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From Environmental Leader, January 27, 2012

Air compressors present a variety of opportunities for saving energy, from leak reduction and air intake improvements, to maintenance, monitoring, specification and design, according to guidance from the Carbon Trust.

Of the total energy supplied to a compressor, as little as 8 to 10 percent is converted to usable energy at point of use, making it a very inefficient and expensive way of transferring energy. The Carbon Trust says businesses in the U.K. could save up to £110 million a year ($173 million) by taking simple actions, at little or no cost, to improve compressed air systems and processes.

The trust says that compressed air can be up to 30 percent of a facility’s energy use, with frequent users of compressed air including companies in aircraft and auto manufacturing, cement, ceramics, chemicals, electronics, engineering, food and drink, foundries, glass, insulation materials, minerals, paper and board, pharmaceuticals, power generation, rubber and plastics, steel, textiles, tobacco and water treatment.

Some of the opportunities for improvement are:

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader

Investigate West
Leftover medications are fueling an epidemic of prescription-drug abuse that is killing more Washingtonians than traffic accidents, say drug-addiction experts. Yet pharmaceutical companies have consistently torpedoed efforts here to fund a statewide disposal program for unused drugs. Meanwhile, environmental authorities say prescription drugs are turning up in waterways and even drinking water — and it’s happening often enough that the old medications now are considered hazardous waste.

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Zero Discharge Facility Reduces 9,000 Pounds of Lead and Hex-chrome, Protects Workers, Public Health

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today recognized Valley Chrome Plating for its achievements in environmental and worker protection under the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) program.  The plating company, located in Clovis, Calif., successfully substituted lead anodes and hexavalent chromium with less harmful alternatives. These advancements have resulted in the reduction of these harmful chemicals by 9,000 pounds—significantly protecting the environment and worker exposure.

“This is a great example of how a company can protect its employees and the environment while growing its business and providing important local jobs,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Removing thousands of pounds of lead and chromium-six from its products ensures a safer environment for Valley Chrome Plating’s workers and the community.”

In 2009, the company eliminated the use of hexavalent chromium and replaced it with the more environmentally friendly trivalent chromium. That same year, Valley Chrome also replaced its lead anodes with safer graphite anodes. The switch to graphite and trivalent chromium has eliminated 3,000 pounds of lead waste and 6,000 pounds of hexavalent chromium from its waste stream.

In addition to altering the materials used its truck bumpers and accessories; Valley Chrome discharges zero wastewater to the public sewers through recycling and the underground plumbing that captures roof run-off from the facility for re-use. This system collects up to 100,000 gallons of rain water that is then used by the facility as part of its cleaning and finishing processes. Valley Chrome also installed ion exchange waste reduction systems in its manufacturing and plating operations, further reducing pollution associated with trivalent chromium as well as nickel plating.

These innovations saved this family-owned company thousands of dollars in waste treatment costs, hauling fees and reduced energy consumption and still allowed the company to compete in the global market.

Hexavalent chromium is associated with irritation to the skin, nose, eyes and throat and more serious complications. Lead is a toxic metal used in plating tanks as anodes. Lead is tied to  a range of health effects, including behavioral problems, learning disabilities, seizures and death. Children six years old and under are at most risk.

NPEP was a voluntary program fostering partnerships between regulatory agencies and manufacturers, commercial companies, and other facilities to reduce the use and release of highly toxic chemicals. NPEP officially ended in 2011. The NPEP partnership encouraged innovative thinking about conservation of our natural resources and ways to substitute, reduce, reuse and recycle..

Today’s announcement was part of Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld’s two day “Whistle Stop Tour” of San Joaquin Valley. For more information on his overall visit, today’s event and photos, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/mediacenter/sjv-tour/

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing that it is reinstating Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reporting requirements for hydrogen sulfide. This action is part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s ongoing efforts to provide Americans with helpful information on chemicals they may encounter in their daily lives.

TRI is a publicly available database that contains information on toxic chemical releases and waste management activities reported annually by certain industries and federal facilities. The purpose of today’s action is to better inform the public about toxic chemical releases in their communities and to provide the government with information for research and the potential development of regulations.

Hydrogen sulfide occurs naturally in crude petroleum, natural gas, volcanic gases, and hot springs. It can also result from the breakdown of organic matter, and is produced by human and animal wastes. Hydrogen sulfide can also result from industrial activities, such as food processing, coke ovens, kraft paper mills, tanneries, and petroleum refineries. Individuals living near a wastewater treatment plant, a gas and oil drilling operation, a farm with manure storage or livestock confinement facilities, or a landfill may be exposed to higher levels of hydrogen sulfide.

