Vending Machines Pay YOU To Give Them Cans

Sometimes you don’t see your attempts to protect the environment right away. You faithfully crush and drive your aluminum cans to the recycling center every week, but you don’t see the landfill shrink in size. You remember to bring your reusable bags to the grocery store, but you are not at the beach to watch the sea birds fly that have lived longer because they didn’t ingest plastic bags. You bike to work and around town, but don’t notice that the air is any cleaner.

Even though most attempts to better the environment take years before they have any noticeable impact, Pepsi is offering a new machine that gives you some instant gratification while you continue with your long term efforts.

The reverse vending machine doles out points and prizes in exchange for an empty bottle or can. Created by a partnership between Pepsi, Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful, the creators of the machine say they hope to encourage people to recycle when they’re away from home. The big blue machines are in North Carolina and are coming to California this summer.

Sometimes you have to keep at something even though you don’t see the results because you know it’s important. When it comes to helping mother nature, that is almost always the case. But you’re human, and sometimes it’s just easier to toss that empty water bottle into the nearest garbage can instead of taking it home to put in the recycle bin. The convenience and cool prizes offered by these new machines can be a motivating factor that keeps you focused on doing your part to make the world a better place, even when it’s not you but your children who will see the results of your efforts.

So keep up your efforts to protect the environment and get a little something in return right now.

Tags: aluminum cans, better the environment, environment, Keep America Beautiful, Pepsi, protect the environment, recycling center, reverse vending machine, Waste Management

On Earth Day US Navy Tries Out New Color

While the traditional colors of the US Navy are blue and gold, this military branch is mixing it up with a little green. The Navy has plans to award more shipbuilding and weapons contracts to favor companies that provide energy efficient products.

The "Green Hornet" during a test flight.

In the works is a “Great Green Fleet” carrier strike group consisting of ships powered either by nuclear energy or biofuels the Navy is moving toward developing. The attached air wing of fighter jets would be fueled entirely by biofuels.

On Earth Day in April, the Navy made another step in that direction when it showcased the new “Green Hornet” F/A-18 Super Hornet multirole fighter jet that runs on a blend of traditional jet fuel and biofuel. This 50/50 blend is estimated to reduce carbon emissions up to 80 percent compared to the regular fuel, according to new release by the Naval Air Systems Command.

It’s important to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels and develop new technologies that are more environmentally friendly. Anything people can do to move closer to cleaner air while protecting and preserving nature is a step in the right direction.

Sometimes green vehicles and products are perceived as subpar to their counterparts, but these actions taken by the Navy to employ more energy efficient products shows that they are committed to developing advanced technology that does not compromise in quality or eco-friendliness.

While we have still have a long way to go in order to become free of our dependence on petroleum-based products, more people are beginning to realize that we must develop new technologies soon.

Whether it’s a simple decision that one individual can make, like bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, or a more complex plan by the Navy to switch to energy efficient biofuel for jets, we can all do our part to take better care of the earth.

Tags: biofuel, biofuels, dependence on petroleum-based products, eco-friendliness, energy efficient biofuel, fighter jet, fossil fuels, Great Green Fleet, Green Hornet, reduce carbon emissions, Reusable Bags, Reusable Grocery Bags, US Navy, US Navy Green Hornet

Paper or Plastic? Neither are Good in the Bay Area

In 2007, San Francisco was the first U.S. city to ban the use of plastic bags, followed almost immediately by Oakland and Palo Alto. But now three years later, many cities are also considering introducing a ban on paper bags as well.

While restricting the use of plastic bags has had many positive results, such as keeping the bags from ending up in marine mammals and clogging landfills, many consumers simply shifted to using paper bags. But paper bags also come with an environmental price of their own.

Paper bags actually cost more to produce than plastic bags in terms of the energy it takes to manufacture them. This doesn’t even take into account the millions of trees needed each year for paper bag production, which only increases global warming.

In order to persuade people to start bringing their own reusable bags to the checkout stand, San Jose, Berkeley and Santa Clara County are working to broaden the scope of the ban to include paper bags as well.

The nonprofit environmental group Save the Bay put out their annual report in 2009 that stated that 3.8 billion plastic bags were used every year prior to the ban being enacted. San Francisco officials predicted last fall that the city’s ban on the bags would reduce plastic bag usage by approximately 100 million.

The Bay Area has a history of environmental activism, so it’s no surprise that attitudes toward plastic bag usage have changed in the last few years. Plastic bags are now seen as offensive whereas just a few years ago they were lauded for their convenience factor.

