Greenversations

By Suzanne Rudzinski

I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point, recycling became more mainstream in America. Here in Washington, DC you’ll find separate bins for your recycling next to waste bins. Major manufacturers and other leading manufacturers are recycling tons of materials annually because it saves them money. Glass manufacturers rely on a steady supply of recycled crushed glass in their production processes, since it costs less than raw materials and melts at a lower temperature, which saves energy and prolongs furnace life. 90 percent of recycled glass is used to make new containers; it can also be used in kitchen tiles, counter tops, and wall insulation. So recycling isn’t just fashionable for treehuggers or hippies; it’s a practical, business-savvy activity that every American and American business can do.

American recycling has come a long way. It used to be something we taught our kids. When my kids were in preschool, I showed their classes how carpet can be made from recycled bottles, or how aluminum cans are crushed into recyclable blocks. Today, kids are teaching us to think about recycling more. You may overhear kids quizzically ask their parents, “Why isn’t there recycling here? Where do I put this bottle?” That little statement is representative of the millennial generation’s outlook; young people expect recycling options. They’re choosing to build a better tomorrow by recycling the things we use today.

Rather than throwing away old electronics, we can recycle them. Through 3rd-party certified recyclers, we can help create safe domestic recycling jobs while keeping precious metals and materials in our own country. Innovative processes and business models await discovery in America’s effort to grow our economy and become less dependent on costly imports. Think about it. For every million cell phones we recycle, 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered. For every ounce of gold we recycle, it’s one less ounce of gold we have to import or mine domestically.

So, on this America Recycles Day, consider what you can do to recycle more. It can be as easy asking your local trash company for curbside recycling, moving your old electronics from a box to a local recycler, or gathering those old flip phones you have lying around and donating them to charities. Whatever steps you’ll take, you’ll be taking steps that help make America a cleaner, healthier, more economically competitive country.

For more information, check out tips on what you can do to recycle and EPA’s educational resources. EPA supports Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling materials and considers true sustainability as next-generation pathway beyond recycling.

About the author: Suzanne Rudzinski is the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. The Office is responsible for managing EPA’s programs governing hazardous and solid wastes under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. She is the proud mother of three environmentally-conscious sons.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By Kristinn Vazquez

I have a confession to make. I’m cheap. Most people wouldn’t guess that about me. I do like to spend money on others. But, I’m cheap when it comes to resources at home and at work. I would argue most of us who grew up poor can relate. We’re environmentalists because we’re cost-conscious.

As the oldest of six, you wouldn’t think I received “hand-me-downs.” You haven’t met my family. I received the coolest clothes from an older cousin. When you’re poor, you realize the things you don’t need. You don’t actually need paper towels. You also don’t buy anything you could borrow. And, you rarely throw anything out. Someone might need it or have a creative use for it. Poor families have an incredible sense of community.

In our home now, all kinds of things become art supplies for the kids. Empty toilet paper rolls, bubble wrap, gift ribbons, plastic triangles from the center of pizzas, etc. (use your imagination)! Yogurt and butter containers become leftover containers. Plastic bags become pet waste bags. We’re constantly trading our kids’ clothes with friends. Here’s one we just learned: you can catch water in the shower and use that to water the plants. These are small ways to reuse and recycle materials, but they’re cost-saving measures for us, AND they’re good for the environment.

At the office, I help manage a program that considers bigger ways to recycle. We run the Responsible Appliance Disposal program that encourages utilities, retailers, and manufacturers to take your old refrigerators and window air conditioners, and responsibly dispose of the components that are harmful to the environment. If not properly handled, the refrigerant and foam contribute to ozone layer depletion and climate change. This month, RAD partner GE worked with Appliance Recycling Centers of America to open the first fully-automated appliance recycling facility in the U.S. Based in Philadelphia, the facility will not only serve more than a 12-state area, it has also created more than 50 new green jobs.

I’m proud to be helping the environment and the economy. On a personal note, if you’re upgrading to a new, more energy-efficient refrigerator, resist the urge to put the old refrigerator in your basement. This lowers the demand on the energy grid and perhaps more importantly when you’re cheap, lowers the demand on your own utility bills. I’d love to hear your ideas for creative recycling.

