Source: Waste & Recycling News.com

The state of California approved mercury thermostat regulations that will set aggressive targets for the collection and recycling of out-of-service mercury thermostats, according to a state news release.

“This is the first example of a take back program with measurable performance goals that will increase the number of mercury thermostats that are collected,” said Deborah Raphael, director of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, in a statement. “I’m very proud of the fact that California is again leading the way, and will be a model for other take back programs.”

A state law banned the sale of new mercury-added thermostats in 2006. Though no longer sold in the state, up to 10 million mercury-added thermostats are still in California businesses and homes, according to the report.
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Source: Environmental Leader.com

More than half of companies say sustainability reporting leads to higher cash flows and helps improve firm reputation, according to a report from the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and Ernst & Young.

Though issuing a sustainability report in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Framework or another standard requires a lot of work, Value of Sustainability Reporting finds strong evidence that transparency gives companies a number of financial and social advantages that make it more than worth its costs.
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Source: Aljazeera news as posted on Yahoo News!

A hidden epidemic is poisoning America. The toxins are in the air we breathe and the water we drink, in the walls of our homes and the furniture within them. We cannot escape it in our cars. It is in cities and suburbs. It afflicts rich and poor, young and old. And there’s a reason why you have never read about it in the newspaper or seen a report on the nightly news: it has no name – and no antidote.

The culprit behind this silent killer is lead. And vinyl. And formaldehyde. And asbestos. And Bisphenol A. And polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). And thousands more innovations brought to us by the industries that once promised ” better living through chemistry “, but instead produced a toxic stew that has made every American a guinea pig and has turned the US into one grand unnatural experiment.

Today, we are all unwitting subjects in the largest set of drug trials ever. Without our knowledge or consent, we are testing thousands of suspected toxic chemicals and compounds, as well as new substances whose safety is largely unproven and whose effects on human beings are all but unknown. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) itself has begun monitoring our bodies for 151 potentially dangerous chemicals, detailing the variety of pollutants we store in our bones, muscle, blood and fat. None of the companies introducing these new chemicals has even bothered to tell us we are part of their experiment.
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Source: SolarReviews

Old mining sites, contaminated farmlands and closed chemical facilities don’t offer much more than an eyesore. That was until the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) saw the potential for redeveloping these brownfield sites into renewable energy facilities. The estimated 15 million acres of potentially contaminated lands can house an unfathomable amount of photovoltaic (PV) arrays, generating energy on land that is otherwise unusable. A solar power plant on an old landfill seems like a win-win situation. But it’s easier said than done.

Cleaning up a contaminated site improves the environmental quality of the area, while restoring community pride with an aesthetically pleasing and productive piece of land. Faced with liability uncertainties, permitting challenges and land-use ordinances, developers haven’t been overly anxious to construct clean energy facilities on brownfield sites. To encourage the reuse of contaminated lands for renewable energy projects, the EPA launched its RE-Powering America’s Lands Initiative in 2008. By offering incentives, technical advice, and assistance to local communities to identify potential sites through mapping and screening tools, the EPA has facilitated installations in 26 states.
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Source: Waste & Recycling News.com

As more cities adopt citywide composting programs to divert food waste from landfills, the market for compostable products continues to expand.

But with so many companies in the market making unverified claims about their products, the meaning of the term “compostable” has become muddled for consumers.

“There’s a lot of confusion with what’s compostable and what’s not,” said Doug Hill, general manager of EcoSafe Zero Waste, a compostable product manufacturer.

In the absence of a federally mandated certification process for compostable products, manufacturers can label their products as “compostable” or “biodegradable” without any scientific verification that the product will break down.

Agencies like the Federal Trade Commission attempt to regulate deceptive “greenwash” marketing techniques, but it’s not always easy to prove a product’s label is misleading.
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Federal agency finds innovative avenues to reduce energy consumption

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces today it has selected the U.S. Forest Service Region 5 office based in Vallejo, Calif. to receive a Federal Green Challenge honorable mention award for innovation in its energy conservation efforts.

“EPA is pleased to recognize the U.S. Forest Service Region 5 for its outstanding leadership to reduce their environmental footprint,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “By taking the initiative to reduce waste and conserve water and energy, this agency will not only help motivate other federal agencies and organizations to follow suit, but save the government money as well.”
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