Despite consumer support plastic bag bans have not gone without challenges to their legality. The Coalition to Support Plastic Bag Recycling successfully sued the city of Oakland, California to overturn the ban with the claim that the ban was illegal because the city had failed to study how the increased use of paper bags would impact the environment.

But what needs to be kept in mind is that these proposed bans don’t eliminate the use of paper bags or force people to buy reusable bags. As with the plastic bag ban, consumers would still be able to get paper bags at the check-out counter for a fee of up to 25 cents per bag.

The overall goal is to change the consumer’s attitude towards plastic or paper bag usage through legislation, which can only have a positive effect on the environment.

Tags: Berkeley and Santa Clara County, city ban on plastic bags, Coalition to Support Plastic Bag Recycling, environmental activism, environmental price, increased use of paper bags, nonprofit environmental group, paper bag production, plastic or paper bag usage, positive effect on the environment, restricting the use of plastic bags, San Francisco, San Jose, Save the Bay, use of plastic bags, using paper bags

US Patent Office Expands Green Technology Accelerated Examination Program: More categories of invention are now eligible for expedited processing

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is overhauling its Green Technology Pilot Program in the hopes of attracting more green technology applications.

In December of 2009, the Green Technology Pilot program was initiated to draw more inventors to submit applications relating to energy conservation, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, environmental quality, and renewable energy systems.

Under the new guidelines, applicants will no longer be restricted to specific classifications which limited the scope of what was considered green technology. These new guidelines will expand the range of categories of technology that are acceptable for acceleration through the patent process, which will allow more inventions associated with green technologies to be expedited through the review and examination process.

The is good news considering the recent environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. This policy shift mirrors the Obama Administration’s commitment to finding and implementing new sources for clean energy, especially in the areas of fuel efficiency and less dependence on oil.

If you are interested in this pilot program, you will need to file a petition to make special under the Pilot Program for Green Technologies that complies with all the requirements set forth in the Federal Register notice on this topic which was dated December 8, 2009. The USPTO has waived any fees for participation in this program.

Petitions need to be filed before December 8, 2010, and only the first 3,000 petitions will be considered for this program. Only 350 applications out of 1,000 have been granted to date; partly because of the previous limitations, so the number of applications are expected to increase dramatically.

If you previously submitted a petition and were denied, you can file a renewed petition. But you will need to submit the renewed application no later than June 30, 2010 in order for it to be considered priority status from the date of the initial filing. Each application must also comply with all of the requirements for special status.

The Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos has stated that “…we would like to enable applicants whose inventions did not fall within the initial classifications eligible for the program to be eligible”.

For additional information about this program, and to see the specific guidelines, you can go to the Green Technology Pilot Program page at the USPTO’s Web site at http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/green_tech.jsp.

Tags: clean energy, environmental catastrophe, Federal Register, Green Technology, Intellectual Property, Pilot Program, US Patent Office, USPTO

Edmonton Canada Takes Bold Step To Cut Down On Plastic Bag Usage By 50% Within 5 Years

The city of Edmonton is taking the lead to curtail the use of plastic bags by 50% within the next 5 years.

In 2008, it was estimated that Albertan’s used about 5 plastic bags each, which cumulatively added up to a total of 900 million bags.

The Minister of Environment, Robert Renner, said in a recent statement that “Many Albertans are concerned with the number of plastic bags littering streets and entering landfills”.

In response to growing concerns, on Wednesday, June 2, 2010, the government of Alberta, along with four of the province’s largest retailers, announced their voluntary plan, which is designed to reduce the overall use of plastic bags by the year 2013.

The Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores, the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, the Retail Council of Canada, and the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors represent the four main organizations involved in the initiative, which account for over 90% of all retail sales in the entire province.

“Retailers are committed to significantly reducing the number of plastic bags distributed in Alberta. Educating consumers and providing alternatives to plastic bags are key to meeting the aggressive targets we have set as an industry.” said Peter Pilarski, Director of Government Relations and Membership Services for Alberta with the Retail Council of Canada.

Along with educating the public on the detrimental effects of plastic bags on the environment, as well as plans to push the use of reusable shopping bags, many stores will start charging a five-cent fee for the use of plastic bags.

At this time there are no plans to institute a ban on the use of plastic bags, as it is felt that changing attitudes will have better long-term effects.

There are retailers who have already started to use an array of different strategies to reduce the use of plastic bags, including offering fabric bags to consumers at the checkout counter.

Many consumers applaud the action by the government and see it as a positive step, while others don’t think it goes far enough.

Harvey Anderson with Wild Earth Foods said “The cashiers always ask, ‘do you want a bag, do you need a bag?’ And a lot of people do end up changing their minds when they have one or two items. It’s just trying to make people more aware.”

