WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ARCHIVE   BACK TO ARCHIVE INDEX

06 Mar 00 - coffee cups; product stewardship; adhesives; paint; scratch tickets ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- >From Marty Davey, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Office of Strategic Planning and Policy, Providence, RI (forwarded by Stephen Long from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Jobs Through Recycling" listserv): I am interested in locating some information related to the environmental impact of going from disposable to reusable "coffee" cups that would enable me to print something "interesting" directly on the reusable coffee mug. For instance, by not using Styrofoam cups for a year, you save landfill space equivalent to a VW Bug. This information could be in almost any form - like the number of cups/cubic yard (both Styrofoam and paper). Or, in the cases where coffee is free to employees, the cost per employee per year to purchase and dispose of the cups. Info on plastic lids would be good, too. If anyone has already developed some quippy language, I'll take it. E-mail: mdavey (A T) aol (D O T) com ----------------- Excerpted from a message from Linda VerNooy, American Cultural Exchange Training and Development Institute, Seattle, WA: The Products and the Environment Northwest conference will be held April 3-4 in Seattle. It is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, King County and the City of Seattle. This conference will cover product stewardship, which is the strategy for the new millennium in business and environmental management. It offers more than a dozen case studies in the application of product stewardship in the U.S. and around the world. This studies look at the product supply chain and the practices for product stewardship. This conference is suitable for employees who work in: industrial design, marketing, manufacturing, engineering, environmental health and safety, public affairs, and organizational development. Tachi Kiuchi, CEO of Mitsubishi Electric, will be our keynote speaker. He will demonstrate how his company has applied these practices. Other discussions include technology, policy and strategy. For more information, and to register on-line, go to: http://www.govlink.org/nwpsc or call Connie Bain at 206-217-9644, extension 223. Thank you. E-mail: LindaV [AT] cultural [DOT] org ----------------- Excerpted from press release from Green Seal, Washington, DC (forwarded by Stephanie Davis): GREEN SEAL CALLS FOR COMMENTS ON PROPOSED ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARD FOR COMMERCIAL ADHESIVES Green Seal, a national environmental labeling organization, is seeking comments on its proposed standard for environmentally responsible commercial adhesives. The adhesives and sealants industry represents a $22 billion a year global industry. The market for adhesive products spans a diverse range of industries including: electronics, packaging, appliances, automotive, medical products, construction, industrial assemblies, furniture, paper, and aerospace. Although the adhesive products in the marketplace comply with all applicable regulations, there are still hazards generally associated with the manufacture and use of these products. For most applications, there are several suitable adhesive choices, which provides an opportunity to choose an adhesive with reduced environmental impacts. The difficulty has been identifying those environmentally responsible products. Existing specification guides for adhesives typically address the technical attributes of adhesives and leave the user to consider safety, health, and environmental practices when purchasing and using the product. Efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of adhesives have primarily focused on reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) levels. Green Seal's proposed standard focuses on eliminating carcinogens, reproductive toxins, ozone-depleting substances, and persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic compounds from adhesives used for flooring, building and construction, and material bonding. In addition, restrictions on VOC levels and packaging are outlined. Green Seal is an independent nonprofit organization that awards a seal of approval to products and services that cause significantly less harm to the environment than other similar products and services. Its environmental standards are developed through a collaborative, open-review process involving academia, consumers, manufacturers, environmentalists, trade associations, and government agencies. Products and services are Green Seal certified only after rigorous testing and evaluation. Those interested in commenting on the proposed environmental standard for commercial adhesives should go to the Green Seal website at http://www.greenseal.org/ If you have questions, send e-mail to: mpetruzzi (AT) greenseal (DOT) org Comments must be postmarked no later than March 24, 2000. -------------------- Link to a 1999 report, "Environmentally Preferable Paints Minimize Harm, Maximize Savings," by the U.S. Army's Aberdeen (MD) Proving Ground, in conjunction with Green Seal: http://www.greenseal.org/paint-pdf.htm Note: The report is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. -------------------- >From Jesse White, Resource Management Group, Sarasota, FL, following up on his 3/3/00 posting about electronic scratch tickets: Here's the website address for a company that offers electronic scratch tickets: http://www.realtimemedia.com Click on "Promotional Services," then on "Instant Wins." E-mail: jwhite ( A T ) recyclesmart ( D O T ) com - end -