About the author: Kristinn Vazquez is the Deputy Director for the Stratospheric Protection Division. In her free time, she focuses on trying to see the world through her children’s eyes.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By Karen Mark

I recently staffed an EPA booth for the first Rock the Green festival committed to seeking near-zero waste in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was skeptical at first, a “near-zero waste” event? Not only was I impressed by what I saw but I realized that behavioral changes are the most effective way to reduce waste and energy.

Simple measures add up! The festival was powered entirely from biodiesel generators, solar and bicycle power. Concert merchandise featured recycled t-shirts from Goodwill with a screen printed Rock the Green guitar logo. Each t-shirt was unique. Volunteers assisted attendees in properly disposing of food and compostable plates and utensils into compost and recycle bins. The compost will become fertilizer for Veterans Park, the event locale.

Great music and food made it worthwhile and knowing the small “carbon footprint” from Rock the Green made it even more enjoyable. This year was such a success that Rock the Green will be back in 2012!

Every year, Americans produce huge amounts of waste. Here are some student projects that are changing their community’s habits to “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.”

After learning their local landfill would be full by 2013, junior high students formed EcoLogical in Homer, Alaska to reduce their school’s waste. They switched the school’s non-recyclable trays to reusable plastic trays and created a recycling area in the cafeteria. By the end of the school year, EcoLogical prevented 2,000 polystyrene trays from entering the landfill and increased recycling by 3 times in their school.

When a 6th grade science class from HB Woodlawn in Arlington, Virginia visited a local stream to study about watersheds, they were shocked to discover electronic equipment dumped into the stream. Since the county only offered drop-off sites for recycling electronics, the students launched their “We’ll Bring It to You” Curbside Electronics Recycling project. Students, their parents and school faculty collected more than 450 pieces of ‘e-waste’ from homes and properly disposed of them at the drop-off sites.

Hundreds of thousands enjoy the annual Durham Fair in Connecticut. The Coginchaug High School’s Environmental Coginchaug Organization (ECO) Club and Boy Scout Troop 27 collected over 19,000 plastics bottles at the fair, accounting for nearly one-third of the bottles sold. They educated the public about the importance of recycling. All recyclables collected were turned into recycled packaging products.

To read more about the 3 R’s

About the author: Karen Mark is a Student Temporary Employment Program intern in the Air and Radiation Division in Region 5. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Environmental Management and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Public Service Management.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By Mark Baldwin

As a huge University of Maryland football fan, I can proudly tell folks that Maryland played host to Queen Elizabeth and was the first school in their conference to racially integrate their football team (see Darryl Hill). I can also proudly tell you that the University of Maryland participated in EPA’s Game Day Challenge last year! So I will assume that you are asking yourself a couple of questions after reading my very odd trash-talking, such as, “what is EPA’s Game Day Challenge?” and “why are you proud that the Queen of England attended a Maryland football game?” Great questions!

EPA’s Game Day Challenge (now in its 3rd year) is a green competition open to universities and colleges across the US. Participating schools compete across several categories that measure their waste reduction during a home football game. As fans cheer on their favorite teams, they’ll also be reducing their environmental footprint from the stands. Last year, participants diverted over 500,000 pounds of waste that would have otherwise gone to a landfill. That’s more than the total combined weight of all starting offensive and defensive linemen in the Bowl Championship Series (that’s 120 teams in total).

Now, as far as the significance of having royalty at a Maryland football game… Nothing evokes more terror in the opponent than playing in front of the Queen of England, right?

As we march towards another great year for college football with hopes for a winning season (or at least a good tailgating party), remember that while trash-talking is environmentally friendly, trash from your tailgate…not so much. So before you cheer for Big Blue, March on for the Black and Gold, Hook ‘em Horns or mildly applaud an earnest effort (as I am sure the Queen did), make sure your school signs up for EPA’s Game Day Challenge. Go Green, Go Recycle, and Go Terps!

The competition begins on September 1, 2011 and will run to November 30, 2011. Winners will be announced in December, 2011.

