Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) Environmental News

MA: Agency focused on cutting toxics loses funding

2009-07-02T11:36:56-05:00

Source: Boston Globe, 7/1/09.

It is a miniscule slice of the state's $27 billion budget - less than $1.5 million to fund an obscure environmental agency at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. But the Toxics Use Reduction Institute is part of a state-mandated program that has reduced the use of hazardous substances by local manufacturers 41 percent in its 20-year history. That funding has been eliminated, and the institute's 18 employees do not know where their next paycheck will come from - or whether it will come at all.

Keep on Driving: The Greening of Texas' Tollways

2009-07-02T09:58:45-05:00

Source: Wall Street Journal, 7/1/09.

So does eliminating toll booths really cut down on emissions? The answer appears to be a qualified "yes."

Nokia, Samsung Lead Latest Greenpeace Green Electronics Survey

2009-07-02T08:51:56-05:00

Source: Greener Computing, 7/01/09.

Greenpeace International today released the 12th edition of its quarterly Guide to Greener Electronics scorecard, ranking the 17 manufacturers on their achievement of environmental goals.

Dumpster Diving: A Green Strategy That Pays Off for Retailers

2009-07-02T08:38:02-05:00

Source: GreenBiz, 7/1/09.

Retailers that put green practices to work at their facilities can save tens of millions of dollars a year by managing resources and waste more aggressively, according to SSA & Company.

WI: New resources on electronics recycling available

2009-07-02T08:35:35-05:00

Source: Wisconsin DNR, 6/30/09.

Wisconsin businesses, institutions, local governments and organizations involved in recycling and refurbishing unwanted electronics have new tools to help them comply with state and federal regulations and plan successful electronics collection events.

IN: Clean Air Indiana campaign helps Hoosiers keep air clear all summer

2009-07-02T08:33:57-05:00

Source: IDEM, 7/1/09.

Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Clean Air Indiana campaign staff spent the month of June at businesses, festivals, and bus and train stations educating Hoosiers about ground-level ozone pollution. The Clean Air Indiana campaign asks Hoosiers to make small changes to their daily habits in order to improve air quality.

DOI Designates Solar Energy Zones

2009-07-01T09:09:16-05:00

Source: SustainableBusiness.com, 6/30/09.

The U.S. Interior Department Monday designated about 670,000 acres of land on Monday to be "fast-tracked" as potential areas for solar energy production.

AASHE Releases Annual Review of Sustainability in Higher Education

2009-07-01T09:06:34-05:00

Source: AASHE, 6/25/09.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has announced the release of AASHE Digest 2008, which documents the continued rapid growth of campus sustainability in the U.S. and Canada.

Yahoo! Abandons Carbon Offsets in Favor of Efficiency

2009-07-01T09:03:06-05:00

Source: Greener Computing, 6/30/09.

Yahoo! today said it will no longer purchase carbon offsets for its operations, focusing its climate strategy on reducing the energy used by its data centers.

E-Waste: When Landfills Are Not an Option

2009-07-01T08:58:03-05:00

Source: Greener Computing, 7/1/09.

Headlines abound with stories of branded technology being fished out of rivers and landfills in developing nations leaking toxic metals into the water supply. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates roughly 400,000 tons of e-waste goes to recyclers every year, and that up to 80 percent of the materials sorted for recycling end up in operations in China, India, Southeast Asia and West Africa where it is disassembled and burned or dumped.