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03 May 00 - Earth Day; Vermont job; boats; catalogs ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- >From Michelle Portman, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Prevention, Boston, MA, responding to the recent postings about Earth Day: I too, greatly appreciated the postings of the two essays on Earth Day, especially Donella Meadows', which well articulated some of the daunting pessimism I feel about the environmental cause - sometimes quite overwhelming in our age and society of excessive materialism which seems to know no bounds. However, that won't deter me from getting out and doing my part on such a day and being able to appreciate the positive aspects of "Earth Day." I believe the main contribution of such a day is that of education and outreach. On Earth Day, I stood out in very cold weather and non-stop rain for about 4 hours (with my 8-year-old son) manning my agency's exhibit. While attendance was limited in such inclement weather, of those that did attend many were children. I remember myself as a child and how various experiences influenced me to pursue a career in environmental protection. I believe if I was a child today, just to see that there are people making an effort to teach me about composting/recycling/waste prevention might encourage me to find out more and eventually to make some significant contribution to environmental protection myself. While there are many ways to protect the environment and pay tribute to "Mother Earth," (regulation, activism, individual practice, etc.), putting aside one day of the year and calling it Earth Day at least gives some of us the opportunity to pause for a moment, a day or a few hours to teach and learn about what we can do to protect the environment. E-mail: michelle ( DOT ) portman ( AT ) state ( DOT ) ma ( DOT ) us -------------------- >From Wendy Mcardle, Chittenden Solid Waste District, Williston, VT: Chittenden Solid Waste District (includes Burlington, Vermont) is seeking a Waste Reduction Specialist. The primary responsibilities include implementing and promoting waste reduction programs, school education programs, and pilot projects AND monitoring mandatory recycling compliance in Chittenden Solid Waste District. This is a one-year full-time contract position starting July 1. It requires a BA degree and 2 years related experience. Annual salary is $29,183. If interested in a full job description, please contact Nancy Plunkett at nplunkett [A T] cswd [D O T] net or call her at (802) 872-8100, extension 222. To apply, send resume with letter of interest by May 19 to Nancy Plunkett, CSWD, 1021 Redmond Rd., Williston, VT, 05495-7729. -------------------- >From Stephen Long, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Boston, MA: Below is a posting from the Environmentally Preferable Products listserv regarding fiberglass boat recycling, posted with permission from its original sender. Perhaps some folks on the Waste Prevention Forum have some reuse ideas as well. Please respond directly to Richard. Thanks. >From Richard Keller, Maryland Environmental Service, Annapolis, MD: Maryland's Natural Resources Police is interested in exploring options for recycling fiberglass boats. Does anyone have any experience with such recycling? If you have, please answer the following: 1. What technology was used to recycle the fiberglass? 2. Was the project on a pilot basis or on a commercial level? 3. What was the end use of the fiberglass? 4. If the fiberglass company is interested in recycling additional boats, can you provide a contact? Thank you for any information you may have on fiberglass boat recycling. E-mail: rkell [A T] menv [D O T] com ------------------- Excerpted from the website of the Alliance for Environmental Innovation, Boston, MA: April, 2000 -- The Alliance for Environmental Innovation and Norm Thompson Outfitters, Inc., have begun a joint project to identify, test, and implement environmental improvements to Norm Thompson's catalog paper practices. The project's goals are to: deliver significant reductions in energy and resource use, solid waste, and pollution; demonstrate that greener paper practices need not adversely impact cost or performance; and drive positive change in the catalog industry as a whole. The project will focus on paper purchasing, catalog circulation, and supplier selection. The Alliance and Norm Thompson expect to announce the project results in the fall of this year. The Alliance/Norm Thompson partnership follows the publication of the Alliance's report, "Greener Catalogs: Improving Paper Practices in the Catalog Industry." Norm Thompson, a catalog retailer with 1999 sales in excess of $150 million, was cited in the report as an example of a company using recycled paper in its catalogs. Headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon, Norm Thompson is a specialty retailer of apparel, gifts, and home items through its three catalog brands (Norm Thompson, Solutions, and Early Winters), retail stores in Oregon, and website. The Alliance for Environmental Innovation is a joint initiative of Environmental Defense and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Alliance works cooperatively with businesses to reduce waste and build environmental considerations into business decisions. For more information about the Alliance, see their website at: http://www.edfpewalliance.org Project contacts: -- Derek Smith, corporate sustainability manager, Norm Thompson Outfitters, 503-614-4402 -- Victoria Mills, project leader, Alliance for Environmental Innovation, 617-723-2996 - end -