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04 Aug 99 - office paper; business case studies; ULS Day; P24U; snacking nation ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive ------------------- >From Marcia Rutan, Snohomish County Solid Waste, Everett, WA, responding to the 7/7/99 posting from Matt Fikejs seeking information on paper waste prevention strategies in the office: Here at Snohomish County Solid Waste Management Division, we have one printer station where we use a Hewlitt Packard Laserjet 4, M Plus, that is duplex capable. At another printer (Hewlitt Packard Laserjet 4V) we use paper that is already printed on one side for draft copies, by default. If someone wants to use new paper at the draft printer, they need to manually insert it and then return the used draft paper back into the tray. We also have a box at the photocopier to collect paper that is printed on one side. That rejected photocopy paper is taken to the draft printer or reused in the photocopier. We encourage people who are cleaning out files or simply discarding papers during the day to save paper only used on one side for reuse in the draft printer. Levels of cooperation vary, but we do seem to have a pretty consistent stock of draft paper available for the draft printer. And, of course, we do the typical: e-mail of messages and documents, routing information, using central files, reusing file folders, etc. We also receive newspapers at work, which alleviates at least some of us from ordering extra subscriptions at home. E-mail: marcia (D O T) rutan (A T) co (D O T) snohomish (D O T) wa (D O T) us ------------------ Excerpted from 7/30/99 press release sent by Jan Whitworth, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland, OR: Hershey Studios, a small Cannon Beach, OR, producer of fine art cards, redesigned its method of mailing information to retail customers and eliminated the use of envelopes. The business saved nearly $500 a year in costs and 150 pounds a year of envelopes. Hershey saved another 40 pounds of paper towels a year by using discarded rags from a local hotel to mop up spills of ink and paint. This is just one example of how large and small businesses throughout Oregon are finding ways to save money while making more efficient use of natural resources. The companies are part of a newly created list of organizations that are changing ways of doing business to save resources and money. The list is a joint project led by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Metro, a government agency in the Portland area. Details of how 60 Oregon businesses enjoyed savings in electricity, water use, and waste handling can be found on a new Web site provided by the DEQ, at: http://www.deq.state.or.us/wmc/solwaste/cstudy.html Each description is organized both by type of business and type of resource saved. DEQ officials said new cost-saving examples will be added to the Web site on a quarterly basis. Businesses included in the survey range from graphic design companies, packaging manufacturers and sheet-metal part producers to city governments, dairy companies, hotels, and agriculture-related businesses. E-mail: Whitworth [ D O T ] Jan [ A T ] deq [ D O T ] state [ D O T ] or [ D O T ] us -------------------- >From July/Aug./Sept. 1999 issue of the Use Less Stuff (ULS) Report newsletter, published by Partners for Environmental Progress, Ann Arbor, MI: ULS Day, a project of Partners for Environmental Progress, will be held on Thursday, November 18, this year. Any and all sponsors are welcome. For details, please contact Bob Lilienfeld at (734) 668-1690 or via e-mail at: bob [ A T ] cygnus-group [ D O T ] com -------------------- Excerpted from an e-mail from Jim DiPeso, Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC), Seattle, WA: A significant share of pollution comes from small sources that add up - the cars we drive, the energy we use to heat and light our homes, the water we consume for cleaning and sanitation, and the chemicals we use around the house. "P24U" is the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center's new guide to resources that help individuals reduce those impacts and still live comfortably. P24U is on line now at: http://www.pprc.org/pprc/p24u.html Included in P24U are resources for: 1) Green building, 2) Heating, cooling and insulation, 3) Appliances and plumbing fixtures, 4) Indoor air quality, 5) Painting, staining and sealing, 6) Housecleaning, 7) Landscaping, 8) Car care, and 9) Household chemical disposal. In addition, there is a general list of resources covering multiple topics. For more information about this document, contact Catherine Dickerson at cdickerson [A T] pprc [D O T] org or Jim DiPeso at jdipeso ( A T ) pprc ( D O T ) org PPRC is a non-profit organization that works collaboratively with business, government and other sectors in the Northwest and beyond to promote environmental protection through pollution prevention. -------------------- >From Tom Watson, coordinator, National Waste Prevention Coalition: Future waste prevention strategies aimed at the general public may have to take into account the changing way that Americans eat. A 7/30/99 article by Dirk Johnson in the New York Times about the prevalence of snacking includes these tidbits: - Only 24 percent of Americans eat just breakfast, lunch and dinner, with no snacking, according to a 1996 Roper survey. - "Consumers now see eating as something to be done while you do something else," said Bobby Calder, a Northwestern University marketing professor. "Everybody wants to save time by multi-tasking. So you don't just sit down and eat. You eat while you work, while you're watching TV, while you drive." - The automobile is well on its way to becoming a rolling dining room. Cup holders in the front and back have become standard. Some cars now have refrigerated glove-boxes. Within the next six months, Samsung Corporation plans to market the first microwave for cars and mini-vans, which will plug into the cigarette lighter. - Fast-food restaurants report that 50 percent of their sales are now at the drive-by window. - McDonald's is testing in some markets the McSalad Shaker, which comes in a plastic container that fits in a car cup-holder. It is designed so that the customer can pour in the dressing, fasten the top and shake it up, then eat it with a long fork. ------------------- Note from Tom: I'll be on vacation Aug. 9-12, so there will be no editions of the Forum during that time. - end -