So next time you’re at the grocery store, don’t be surprised to find yourself with a choice. Some consumers are already preparing in advance by stocking up on reusable shopping bags.

Sources For Quotes:

http://alberta.ca/home/NewsFrame.cfm?ReleaseID=/acn/201006/28484F95F07FE-E857-07BE-8728C43AD1806882.html

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Tackling+plastic+bags/3111123/story.html

Tags: alternatives to plastic bags, Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores, Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, City of Edmonton, educating consumers, environment and plastic bags, fabric bags, plastic bags distributed in Alberta, plastic bags littering, plastic shopping bags, reduce use of plastic bags, Retail Council of Canada, Reusable Shopping Bags

Many US Cities Say: Plastic Foam Containers Must Go

Plastic foam products, like the trademarked product Styrofoam, have been banned in different cities around the nation. Chicago is one more city that is contemplating making all restaurants and retailers get rid of polystyrene foam products, such as the take-out containers used by many restaurants.

The issue is a serious one, because the petroleum-based plastic doesn’t break down in landfills and emits toxins when it goes through the manufacturing process. A 1986 EPA report on solid waste named the polystyrene manufacturing process as the fifth largest creator of hazardous waste, according to the Earth Resource Foundation’s website.

More cities are now exploring ways to limit the production and use of plastic foam in various businesses around town. Chicago has proposed fines of up to $300 for first offenders. Edmonds, Washington proposed either having business owners sign up for a recycling service or making a composting container available to customers.

Cities need to explore more eco friendly options besides plastic foam that restaurants and retails can use for their needs.

Plastic is not the answer. Whether we use it to bag our groceries or to hold our coffee, plastic has long been known to clog landfills and pollute our environment. It’s time for cities across the nation to work toward developing alternatives to plastic that won’t damage the earth and its future.

More and more cities are waking up to the fact that plastic is an option that hurts the environment more than its convenience is worth. Some have banned plastic bags and now others are banning plastic foam. We just need to make sure that viable alternatives exist, such as reusable bags and other packaging so that these new ordinances do not negatively impact businesses and the economy.

Tags: ban, eco-friendly, plastic, Plastic foam, polystyrene foam, Reusable Bags, Styrofoam, take-out containers

Gulf Oil Spill: A Hairy Problem

The April 20 explosion of Deepwater Horizon rig has spilled an estimated 6 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. As BP PLC works to stop the leak, they have enlisted an unlikely partner in an organization that uses human hair and pet fur to clean up the mess.

Hair Booms produced by volunteers in Alabama. Courtesy MatterOfTrust.org.

Matter of Trust, an environmental group out of California, is collecting hair from salons and barber shops and putting it in nylon stockings. These “booms” of hair, feathers, fur, wool and alpaca fleece are then used to soak up the oil.

“We, at Matter of Trust, are thrilled that BP has contacted us to discuss deployment of the donated booms,” says President of Matter of Trust Lisa Gautier in a news release. “This mobilization orchestrating international natural fiber recycling systems to help the Gulf Spill has taken less than three weeks. The massive, rapid response to help the environment has been phenomenal.”

The effort to clean up the sludge threatening coast land along the Gulf is international one, and the Matter of Trust website says they have received donations from nylons and stuffing material from the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and more.

A pound of hair can absorb up to a quart of oil in one minute and can be reused up to 100 times, according to www.ecouterre.com. This system works better than synthetic options and is eco friendly to boot. Synthetic oil absorbers are harmful and release toxins into the environment.

Every year in the United States, 60 million pounds of human hair go into landfills, according to www.ottimat.com, the website of a company that makes hair mats to absorb oil. The idea of using hair to absorb oil was first popularized by Alabama hairdresser Phil McCory in 1989. He took his idea to NASA and later invented the OttiMat.

Matter of Trust has temporarily donated warehouse sites along the Gulf Coast set up to handle donations coming in to help with the oil spill. Go to www.matteroftrust.org to sign up to help with the current oil spill crisis.

Tags: BP PLC, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Spill, hair booms, Matter of Trust, Oil spill

Greenpeace And Loggers Shake Hands

Timber companies and environmental groups saw the forest for the trees as they overcome their differences to reach an agreement that protects 170 million acres in Canada while at the same time preserving the forestry industry.

“For years we have helped bring opposing parties together to conserve this global treasure, Canada’s boreal forest,” said Steve Kallick, director of the Pew Environment Group’s International Boreal Conservation Campaign in a news release. “We’re thrilled that this effort has led to the largest commercial forest conservation plan in history, which could not have happened without both sides looking beyond their differences.”

