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26 Oct 00 - Dump & Run; graffiti; reuse grants; coffee; procurement job; climate change; EPA plan ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- From Lisa Heller, Dump & Run, Brookfield, MA, following up on previous postings about Dump & Run, a nonprofit organization that organizes the collection of college students' castoff items in the spring, so they can be sold to incoming students in the fall: I thought people might be interested in our website: http://www.dumpandrun.org This website offers background information on "Dump & Run," plus information on how to get a student recycle sale started at a college or university near you. E-mail: Lisakheller [ AT ] aol [ DOT ] com --------------------- From Michelle Gaither, Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center, Seattle, WA: Does anyone have ideas on how to safely (environmentally) remove graffiti? I have heard about soda blasting, and a soy-based cleaner. Also, high-pressure washing (but then you need to worry about waste water implications). Additional ideas or perspectives would be greatly appreciated. E-mail: mgaither ( A T ) pprc ( D O T ) org -------------------- From Sarah Weimer, Reuse Assistance Grants program, California Integrated Waste Management Board, Sacramento, CA: The California Integrated Waste Management Board received four applications for Reuse Assistance Grants, which were approved by the Board for funding at the October 17-18, 2000, board meeting. The grant recipients and projects are as follows: 1) City of Redding: To promote and expand its reuse program. 2) San Joaquin County: To develop an educational outreach program and advertising campaign. 3) Tehama County Sanitary Landfill Agency: To construct a building to expand an existing materials exchange program. 4) Ventura County: To implement a high-profile multimedia campaign. Please stay tuned for the second cycle of Reuse Assistance Grants, which we anticipate being available late winter of this year. In addition to the Reuse Assistance Grants, the Board has an ever-growing list of reuse resources, which are available on the Board's Reuse web site at: http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/reuse E-mail: sweimer (A T) ciwmb (D O T) ca (D O T) gov Phone: (916) 255-1124 ---------------------- From Yen Chin, City of Seattle, responding to the 10/17/00 posting about "coffee pods" (single serving packs of coffee for espresso machines), a new product from Starbucks: Some folks in the energy conservation field (in which I normally work) have tried to promote the concept of "embodied energy," which is the hidden energy that all products contain. For example, we need to consider the energy cost of transporting a product to market and should, therefore, give value to locally-produced items as opposed to stuff made on the other side of the planet. I believe waste reduction folks should similarly consider the "embodied waste" of products, which gets me to the question of coffee. Of course, we don't want the extra packaging waste of the coffee pods, but the real source of waste in coffee has to do with the "invisible" waste behind the barrista. Rainforests, song birds, farmers, economies in Third World countries. And I could add lots more items to the list. Don't you folks think it ironic that Seattle, one of the supposed capitals of Ecotopia, should also be such an important center for coffee chic? -- "People don't want more information. They are up to their eyeballs in information. They want faith. Faith needs a story to sustain it, a meaningful story that inspires belief in you and renews hope that your ideas do indeed offer what you promise." - Annette Simmons, storyteller, quoted in Professional Speaker Magazine. E-mail: Yen ( DOT ) Chin ( AT ) ci ( DOT ) seattle ( DOT ) wa ( DOT ) us --------------------- Excerpted from job announcement from the Center for a New American Dream, Takoma Park, MD (forwarded by Steve Long): The Center for a New American Dream is seeking a Director of Procurement. The Center is a national, non-profit organization that helps individuals and institutions reduce and shift consumption to enhance quality of life, protect the natural environment, and engender social justice. Salary: Mid to high forties based on a four-day work week, plus excellent benefits. Job description: The Director of Procurement will oversee a new project to increase, improve and accelerate institutional procurement of sustainable products and services. She or he will work with an advisory council to develop a strategic plan that will determine how best to promote institutional procurement as a vital tool for sustainable development. Specifically, she or he will launch and staff a new network of procurement experts, convene a national conference of local government procurement officials, and collect and develop resources and programs to promote this agenda. Job responsibilities: Provide overall coordination to a network of municipal, county, and state environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) experts and officials dedicated to expanding EPP nationwide. Compile existing resources on EPP and make them available to the network. Facilitate the listserv, maximizing the sharing of useful information, resources, and strategic exchange. Launch one or more working groups, such as a group focused on re-refined oil or energy-related purchasing. Oversee the contractor who develops a video on procurement that tells the story of why EPP is a vital tool for sustainable development and what successes have already been achieved. Develop technical assistance program. Oversee technical consultant in building a web page dedicated to this network, ideally linked with existing databases and relevant websites. Provide liaison to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and existing associations that deal with procurement and/or EPP in particular. Help provide strategic guidance for a concerted effort to leverage more federal support for EPP programs at the local and state level. Position qualifications include: Experience with government procurement issues; demonstrated success in consensus building and ability to work with all stakeholders. Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to: Procurement Director Search, Center for a New American Dream, 6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 900, Takoma Park, MD, 20912. It is anticipated that this position will be located in Takoma Park, MD. Anticipated starting date is January 16, 2001. Note from Tom: For more information on the Center for a New American Dream, see their website at: http://www.newdream.org The above position is not currently listed on their website. ---------------------- Excerpted from message from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (forwarded by David Flora and Jeff Tumarkin): On Dec. 7, 2000, from 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate and Waste Program will broadcast a nationwide satellite forum entitled, "Why Waste a Cool Planet: MSW (municipal solid waste) Solutions for Global Climate Change." This free, interactive program is designed to help educate businesses and state and local governments about the relationship between solid waste management and climate change. This forum will feature: - Nationally recognized climate change experts exploring the global warming impacts from solid waste management activities. - Businesses undertaking waste reduction activities to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout product life cycle, from design and development through manufacturing and product end-of-life management. - State and local governments helping to raise awareness of the climate change impacts associated with various solid waste management options, including source reduction, recycling, and composting. Panelists will discuss the impacts of solid waste on global climate change, highlighting how they have reduced GHG emissions through various programs such as Pay-As-You-Throw and EPA's WasteWise Program, and explaining ways to measure GHG mitigation from waste reduction activities. Viewers will have the opportunity to call in during the forum with questions. For more information - including information on how to host a local downlink site - visit the Climate Change and Waste Web site at http://www.epa.gov/mswclimate In addition to EPA, the forum is sponsored by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). ---------------------- Excerpted from message from Sonya Newenhouse, Madison Environmental Group, Madison, WI: Join the next Climate Change Online Discussion. Topic: "The Future." Share your thoughts about the future direction and needs of climate change and waste prevention efforts. Time: Thursday, October 26, at 2 p.m. Eastern time. Your Hosts: The National Recycling Coalition and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Where: Online. Go to: http://www.nrc-recycle.org Click on the green ball, then on "NRC Programs, and then on "Climate Change & Waste Reduction." Follow instructions to enter the online discussion. It takes about 5 minutes to register and enter the discussion. E-mail: sonya ( AT ) madisonenvironmental ( DOT ) com ---------------------- Link to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Fiscal Year 2000-2005 Strategic Plan (forwarded by Josh Marx): http://www.epa.gov/ocfopage/plan/plan.htm The plan is in PDF, or Portable Document Format. - end -