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25 Oct 99 - computer purchasing; cancer suspects; capital forum; consumption ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive ------------------- >From Lisa Sepanski, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA: I'm part of a group in Washington state and Oregon called the Northwest Council for Extended Product Responsibility. The council includes representatives of government agencies, non-profits and businesses. I'm writing on behalf of the council's computer subcommittee. We are looking for examples of Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) guidelines that have been used to purchase electronics equipment - specifically computer equipment. We have two government examples so far, one from the state of Massachusetts and the other from Texas. We would like to see if any other government organizations or private organizations have drafted EPP guidelines for computer equipment. We would also like to know how successful they were in acquiring computer equipment that minimized the impact on the environment (less energy use, less resources, less hazardous materials, ease of recycling and reuse, etc). Thanks! E-mail: lisa [ D O T ] sepanski [ A T ] metrokc [ D O T ] gov ------------------ Excerpted from a 10/21/99 Associated Press story by Susannah Patton: Researchers seeking clues about the high rate of breast cancer among wealthy women have found potential environmental factors, including professional lawn care services and dry cleaning. Focusing on the Boston suburb of Newton, the researchers found women in areas hit hardest by the disease used such services more often than those in less-affected neighborhoods. "Obviously, neither money nor schooling cause breast cancer," said Dr. Nancy Maxwell, the lead researcher. "With the Newton study we tried to see if there might be environmental factors." Maxwell cautioned there is no definitive evidence that chemicals or pesticides cause cancer. But she said the research points to the need for further investigation of possible connections. The rate of breast cancer in Newton was 13 percent higher than the statewide rate between 1982 and 1992, state health officials said. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health department funded the study. The researchers from Silent Spring Institute, a nonprofit research organization, randomly questioned 1,350 women - not necessarily cancer patients - ages 35 to 75. The study showed that women in neighborhoods with higher rates of breast cancer typically had higher incomes and education levels than women in areas with lower breast cancer rates. Known risk factors for breast cancer, such as delayed childbearing and family history of the disease, accounted for only a small part of the difference between areas with high and low rates of breast cancer. But the survey did suggest possible environmental factors. For example, 65 percent of the women in the area with higher breast-cancer rates had used a professional lawn service, compared with 36 percent of the women in the low-incidence neighborhood. In addition, 30 percent of those in the high-incidence area reported routine use of pesticides, compared with 23 percent in the low-incidence sector. And 45 percent of those in the high-incidence area used dry cleaning at least once a month, compared with 32 percent in the less-affected neighborhood. ------------------- Excerpted from a message from Loch McCabe, Environmental Capital Network: The Environmental Capital Network (ECN) is actively seeking promising companies to apply to present at ECN's upcoming West Coast Environmental Capital Forum. The Forum will be held in San Francisco on Jan. 19-20, 2000. Many of our strongest presenters are referred to us by investors, intermediaries, and other companies. This Forum will provide selected companies with an opportunity to present to an audience of 70-plus individual, professional and corporate investors and investor representatives who attend specifically because they are interested in energy, industrial process and other environmental deals. Please contact me or Keith Raab (kraab (A T) recycle (D O T) com) as soon as possible with 2-3 companies you feel could be candidates for presentation. Company applications and business plans are due Nov. 5, 1999. E-mail: mccabe (A T) recycle (D O T) com ------------------ Excerpted from the 1997 book "Stuff - The Secret Lives of Everyday Things," by John Ryan and Alan Durning: U.S. share of world population: 4.6 percent U.S. shares of world consumption in the 1990s, by material or product: Newsprint - 39 percent Plastic - 33 percent Motor vehicles - 32 percent (share of ownership) Paper - 32 percent Aluminum - 27 percent Oil - 23 percent Beef - 21 percent Shoes - 16 percent - end -