Posts Tagged ‘sustainability’
Monday, December 7, 2009
Dirty Jobs TV series: E-waste Recycling
By Jared Cook:
Here is a clip I wanted to share from the television series Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. In this particular episode, host Mike Rowe learns about e-waste recycling.
click here to watch
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Going Green can be profitable for your business
This is from an article by Anna Clark, President of Earthpeople, on greeneconomypost.com about how companies can gain ROI by going green.
Going green is no longer just a benefit to the environment, but it also has become economically beneficial. By jumping on this trend your company can benefit in numerous ways. Being green or “sustainability” is still a fairly new concept in the business world and is something that can get your company the positive exposure that it maybe looking for. Many consumers look to help the environment by buying environmentally friendly products. There are also many highly qualified candidates looking to work with an environmentally conscious business. This also allows you to separate your company from your competitors.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
RecycleBank offers financially rewards for your environmental stewardship and recycling efforts
I found the perfect solution for all those lazy ‘green’ people who feel recycling is too much like work. RecycleBank views environmental stewardship as a financially rewarding opportunity and allow members to record their recycling efforts and redeem them for points at more than 400 local and national companies such as Starbucks, CVS, and MillerCoors. And its as convenient as getting you daily newspaper! There is no sorting needed (single stream process) and no trip to the recycling plant (curbside drop off). Their system tries to offer a new dimension that motivates everyone to recycle, and they also give points for recycling e-waste!
Below is a really cool video I found, by RecycleBank, for everyone that shows how the single stream process actually works, and why it can save cities and families time and money from the normal recycling routine.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh4F3sZNLqA
Co-Founder and CEO Ron Gonen wants their vision to create a new economic model from this, called the Gconomy, Comparing it to the Industrial Revolution and the Energy Economy of the 20th century, the Gconomoy would correct the flaw in the development of modern economies that left our depleted the environment that sustains us.
This system saves municipal disposal fees, recycling companies earn more money from processing, corporations gain positive association and PR, and households receive a financial incentive to increase recycling. RecycleBank serves more than 285,000 households in over 90 municipalities. Go find if your household is eligible today at RecycleBank.com!
Friday, October 16, 2009
E-Waste Recycling Event Saturday! Tomorrow help divert waste and encourage ethical consumerism
The Kansas City Downtown Council is holding an electronic waste collection event Saturday at 3rd and Walnut in the River Market. Sorry I didn’t get this out sooner, since many of your probably have pkans already for tomorrow. But if your happen to be cleaning out your house and don’t know what to do with those old electronics that have been collecting dust and space in your basement/garage/attic/etc, it would be a good idea to head downtown to get rid of your toxic waste correctly and safely.
Some of the bigger items will cost you some money, but that’s what being an ethical consumer is about, right? Actually, California makes purchasers pay for e-waste recycling. Under its law, customers are charged between $8 and $25 above the price of TVs, computer monitors, laptop computers and portable DVD player that will pay for safe recycling.
Just like Kermit, It’s not easy being green…or cheap. But we will pay for it eventually if we don’t start taking ethical consumerism seriously.
Here is a map to get you there.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Grenk and LaserCycle answer KCP&L’s challenge to ‘green’ their printing operations to reduce the major energy supplier’s carbon footprint
Grenk and LaserCycle answer KCP&L’s sustainability challenge to ‘green’ their printers and print supplies
Using Grenk products to green their operations and increase efficiency, Kansas City Power & Light lauded the financial and environmental benefits of using Grenk and LaserCycle products.
“LaserCycle [and Grenk] helped KCP&L’s printers go ‘green,’ said Lora Cheatum, VP Procurement, who presented the green printer challenge. “Their remanufactured printer cartridges actually cost less than what we had been paying, and their zero-landfill recycling program supports the Company’s commitment to be more energy efficient and to improve the total living environment of the customers and communities we serve.”
Working through the Grenk affiliated LaserCycle, the 127 year-old energy supplier continues to implement environmental programs to lessen their impact on the environment, while saving money and keeping rates low for their customers. Visit their “Preserving the Environment” page of their website to learn more about their efforts.
The major Midwest energy supplier, servicing more than 800,000 customers in 47 counties, believes that dedication and leadership in fuel procurement, plant technology, and efficient power production and distribution is key in sustainable energy management.
Grenk would like to return the favor of investing in our green products by thanking the KCP&L for everything they do and continue to do to lessen their carbon footprint.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Recycling program distorts climate change goals in diverting e-waste for commercial benefits
Not all recycling programs can be trusted. This article from the Sacramento Bee unveils how a California recycling program touted to aid climate change goals actually became a way for Hewlett-Packard to benefit their own business at the risk of increasing pollution and costs to the state. Click the screenshot to read the entirety of this important and interesting article!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Minn. Senator wants more research on reducing and diverting the e-waste carbon footprint
National e-waste laws could take a big leap forward soon if Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) gets her way. Sponsoring a bill with bipartisan support, Chris Newmarker of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports that the legislation would improve the recycling of electronic devices by funding.research on better product designs, recycling technology and hazardous materials disposal practices. Read the whole story from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal here.
Best Buy is a strong supporter of Klobuchar, which has made great efforts to help people recycle their e-waste correctly through their stores nationwide.
From the story: “Technology continues to advance, but our ways of disposing of electronic equipment haven’t kept up,” Klobuchar aid. “Many states, including Minnesota, are leading the way, but we need a national solution to ensure that all unwanted electronics are discarded in a safe and responsible manner.”
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
InkCycle diverts 394 tons of waste
Did you know that in 2008, InkCycle recycled, re purposed or converted nearly 394 tons of materials from ending up in landfills or other waste avenues!? The 394 tons of waste diverted can be broken down into the following categories:
Total e-waste (cartridges, etc): 265 tons
Plastics (converted to energy): 5.2 tons
Used Toner Dust (recycled): 5.4 tons
Office Paper (collected/shredded/recycled): 5.025 tons
Corrugate and other paper products: 113 tons
Monday, July 13, 2009
Grenk Picked Up By BusinessWeek.com
Grenk picked up by Business Week Online!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Ink Cartridge Recycling Index to Divert More Than 700 Million Ink Cartridges From Landfills
InkCycle’s new cartridge measurement tool diverted 394 tons of toner and ink cartridges from entering landfills last year (2008).
Ink cartridges are considered e-waste; they are harmful to the environment and can take eons to decompose, according to IdealBite.com (http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/archives/getting-inked). Companies and consumers should recycle their old ones, and when ink cartridges are purchased, go with refilled ones, which work just like conventional cartridges.
According to Brad Roderick, executive vice president of InkCycle, “It’s time consumers and businesses know how much their green initiatives are really saving the planet.”
Read the full story at :http://newsblaze.com/story/2009062210245300002.mwir/topstory.html