the amazing creativity and enthusiasm for renewable energy by high school students. It also provides a great opportunity to win a cash prize to benefit your high school," said Thomas Shirilla, Green Generation program manager for Consumers Energy. The winning entries will be based on a number of criteria, including creativity, strength of theme, video quality, and the number of votes received at the Green Scenes Contest website. Voting for this contest ends on November 30, 2011, and winning entries will be named shortly thereafter. Student participants are encouraged to recruit their family and friends to vote for their video application, and help their high school win one of the four prize levels. Consumers Energy is Michigan's largest renewable energy provider. Green Generation is the utility's voluntary program for homes and businesses served by the utility. Launched in 2005, the program relies on renewable energy produced in Michigan, including wind and landfill gas. The Green Generation program adds diversity to Consumers Energy's overall energy mix, reduces dependence on traditional energy sources, and helps to preserve our natural resources.  

Melvin Wylie

Being Green This Halloween is Simple at Goodwill

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Busy families can be earth friendly this Halloween by shopping at Goodwill® stores. Find everything you need at Goodwill to create a unique costume for yourself or your children. All you need is a little imagination to transform your child into a favorite superhero or fairy princess. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090716/DC47803LOGO) By shopping at Goodwill this Halloween, you are purchasing high-quality, affordable items and diverting them from landfills. The nearly 2,600 Goodwill stores in the United States and Canada have items donated by 74 million donors. This vast inventory includes anything you can imagine, from clothing in every color to apparel from different decades and accessories to transform an ordinary look into a fantastic costume. "Shopping at Goodwill for Halloween is a simple step toward living a more sustainable lifestyle," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "Reusing and repurposing items from Goodwill stores are a fun way to make a unique Halloween costume for not a lot of money." Shopping at Goodwill is not just good for the planet. It also benefits people in local communities. Revenue from Goodwill stores fund job training programs and career and community-based services for people with disabilities, those who lack education or work experience, and others facing challenges to finding employment. Your purchase helps people learn the skills they need to work in Goodwill stores and in growing fields outside of Goodwill such as healthcare, green industries and financial services. "In 2010, Goodwill Industries® diverted more than 2 billion pounds of used goods from landfills," said Gibbons. "Look no further than your nearest Goodwill store to find what you need to celebrate a green Halloween." To find your local Goodwill, visit locator.goodwill.org. To learn more about Goodwill Industries International, visit www.goodwill.org. This year, Goodwill Industries International is partnering with Green Halloween to share our commitment to safe and eco-friendly Halloween celebrations. For more information, visit http://greenhalloween.org/.

Melvin Wylie

'Shark Girl' and Guy Harvey Painting Collaboration Raises $7500

CORAL GABLES, FL - Already raising nearly $4,000 for shark research through selling lemonade and shark-shaped cookies at her home in Minnesota, 8-year-old Sophi Bromenshenkel recently joined forces with her hero, celebrated marine wildlife artist and conservationist Guy Harvey, to raise an additional $7,500 for the cause with a few creative strokes of a brush. Alexandra Junor of Coral Gables purchased the artwork collaboration‹ which Sophi named Free Pass, because a loggerhead turtle shown swimming near the sharks in the painting was left alone. The funds raised from the painting will go to the University of Miami¹s R.J. Dunlap Conservation Program, which was founded in 2009. Sophi flew from her home to participate in the South Florida Premier of This is Your Ocean: Sharks, a documentary starring Dr. Harvey, fellow artist Wyland and diver and underwater photographer Jim Abernathy. The South Florida Premier was held October 13th at the Bill Cosford Cinema on campus at the University of Miami. Directed by Emmy award-winning producer George C. Schellenger, the film will be shown again in Broward County, Florida on October 20th at the Nova Southeastern University¹s Miniaci Theatre. The 44-minute documentary depicts sharks in their environment capturing both adventure and passion and providing the audience with face-to-face realism never shown before on film. Dr. Harvey, a highly active and passionate conservationist, has through his foundation, The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, www.guyharveyoceanfoundation.org, and through support of research groups such as Miami¹s R.J. Dunlap Conservation Program and the Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University, embraced the protection and conservation of many endangered species, including sharks, bluefin tuna, Nassau grouper, sea turtles and marlin. PHOTO CREDIT: Bob Soto  

Melvin Wylie

A great video from Organica Sustainable Water!    

Melvin Wylie

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