Hydrogen sulfide was added to the TRI list of toxic chemicals in a final rule published on December 1, 1993. However, on August 22, 1994, EPA suspended the TRI reporting requirements for hydrogen sulfide in order to address issues that were raised by members of the regulated community regarding the information used to support the original listing decision. On February 26, 2010, EPA published a Federal Register document that provided the public with the opportunity to comment on EPA’s review of the currently available data on the human health and environmental effects of hydrogen sulfide. After consideration of public comments, EPA has concluded that the reporting requirements for hydrogen sulfide should be reinstated.

This action will be effective for the 2012 TRI reporting year. The first reports for the 2012 TRI reporting year are due from facilities by July 1, 2013.

More information on TRI: http://www.epa.gov/tri

Source: Marketwire

CHICAGO, IL — (Marketwire) — 01/18/12 — If you prefer to read from paper instead of an electronic screen, you’re not alone. According to a recent survey commissioned by Two Sides, the fast-growing non-profit organization created to promote the responsible production, use and sustainability of print and paper, 70 percent of Americans, including 69 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds, say they prefer to read print and paper communications compared to reading off a screen.

Most of those surveyed also believe that paper records are more sustainable than electronic record storage (68 percent) and that paper is more pleasant to handle and touch than other media (67 percent). But survey results also show that many Americans still have misconceptions about the environmental impacts of print and paper.

‘Even though most Americans still prefer print over electronic communications, they also have misconceptions about the effects of paper-based communications on the environment,’ says Two Sides President Phil Riebel. ‘In fact, print and paper have a great environmental story to tell, and Two Sides is committed to setting the record straight using factual information from well-known, credible sources.’

The Two Sides survey indicates a majority of respondents are concerned about the effect of print and paper production on forests and believe that there is a connection between the loss of tropical rainforests and the manufacture of paper, but data from a variety of sources show these beliefs to be unfounded.

‘Authoritative sources like the U.S. Forest Service, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and others report that the amount of forestland in the United States has remained nearly the same over the last century at about 750 million acres, and the major cause of global is not papermaking, but the conversion of tropical rainforests to agricultural land,’ Riebel says.

While 96 percent of survey respondents said they believe recyclability is a sign of environmentally responsible products, most significantly underestimated the amount of U.S. paper that’s actually recycled each year. ‘Most people think the U.S. paper recycling rate is between 20 and 40 percent,’ Riebel explains, ‘but American Forest and Paper Association data show that more than 63 percent of all paper used in the United States in 2010 was recycled. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that’s more than any other commodity, including plastics, glass and metals. The industry has set a goal to exceed 70 percent of all paper recovered for recycling by 2020.’

The survey also found that more than half of respondents believe that electronic communications are a more environmentally friendly way to read books, magazines and mail. ‘That’s another myth that has been perpetuated by financial institutions, utilities and other organizations that are trying to save money by encouraging consumers to go green by going paperless,’ Riebel says. ‘The fact is that both electronic and paper-based communications have an environmental footprint, and making both smaller is the right environmental choice.’

Earlier this month, Two Sides launched its U.S. website, www.twosides.us, as a resource for consumers, the media and others who are looking for a trustworthy resource for factual information on the environmental sustainability of print and paper. The website offers a ‘myths and facts’ section that dispels many of the common misconceptions about the medium’s environmental impacts, including citations from authoritative sources with links to original source documents.

About the survey:

Two Sides commissioned Ipsos, a global market research company, to conduct a multi-country survey in September 2011. U.S. results included 500 respondents classified by age and gender.

About Two Sides:

Two Sides is an independent, non-profit organization created to promote the responsible production, use and sustainability of print and paper. Started in Europe in 2008, Two Sides is now active in 12 countries, with links to similar projects in Australia and Japan. The organization has more than 1,000 members that span the entire print and paper supply chain, including pulp and paper producers, paper distributors, ink and chemical manufacturers, printers, equipment manufacturers and publishers. For more information about Two Sides, please contact Phil Riebel at 1-855-896-7433 or pnr@twosides.info, or visit the Two Sides website at www.twosides.us.

Contact:  Phil Riebel, President, Two Sides U.S., Inc., T: 1-855-896-7433 (toll-free), E: Email Contact

From Environmental Daily Advisor:

Got a new iPhone or Blackberry for Christmas and wondering what to do with your old model? Don’t stick it in a drawer, and definitely don’t throw it in the trash. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to recycle your old cell phone.

