Bottled Water...Do we need it?
Check out this Powerpoint on the ills of bottled water.
Check out this Powerpoint on the ills of bottled water.
U OF M RECYCLING PROGRAM CELEBRATES 25 YEARS. In the summer and fall of 2008, prices for metal, paper, and plastic reached record highs. Revenue for recyclable commodities at the U was more than $500,000. It was a good year for recycling, but the U's program has seen the ups and downs of the industry over its 25-year history. For more information, read Recycling celebrates.
http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/faculty-staff/features/UR_CONTENT_108089.html
P.S. Did you know that Dana Donatucci has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry? Who knew!
Spring is nearly here! The Clean and Green Committee has designated March 9 - 13 as clean up week. We're asking each program area to set up a schedule and develop a plan for how they will clean up both common and individual work areas. If you are part of a common area, but do not have a plan for cleaning up that area, please discuss this with your colleagues and try to put a plan in place.
We will designate on each floor:
* Large recycle bins
* A donate location for furniture and other items to be picked up and taken to the Reuse Center (pickup is on Friday, March 13).
* A location for old computer equipment that needs to be looked over an possibly donated (pickup to be determined)
* A room to store boxes with research documents that will need to go to the storage facility in Rosemount (pickup date to be determined).
Please let Pam Stenhjem know if you have any questions or need assistance with planning. Thanks!
Plug in your numbers and see if you dump more or less tons of carbon into the environment than your average citizen. I'm dumping 6.7 tons of carbon per year - You?
Dozens of excellent talks by experts on sustainability that you can view online for free! This TED theme, A Greener Future? includes talks on the future of cars, natural designs, praises for slowness, the climate crisis and more.
I just heard from Amy Short, University Services Sustainability Coordinator, that UStores sells several green cleaning products, and they're looking for ideas on what more to add to the list. If you have any environmentally-friendly products you'd like included in the catalog, please start by contacting Amy directly. Let's go U!
Introducing Blackle, a search engine using a black colored background to both save energy (less light, less energy) and raise awareness with energy saving tips. See more on this Wikipedia page. Thanks Derek for the tip!
Pam Stenhjem emailed this slide presentation (in PDF) on the Dangers of Plastic Bags. She also says, "If you want a great alternative - go to Land's End to buy GREAT canvas bags. I bought two extra large bags and keep them in my car. Two can hold a week's worth of groceries for my family. I also use them to haul craft supplies, beach stuff, camping stuff, whatever. Every where I go, people ask me where I got these. They have pockets in side and a key holder. They come in all kinds of colors and sizes - you can even get them with patent leather trim if you want to be extra fashionable. :-) It was one of the best investments I've ever made!"
The Minnesota Daily just published a fantastic article on recycling in the Twin Cities that includes information on pickup times, fees, and acceptable materials. Enjoy!