The LOOP Newsletter - Issue 42 Nov/Dec, 2006 www.closetheloop.com Americans Recycle, Pat Themselves on the Back Americans have gotten better at recycling, the EPA reported on 10/23/06. Since 2005: Container and packaging recycling increased to 40 percent; Nearly 62 percent of yard waste was composted; and About 42 million tons of paper were recycleda 50 percent recycling rate. For sure, the U.S. has gotten better at recycling, and there's reason to celebrate that victory. But this BBC article from last year about recycling around the world puts the American waste ethic in context. We may be getting better, but it's safe to say that we are nowhere near matching Germany's recycling zeal. Reprinted from plentymag.com . The Waste Avoidance, Recycling and Disposal Act came into effect with the aim of getting Germany into a recycle economy. "Responsibility for a product must not end with its manufacturing,' the law says. `It must contain environmentally friendly disposal, which mainly means re-use and recycle.' The Act also calls upon manufacturers to design their products in such a way as to reduce the amount of waste generated. Finally, the law includes an obligation to `take back' products and to recycle or dispose of them in an environmentally friendly way. Learn more about the "Green Dot" system and producer responsibility. Check out Australia's Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Bill 2006. The goal of this legislation is zero waste to landfill by 2020. Humans living far beyond planet's means "On current projections humanity, will be using two planets' worth of natural resources by 2050 -- if those resources have not run out by then," the latest report said. "People are turning resources into waste faster than nature can turn waste back into resources." Populations of many species, from fish to mammals, had fallen by about a third from 1970 to 2003 largely because of human threats such as pollution, clearing of forests and overfishing. Read the Living Planet Report 2006 by WWF and more info. Home Energy Saver - The first web-based do-it-yourself energy audit tool The Home Energy Saver is designed to help consumers identify the best ways to save energy in their homes, and find the resources to make the savings happen, read more. Bioengineering Resources for Renewable Energy A new gasification/fermentation process developed for BRI Energy, Inc. from AR, makes possible the co-production of electricity and ethanol from any carbon-based materials, including: Municipal Solid Waste, Biosolids, Corn Stover and other agricultural residues, Timber and Wood Waste, Used Tires or Plastics and more. The BRI process utilizes an enzyme from a patented bacteria, which ingests synthesis gas and emits pure ethanol at a yield of 75 gallons or more per dry ton of biomass. From used tires it can yield 150 gallons or more per ton, read more on BRI; read more on an alternative to traditional fossil fuels tdf. An Online Source for Renewable Energy Check out Peachcart.com, an online source for Information on Renewable Energy Including Biomass, Geothermal, Hydroelectric, Hydrogen, Ocean, Solar, Tidal, and Wind Power Including News , Tax Incentives, and Upcoming Conferences and Events. Videos on YouTube View video of a place called Earth . Big-Box stores rolling over the competition on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart & MadTV, Check out the new book by Stacy Mitchell: Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses - illustrates how mega-retailers are fueling many of our most pressing problems. The book is far more than a critique, however. The second half offers an inspiring account of how a growing number of communities and independent businesses are effectively countering the chains and rebuilding their local economies. Inspirational Quotes "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." Henry David Thoreau "I'd put my money on solar energy I hope we don't have to wait til oil and coal run out before we tackle that." Thomas Edison, in conversation with Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone, March 1931 "Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." John Quincy Adams "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." John Quincy Adams "Ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors to bullets." - Abraham Lincoln "Live Simply...Love Generously...Care Deeply ...Speak Kindly...Leave the rest to God." - Unknown |