Cell phones and PDAs are made of precious metals, copper, and plastics—all of which require energy to mine and manufacture. Recycling not only conserves these materials, but prevents air and water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Where to Recycle Your Cell Phone

EPA’s Plug-In To eCycling program offers you two choices for recycling your old cell phone, PDA, cell phone batteries, chargers, or other accessories.

Drop it off at one of the following retailers or service providers AT&T, Best Buy, Office Depot, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples, T-Mobile, LG Electronics, or Verizon Wireless.

Mail it in to one of the following retailers or service providers Nokia, Sprint, Samsung, T-Mobile, Motorola, LG Electronics, Verizon Wireless, or Sony Ericsson.

**See retailer’s websites for drop off and mailing locations.

Prepare for Recycling

Don’t forget these 5 things before you recycle your old cell phone:

1. Terminate your service.
2. Clear the phone’s memory of stored information
3. Conduct a factory hard reset by following instructions from your wireless carrier or the product manual; or
4. Use data erasing tools (available on the Web)
5. Remove your SIM card.

Of course, you can also donate your working cell phone to charity to help those in need.

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Sustainable development is a vast and all-encompassing idea, and corporate sustainability is nearly so. No corporate sustainability leader can hope to make their company “sustainable” in the next year—or even the next five. So as we think ahead to our sustainability initiatives for 2012, how can we set meaningful goals that will lead to measurable good?

As a fairly new corporate sustainability leader, I find that answering this question can easily become overwhelming. So, I use a three-part approach to help develop and further my company’s sustainability strategy.

1. 1.       Tracking “facilities, flights and fuel”
2. 2.       Engaging, educating and empowering your employees
3. 3.       Greening your core products and services

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader

By Environmental Leader

Aluminum fabricator Alcoa has launched a new series of wide base that wheels are the lightest 14″ aluminum wheels on the market.

The new 58 lbs wheels are engineered for high performance through Alcoa’s proprietary LvL ONE wheel manufacturing process of light weighting.

By switching from single steel 22.5″ x 8.25″ wheels to Alcoa 14″ wide base wheels, the weight of an 18-wheeler can be reduced by nearly 1,400 lbs. cutting annual fuel costs, Alcoa says.

In other haulage news, Cox Transportation Services, a Virginia-based freight transportation firm, has equipped its fleet with Solus Split Skirts. Solus says the skirts can cut fuel consumption by 5 percent.

Cox is currently evaluating the Solus Wheel Cavity Cover for fleet-wide adoption. The Cover delivers additional fuel savings of 1.3 percent, Solus says.

Environmental Leader’s recent Insights report covers sustainable ground freight. It lists installing wide or low-rolling resistance tires and making aerodynamic improvements as good strategies for improving a truck’s efficiency.

Environmental Daily Advisor

Recycling = US Jobs

More than 56,000 recycling and reuse establishments in the United States employ approximately 1.1 million people, and generate an annual payroll of $37 billion, and gross $236 billion in annual revenues. The number of workers in the recycling industry is comparable to the automobile and truck manufacturing industry and is significantly larger than mining and waste management and disposal industries. In addition, wages for workers in the recycling industry are notably higher than the national average for all industries.

Recycling Saves You Money

Recycling is not only green, but makes good financial sense for businesses and consumers. Take the example of recycling soda cans–creating aluminum cans from recycled aluminum is far less energy-intensive, and less costly, than mining the raw materials and manufacturing new cans from scratch.

Because recycling is clearly good for human health, the nation’s economy, and the environment, many people wonder why the federal government does not simply mandate recycling. The primary reason is that recycling is a local issue—the success and viability of recycling depends on a community’s resources and structure. A community must consider the costs of a recycling program, as well as the availability of markets for its recovered materials. In some areas, not enough resources exist to make recycling an economically feasible option. State governments can assess local conditions and set appropriate recycling mandates. For information about recycling in your state, contact your EPA regional office, or your state agency.

Other Benefits

According to EPA, here are the benefits of recycling:

• Jobs. Recycling protects and expands U.S. manufacturing jobs and increases U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace.
• Saves landfill space. Reduces the need for landfilling and incineration.
• Saves energy and prevents pollution caused by the extraction and processing of virgin materials and the manufacture of products using virgin materials.
• Decreases emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change.
• It’s kind to trees. Conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals.
• Your grandchildren. Helps sustain the environment for future generations.

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