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07 Mar 02 - CDs; sanding dust; industrial waste; jobs; quotes; green marketing ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- From Wayne Gash, Washington State University, Material Resource Services, Pullman, WA: There was a discussion a while back on one of the listserves about using old CDs (compact discs), so I just wanted to pass this along. I attended an organic farm seminar last week and the presenter, an organic farmer/leader/instructor, was discussing pest control and stated that the BEST bird deterrent they had discovered was to hang CDs in their cherry trees, from stakes and poles in their strawberries and raspberries and throughout their cultivated acreage. For some reason the CDs (suspended with fishline) work better than Mylar tape strung through the rows, or any of the other balloons, scarecrows, nets, etc. I'm going to hang some from my porch. If it keeps the magpies out of the dog and cat food, I'm a believer. E-mail: wcgash (A T) wsu (D O T) edu -------------------- From Renee Kimball, waste prevention advocate, Portland, OR: Does anyone have any suggestions for use of an ongoing truckload of wood sanding dust? It's mostly cherry, tiny bit walnut, some maple, some oak and a very, very, very tiny portion of plywood dust. A sustainable furniture manufacturer here in Portland would love to NOT send it to the landfill. E-mail: rrrrenee [ AT ] aracnet [ DOT ] com -------------------- From Susan Salterberg, Center for Energy & Environmental Education, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA: Does anyone know where I can find a commonly-used definition of industrial waste? E-mail: ssalter [ A T ] netins [ D O T ] net -------------------- Link to a job posting for an Environmental Planner/Planning Analyst for Hennepin County's Solid Waste Division of Environmental Services, Minneapolis, MN (forwarded by Paul Kroening): https://jobs.quickhire.com/scripts/qh30commhennepin.exe/open Scroll down to the "Environmental Planner" listing. This person will develop educational materials and programs, provide technical assistance to increase the county's procurement of environmentally preferable products, and focus on waste reduction by county employees and residents. The salary is $32,700 to $48,100 per year. Applications must be received by March 25, 2002. -------------------- Link to a job posting for an Outreach Specialist for WasteCap Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (forwarded by Katie Kaluzynski): http://www.wastecapwi.org/outreachspecialist_posting.htm WasteCap Wisconsin is a statewide, nonprofit environmental organization that provides waste reduction and recycling assistance to businesses. This person will manage programs, membership and outreach activities. The salary is $28,000 per year. The application deadline is March 18, 2002. ------------------- From Tom Watson, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA, and the National Waste Prevention Coalition: I recently came across this nice collection of environmental quotes: http://department.stthomas.edu/recycle/QUOTE.htm Two of the categories in particular - "Consumerism/Overconsumption" and "Recycling/Landfills" - include quotes that are relevant to waste prevention, and might be nice additions to articles, newsletters, educational campaigns, etc. This environmental quotations web page is part of the website for the recycling program at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. It is maintained by Bob Douglas, recycling coordinator for the university. Thanks to Bob for collecting these and putting them online! ------------------- Article by Geoffrey Fowler in the 3/6/02 Wall Street Journal (forwarded by Erv Sandlin from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Jobs Through Recycling" listserv): "GREEN" SALES PITCH ISN'T HELPING TO MOVE PRODUCTS OFF THE SHELF After a decade of designing products to appeal to environmentally friendly sensibilities, many companies have concluded that "green" sales pitches don't sell. Even after Sept. 11 propelled Americans to wax altruistic about country and community, most, it seems, leave their conscience at the landfill when they head to the store. In 1994, Philips Electronics NV billed its eco-friendly, energy-saving fluorescent bulbs as "EarthLight." But sales never impressed. In 2000, Philips repackaged the very same bulbs, ditching the environmental angle and emphasizing instead that they were convenient, seven-year life "Marathon" bulbs. Since then, sales have grown 12 percent each year. Amid the bring-your-own-coffee-mug environmental chic of a few years ago, "some companies tried to take advantage of the environment bandwagon to sell themselves. But it didn't last long," says Jack Gordon, president of AcuPOLL Precision Research Inc. in Cincinnati. He says most Americans are "talking environmentalists," and marketers are just catching up with the reality that green, in and of itself, was never really a compelling selling point. Helen Barnett, a 53-year-old teacher in Billerica, Mass., says she would like to buy eco-friendly products but is pressed for time. "I know the environment is going downhill, but you go in the store and buy the closest thing to your hand - something you've used before that you know works," she says. Some 41 percent of consumers say they don't buy green products because they fear the products won't work as well, according to market researchers RoperASW, which conducts an annual "Green Gauge" consumer-marketing poll. Shoppers will pay for convenience far more readily than for ideology. Last June, after 70 percent of baby-food shoppers said they would prefer the convenience of plastic jars, Gerber Products Co. switched from glass to No. 7 plastic, which can't be recycled. Few complained about environmental effects, but Heloise, the queen of homemaking hints, went on National Public Radio to eulogize the glass container's usefulness for crafts and storing tacks. These days, bottles of water, disposable mops and heavy-duty plastic plates - all items that end up in landfills - are top sellers. Recycling rates for plastic soda bottles are about a third of what they were in 1995, while the number of single-serve bottles on the shelves more than doubled to 18 billion in 2000. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg knows the environment is so far off voters' radar screens that last month he proposed to cut all metal, glass and plastic recycling service in the city to save $57 million. In 1995, some 15,000 products marketed environmental claims, estimates Lance King, a policy analyst for the Container Recycling Institute. The number has been sliding ever since. These days, only 29 percent of shoppers have recently bought a product because advertising on the label claimed it was environmentally safe or biodegradable, according to polls by RoperASW. Those who do tend to be younger and wealthier, but their ranks appear to be shrinking. Marketers have seen it coming ever since Ben & Jerry's discontinued "Rainforest Crunch" in 1997, citing slumping sales. The ice-cream flavor had been introduced nationwide on Earth Day in 1990, touting conservation and nuts from rain-forest trees. Some marketers still successfully sell environmentally friendly products, but increasingly by playing down or skirting the green message. Personal "wellness" and safety is today's marketing fashion. Seventh Generation, a brand of natural household products, recently changed its slogan from "products for a healthy planet" to "safer for you and the environment." "If talking about product safety is the path to get into a conversation with customers about the environment, then we haven't lost the authenticity of our mission," says Jeffrey Hollender, Seventh Generation's president. Some environmentalists blame consumers' waning demand for green products on confusion engendered by inconsistent eco-labeling. The "chasing arrows" recycling logo, for example, appears on the bottom of foam coffee cups, even though consumers can't readily recycle them anywhere in the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency's "Energy Star" labeling program has been considerably more successful, says green-marketing consultant Jacquelyn Ottman, because the EPA and industry together tightly control which products can carry the logo, which signals energy efficiency. And, even though some Energy Star products carry a higher price tag, the program pitches energy cost savings over the long haul. "Customers will pay the premium when the benefits justify the price," says Ms. Ottman. - end -