To register for the Game Day Challenge

More information on the Game Day Challenge

About the author: Mark Baldwin is an environmental protection specialist and is in his fourth year working for EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. Mark is a proud graduate from the University of Maryland where he earned a degree in Environmental Science and Policy. Mark is currently attending Johns Hopkins University part-time where he is pursuing his Master’s in Environmental Science.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By Wendy Dew

Start off the new school year with a pledge to go green at school. There are many things you can do to go green:

• Before starting a new school year, sort through the school supplies on-hand. Many things, like notebooks or pens and pencils, can be reused or recycled. You can share your used books and other school supplies with friends, relatives, or younger schoolchildren.
• If you are purchasing new school supplies, look for items made out of recycled materials. Did you know you can get pencils made out of recycled jeans or money!
• For school proms, dances, or other events, decorations and other supplies can be borrowed or rented. If you buy these supplies, try adopting a theme that can be used from year-to-year, so that you can reuse them.
• Many schools reuse text books to save money and reduce waste. Covering your textbooks with cut-up grocery or shopping bags helps reduce waste and keeps your books in good condition.
• If you buy lunch, take and use only what you need: one napkin, one ketchup packet, one salt packet, one pepper packet, one set of flatware. Remember to recycle your cans and bottles, and separate your waste if your school has separation bins!
• Help your school start or improve an existing recycling/composting program. Several earlier blogs on this site have examples of schools that successfully went green!
• Create school hall monitors that patrol for lights out in rooms not being used…you could even give your teachers report cards on how energy efficient they are!

To find out more about what you can do to go green while going back to school check out our healthy school resources.

About the author: Wendy Dew is the Environmental Education and Outreach Coordinator for Region 8 in Denver, Colorado.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By Tess Clinkingbeard

I was always interested in the environment, but I never imagined that this curiosity would result in my being a student intern at the EPA!

It all started when my high school’s Green Team won the President’s Environmental Youth Award and two representatives, from the EPA office in Seattle, came to our school to present our award.

Out of all the PEYA contestants last year in Region 10, which includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska, Tahoma’s Green Team was selected to have done the best job of improving our community’s environment.

From September 2009 to December 2010, Tahoma High School began five specialized recycling programs, for everything from Styrofoam to batteries—but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Led by Green Team President, Cort Hammond, Tahoma’s Green Team was able to do two adopt-a-road events, initiate food waste recycling at our school and become a Level One Green School. We were able to save the school district $24,000 through lunchroom recycling.

Tahoma’s Green Team Motto, “Blue and Gold Make Green!” after the school’s colors, is a perfect summation of the transformation that has occurred. As you approach the school, there are five solar panels on the front, which generate some of the energy we use every day. There are recycling bins in every classroom, posters about how to sort waste in the lunchroom and every light switch has a reminder sticker about turning off the lights when leaving the room. The student store and coffee stand have compostable cups. Green Team is working on extending that to utensils and reusable dishes.

All of our hard work paid off in the form of a National PEYA Award. When we received our award, we were also notified about summer internships, and, after an interview and a lot of paperwork, I was working at the EPA! I am so lucky to have the opportunity to work so closely with those on the frontlines of the battle for environmental justice. The EPA’s summer internship program is an amazing opportunity to gain real life experience.

About the author: Tess Clinkingbeard is a Senior at Tahoma High School, and is now a Co-President, along with Cassandra Houghton, of the Green Team. She is currently interning at the EPA’s office in Seattle and aspires to go into environmental studies and Spanish.

By Emma Hutchinson

The Net Zero Club at Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado, revamped our school’s recycling system.

We did it! You can too. Before you start, check out local recycling regulations, then:

1. Go dumpster diving! Put on old clothes; sort through the contents of your school’s garbage and recycling dumpsters. On a tarp, empty the dumpster’s contents. Sort into piles: can/bottle recyclables, paper recyclables, materials that should go to the landfill, and compostables. Estimate and record the percentage each pile is of the dumpster’s total. This is an audit providing information on recyclables in trash cans and trash in recycling bins. Do several audits!
2. Count bins! Record the number of recycling and garbage bins in each room throughout the building. Laminate a building map. Use three colors of small stickers, one color to each bin type: can/bottle recycling, paper recycling, and trash. Place stickers on your map reflecting the locations of all bins.
3. Investigate! Investigate bin contamination and people’s behavior. Take the lid off recycling bins. Check out the contents. Are there half-eaten burritos in there? Interview faculty and students. Do they throw stuff away in the correct bin, or the nearest bin? Do they know what belongs in which bin? This is key to meeting the needs of people using the recycling system.
4. Interview! Talk with the principal, custodial staff, food service staff, teachers and students. Address their concerns in your program.
5. Make stations! We found the most effective way to reduce contamination, increase recycling and accommodate our school population’s needs was to create stations of bins. Each has a can/bottle recycling, paper recycling and garbage bin. We posted recycling/waste guidelines. Anyone throwing something away had to go to a station, with three options and the guidelines. The main idea: no stand-alone bins.

