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21 Aug 01 - computer upgrades; waste audits; RETAP; job; single servings; grasscycling ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- From Betty Patton, Environmental Practices, Portland, OR, responding to the 8/16/01 posting asking for sources of information about which "motherboards" fit which computers (to facilitate computer upgrading and reuse): Although some motherboards from major manufacturers may be proprietary, the cases they fit in, as well as the components that fit on them, generally are not. Since the late 80s, there have been only two standard desktop case formats for PCs: AT form factor and ATX form factor. Almost any desktop PC motherboard made since the mid-80s will fit in one of those two cases. Although the motherboards may be different in size, their mounting holes are all designed to align with the mounting brackets in the two case designs. Almost all 286, 386, 486 and early Pentium processors are designed to fit in AT form factor desktop cases. Almost all motherboards designed for Pentium 2 or better, Celeron, Athlon and Duron processors use ATX form factors. You can still purchase today some AT form factor motherboards for those processors. Regardless of the unique design of motherboards, PCI slots are standard, memory is standard, there is nothing stopping you from piecemeal upgrading your system. Once you do it, you will no longer have a Dell computer, so they probably won't give you hardware support. If you have problems installing the new motherboard, call the company that made it. Once you get into this upgrading one part at a time, you will be able to rattle off part numbers, processor speeds, and price lists with any of the best nerds in the business! E-mail: EPractices [ AT ] spiretech [ DOT ] com ------------------- From Jessie Lang, Spokane Regional Solid Waste System, recycling program, Spokane, WA, responding to the 8/16/01 posting seeking examples of a municipal grant program, where the municipality offers a grant to a non-profit or for-profit company to partially fund the development of a waste audit: The Spokane Regional Solid Waste System does not offer grants, but we contract with a private company to provide waste audits to city and county businesses. This contractor also consults on job site recycling, etc. All of his work is free of charge to the business being helped. This program works very well. E-mail: jlang [AT] spokanecity [DOT] org -------------------- Excerpted from a 8/15/01 press release sent by Kevin McDonald, Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance, St. Paul, MN: Minnesota businesses can now tap the wealth of experience and knowledge of local retired engineers to find cost-saving solutions to their environmental challenges. With support from state and federal environmental agencies, the Minnesota Retired Engineers Technical Assistance Program (Minnesota RETAP) will begin providing confidential, non-regulatory and free pollution prevention assistance to Minnesota's fast-growing commercial/service sector. Data shows that this sector is a major contributor to the ever-increasing amount of garbage generated in the state. In addition, many opportunities exist for water and energy conservation. Yet, historically, this sector has not been the focus of environmental outreach and assistance. Also, the non-manufacturers that make up the commercial/service sector have not been subjected to the strict scrutiny and pollution rulemaking activities faced by heavier industries such as manufacturers and power plants. Minnesota RETAP's first batch of 25 retirees has undergone in-depth training and orientation at Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance headquarters in St. Paul. Together, these retired engineers and scientists - formerly employed by companies such as 3M, Honeywell, Pillsbury, Ford and Alliant Techsystems - have over 1,000 years of on-the-job technical expertise and know-how. At a ceremony to formally kick off the new program, each of the participating retired engineers was presented with an official RETAP pocket protector - a common accessory of an engineer's attire in times past. The crew of Minnesota retirees is being coached by fellow retirees from Alabama and Michigan, two of now more than a dozen states that have RETAP programs. Four Twin Cities businesses and institutions have agreed to open their doors as training sites to teams of retirees. These sites will provide real-world conditions for the new recruits to conduct environmental assessments under the watchful eye of one of the veteran out-of-state RETAPers. The RETAP teams will descend on their facilities with notepads in hand to perform assessments. These assessments are designed to tease out the oft-overlooked hidden gems of ideas that could result in saving bundles of money and reducing negative environmental impacts. In about 30 days the companies will receive a detailed report of the retirees' findings and recommendations. Minnesota RETAP expects to complete over 50 additional environmental assessments of Minnesota businesses over the next two years. The Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance has partnered with the Waste Reduction Technology and Transfer (WRATT) Foundation, a non-profit based in Alabama, to administer the program. Over the past decade, the WRATT Foundation has conducted over 1,500 on-site assessments in five states and saved companies millions of dollars. For each dollar invested in conducting assessments, companies have documented $50 in savings, plus significant environmental benefits. E-mail: kevin [D O T] mcdonald [A T] moea [D O T] state [D O T] mn [D O T] us ------------------- Link to a job posting for a temporary, part-time contract position with the Alameda County Waste Management Authority Home Composting Program, San Leandro, CA (forwarded by Dana Harvey): http://www.stopwaste.org/job-edu.html They are seeking an experienced environmental educator or teacher with compost experience to train 25-30 Master Composter volunteers. The 25-hour-a-week job pays $22 to $25 per hour. -------------------- Link to an article by D. Parvaz in the 8/17/01 Seattle Post-Intelligencer about the proliferation of single servings for items such as sun block, vitamins and cosmetics: http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/lifestyle/35479_singleserving.shtml ------------------- Link to "A Landscaper's Guide to Grasscycling," a publication of the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, San Leandro, CA: http://www.stopwaste.org/gr.html From this page, the guide is available in both Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word formats. - end -