It’s not often that logging companies and Greenpeace sit down at the same table, but on May 18 more than twenty companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada and nine environmental organizations unveiled the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, which will conserve areas of the Boreal Forest and protect threatened woodland caribou.

This agreement shows a new kind of attitude towards environmental protection that is both economically savvy and nature conscious. Usually a clear winner emerges after these types of “discussions” and the other side suffers a defeat and a loss of what they hold most dear. But as public concern for environmental preservation has grown over the years, so has the need for cooperation between both industries and green groups.

“The importance of this Agreement cannot be overstated,” said Avrim Lazar, President and CEO of FPAC in a news release. “FPAC member companies and their ENGO counterparts have turned the old paradigm on its head. Together we have identified a more intelligent, productive way to manage economic and environmental challenges in the Boreal that will reassure global buyers of our products’ sustainability.”

As the twenty-first century moves forward, let’s hope that more agreements can be made that help you humans to both move forward technologically while at the same time preserving nature.

Tags: Boreal Conservation Campaign, boreal forest, Canada, Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, environmental groups, FPAC, Greenpeace, Timber companies

Actually Use Those Reusable Bags

You’ve been here before. You are standing in the checkout line with a cart loaded with groceries, absentmindedly eyeing the magazines on display and wondering who actually believes that a half man half alligator lives in Florida, when suddenly you glance down at the reusable bags for sale at the end of the aisle. Your frustration flairs as you realize your 15-plus eco friendly bags are folded nicely and sitting in the utility room at home. Once again, protecting the environment goes on hold as you say yes to those convenient plastic bags because you and your reusable bags can never seem to be in the same place at the same time.

Hot Cold Reusable Bag by Planet Earth Bag.

It’s time for a change. There are several things that may help you remember to include reusable bags along with your shopping list the next time you hit the grocery store.

First, you can leave them in your car at all times. Right after you bring home and stack your canned goods in the pantry, turn around and put your eco friendly bags back in your trunk. Then you’ll always have them with you when you go out.

Second, get a bunch of them. The more you have, the more likely you are to have one lying around when you actually need it.

Third, give your shopping bags the same treatment you do meetings at work. Program a reminder into your phone that tells you to bring your reusable bags with you when you schedule your shopping trips. You could include it on your grocery list so you won’t forget.

Fourth, purchase bags that you’re excited about toting your groceries around in. Planet Earth Bag lets you customize the size, color and design on your bag so that you can create something you want to be seen hanging off of your shoulder.

Make sure that your heart is not the only thing in the right place by using some of these tips to bring your reusable bags with you the next time you head to the grocery store.

Tags: eco-friendly bags, green recyclable bags, Hot Cold Bag, Planet Earth Bag, Plastic Bags, reusable bag, reusable grocery bag, Reusable Shopping Bags

California Supreme Court Debates Plastic Versus Paper

You hear this question every time you go to the grocery store. “Paper or plastic?” In an interval of about two seconds you get to decide whether you will do something that is better for the environment or not.

The California Supreme Court is also debating the issue, as they decide whether communities should be allowed to ban plastic bags at grocery stores.

San Francisco already banned plastic bags in grocery stores in 2007, and more Californian cities want to follow suit. Some health food stores have already voluntarily decided to use only paper.

Even though it seems more convenient to just get plastic, the choice certainly has its uglier side. According to an article in the Atlantic, it can take up to 1,000 years for a plastic bag to decompose in a landfill, and each year Americans go through 50–80 billion of them. An estimated 4,000 barrels of oil a day are used for plastic bag manufacturing.

Paper bags are definitely a better option than plastic, but at the end of the shopping trip most people send them to the same place as plastic bags: the landfill.

If you choose paper in the checkout line, think about creative ways to reuse those bags. Planet Earth Bag offers paper bags made from 100 percent recycled paper that are sturdy enough for your next shopping trip.

So, next time you’re asked “Paper or plastic?” you can now say, “Neither.” There is a third choice.

The earth-friendly bags made by Planet Earth Bag help you lessen your impact on the environment by using your bag over and over again. Not only that, we let you customize your reusable bag so it is something that you are excited about using for years to come.

The staff here at Planet Earth Bag believes we can all do our part to protect the environment though reducing, reusing and recycling. Even if the California Supreme court decides cities should not be allowed to ban plastic bags, you can change your individual mindset. We all need the reminder to reduce both consumption and waste and to reuse the things we do have. Using earth-friendly reusable bags is just one step in creating a better world for ourselves and our children.<–>

Tags: earth-friendly bags, Paper Bags, Plastic Bags, reusable bag