Position the stations. Use the Step #2 map; put one station per room and at intervals in the hallways, like busy intersections during passing periods.

Keep checking on the new recycling system. Repeat the audits to see if the system works. Pat yourself on the back for revamping your system and doing your part to change the world!

Did it work? At Fairview, we reduced contamination by 83% and increased recycling by over 40%.

Have patience, it took us about a year. Remember to get other hard working, passionate students and staff involved. Good luck!

About the author: Emma Hutchinson is a member of the Fairview Net Zero Club in Boulder, Colorado. The club was awarded an EPA President’s Environmental Youth Award in 2011 for their efforts to improve their school’s recycling program.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

This post is cross-posted from The Huffington Post.

By Administrator Lisa P. Jackson

At the ROUND2 electronics recycling facility in Austin, Texas, American workers dismantle, sort, test and repair a steady stream of discarded printers, computers and other electronics. The millions of pounds of electronic waste that ROUND2 processes each year are kept out of landfills here and abroad, and the valuable materials in them are reused. In addition, ROUND2’s e-cycling business is also creating good jobs. The company has put several hundred people to work nationwide, and just last February the Austin facility announced plans to hire 52 more technical staff members.

Seeing the economic and environmental opportunities in e-cycling, I visited ROUND2’s Austin campus today, where I stood with Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Inc., Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint, Mark Price, Vice President of Sony Electronics, and several government officials to announce the Obama administration’s National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship. To fortify the National Strategy, we also announced a commitment from Dell, Sprint and Sony to use private sector business practices that will strengthen our homegrown e-cycling industry and create jobs for American workers.

Government and industry are working together to tackle an environmental and health issue in a way that supports innovation, cuts costs and creates good jobs. It’s an important effort at an important time. Already, the United States generates some 2.5 million tons of electronic waste per year. Not only do those discarded electronics contain potentially dangerous chemicals and pollutants, they also have precious metals, rare earth materials, plastic and glass that can be recovered and recycled, reducing the economic costs and environmental impacts of securing and processing new materials for new products.

It is also critically important that we undertake this National Strategy with the active involvement of the private sector. Dell, which Newsweek ranked as 2010’s greenest company in the United States, has been a leader in responsible electronics management. Dell has worked for years to improve e-waste recovery, and also partnered with the EPA on efforts that reduced the amount of lead in their products by more than 19 million pounds. Sprint has already collected more than 25 million discarded mobile phones. Sprint has set an ambitious goal that, by 2017, they will be reusing or recycling nine phones for every 10 they sell. Sony has partnered with EPA since 2004 and collected and recycled almost 3 million pounds of used consumer electronics.
To effectively tackle e-waste, we need to think about everything from how to design more efficient and sustainable technology, to making sure consumers have widespread access to recycling drop off locations and other options for easily donating or recycling used electronics. Private sector involvement is instrumental to ensuring that the process of research, innovation, development and commercialization of a new product is not complete without also focusing on recycling.

Of course, EPA and its federal government partners have a role to play as well. President Obama has called on us — as the nation’s largest consumer of electronics — to lead by example on electronics stewardship. The National Strategy we are announcing today explains how the federal government will:
Promote the development of more efficient and sustainable electronic products;

• Direct federal agencies to buy, use, reuse and recycle their electronics responsibly;
• Support recycling options and systems for American consumers; and
• Strengthen America’s role in international electronics stewardship.

The success of ROUND2 is just the beginning of creating jobs by increasing electronics recycling nationwide. The leadership of President Obama on this issue — combined with the commitments of companies like Dell, Sprint and Sony- – sends a very strong signal about the bright future of the e-cycling industry in this country. Fostering the growth of a market for electronics recycling can help American companies create good jobs in a field that supports cleaner communities today, and a cleaner future tomorrow.

The history of protecting our health and our environment is a history of innovation. Better ideas and new products have helped make almost everything we do cleaner, healthier and more energy-efficient. That history has also shown us that the engines of our economy run best when they run clean.
The National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship is another chapter of that history, in which environmental protection, innovation, and economic growth work hand in hand.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By Molly Hooven

A typical evening in my house consists of someone asking, “Mom, where’s this?” or “Mom, where’s that?”

So when one of my light bulbs went out, I asked “Mom, where are the light bulbs?” She placed the energy saving CFL light bulb in my hand and the world was right again.

Moms across the nation are creating a path for younger generations to become more aware and proactive about protecting our environment. According to Energy Star, if everyone replaced the light bulb (like I did) then we would save enough energy to light 3 million homes for a year but according to Mom, it’s just the right thing to do.

That’s good enough for me.

Mothers Day is May 8th and so it’s perfect timing to acknowledge how moms are teaching environmentally friendly day-to-day activities in a fun manner to their children. My mother’s passion for the earth certainly has now been embedded in my life. As role models, moms are the ones with the power to shape how we act towards our water, air, health and planet.

Not a day goes by that my mom does not recycle bottles or cardboard. Did you know that it takes over 200 hundred years for an aluminum soda can to decompose but if recycled it can be reused in a matter of weeks? When my mom heard that our county was trashing the caps of water bottles, she quickly started saving them until she could find a location that would recycle them. Thankfully, it was a false rumor so we can once again toss the bottles (caps included!) into the bin.

Even with summer just around the corner, there’s no vacation for recycling, according to my mom. When traveling to Maine for vacation, she collects our used bottles and made it a “fun activity” for us to stick them in a reverse vending machine at the grocery store that recycles them and refunds deposits to customers. I still hold a fond memory of the smell of soda cans and salt water!

My mom allowed me to find my eco-passion on my own time. I remember asking her to pack my lunch in a paper bag. Soon enough I saw the light and am now a proud carrier of a cloth lunch bag that does not contribute to the 4.5 pounds of garbage each person produces daily. My sister caught on earlier than I did and as she proudly wears her “Going Green is Hot” t-shirt, she too carries her cloth lunch bag.

My mom and many other women are creating a greener future for our nation. Did your mom’s green techniques leave an impact on you? Share your thoughts!

About the author: Molly Hooven joined the EPA in November 2010 as a SCEP intern. She will graduate in May with her M.B.A. from Mount St. Mary’s University and has an undergraduate degree in Communications.

By Ameshia Cross

Recruiting people to do something isn’t easy, especially when those people aren’t even old enough to vote. Believe me; I tried it several times as a teen. I vividly remember supporting green technology and alternative fuel campaigns on my high school campus as well as making fliers to green my school. I even ran an SGA campaign that included a recycling drive and solar panel installation at a local youth center.

Throughout history youth movements have been known to change the pulse of nation and to drive people to participate in seeking change. Yet some say that youth today are not interested in their communities or knowledgeable of the issues. Teens from a small town in Texas are out to prove them wrong.
Students in Booker, Texas noticed the lack of concern towards the environment in their community and decided to do something about it. The Booker High School Environmental Science class devised a plan to increase awareness and community service in their hometown. The teens created fliers, recruited community leaders, and other students from across the city to create a recycling center. But they didn’t stop there.

After successfully completing the recycling center and leading campaigns across the city to make sure people knew what the center was for, why it was important, and how participation in recycling helps to sustain the environment for future generations, the Booker High teens petitioned for funding from their school district and neighbors to create a community garden on their high school campus. Students, teachers, and community members share in the maintenance of the garden and the vegetables that it provides.

Talk about taking initiative…these teens are on a roll and something tells me there is more to come.

About the author:  Ameshia Cross joined the EPA in December as a STEP intern in the Air and Radiation Division in Chicago. She has worked for numerous community organizations, holds seats on youth education boards, and is active in politics. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration with an emphasis on environmental policy and legislation