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20 Mar 03 - teaching resources; inks; EPA grants; Ireland; Good Turn Day ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- From Marcia Rutan, Snohomish County Solid Waste Management Division, Everett, WA, responding to the 3/17/03 posting from Susan Salterberg seeking opinions and suggestions on educational resources to teach waste reduction to 7th-12th graders: I'm distributing "The Cost of Cool" video (mentioned by Susan) to every middle school and high school in our county, because it does an excellent job of raising the consumption question without providing easy answers. One group of high school students viewed it and liked it. In the past couple of years I've also seen draft middle school curriculums associated with "Your Money or Your Life" (New Road Map Foundation) and "Stuff: The Secret Life of Every Day Things" (Northwest Earth Institute), and believe they each hold promise. The other curriculum I think well worth viewing and considering is "Facing the Future," which considers questions of both consumption and population. The website for this is at: http://www.facingthefuture.org King County (WA) has also done some excellent work with consumption curriculum with secondary schools. For information on those programs, see: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/swd/schoolpr/second/second.htm Regarding books for students and teachers to use, Susan listed the best ones that I know about, except for, possibly, "The Overspent American" by Juliet Schor. I know there are others out there, but I haven't read them myself. Some of us are brainstorming launching a youth-targeted holiday waste prevention/consumption awareness campaign this next fall. We welcome suggestions! E-mail: marcia ( DOT ) rutan ( AT ) co ( DOT ) snohomish ( DOT ) wa ( DOT ) us --------------------- From Brian Foran, California Integrated Waste Management Board, Waste Prevention & Market Development Division, Sacramento, CA: Do any of you folks know of reliable information about the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in printing inks - both vegetable-based and petroleum-based? If so, please send your information sources to: bforan (AT) ciwmb (DOT) ca (DOT) gov Thanks. --------------------- Link to information about the 2003 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant program for source reduction and pollution prevention projects: http://www.epa.gov/p2/pubs/2003RFP_sourcereduction.htm Local and state governments and non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for the grants. The deadline for applications is May 30, 2003. --------------------- Excerpted from 3/2/03 and 3/4/03 articles in the Irish Examiner, Cork, Ireland: IRELAND PLASTIC BAG TAX A SUCCESS - PLASTIC BOTTLES NEXT? The plastic bag levy (tax) in Ireland, which took effect one year ago this month, has provided almost 10 million Euro in funds for environmental projects. The levy has proved so successful that Ireland Environment Minister Martin Cullen is considering similar levies on other "nuisance" waste such as plastic bottles, chewing gum and ATM (automated teller machine) receipts. Use of disposable plastic bags has dropped by 90 percent since the government introduced the levy, which has inspired similar plans in other countries. Shops who fail to charge the mandatory 15 cents Euro for a bag run the risk of facing a fine of up to 2,000 Euro or a prison sentence of up to 12 months. The levy was the brainchild of former Environment Minister Noel Dempsey. His successor, Mr. Cullen, said the initiative has had a dramatic impact on the litter problem over the last 12 months. "This initiative won the widespread support of the public and caught the imagination of people in many countries around the world," Cullen said. "Quite apart from the immediate objective of cutting down our consumption of disposable plastic bags, it has been very effective in raising awareness of waste management issues and the part each one of us can play in reducing the amount of waste we produce." The proceeds from the plastic bag levy go to a special environment fund to support local recycling centres and other waste management and environmental initiatives. --------------------- Excerpted from an article in the 3/18/03 Hillsboro (OR) Argus: DOOR-TO-DOOR COLLECTION OF REUSABLE ITEMS BRINGS IN 351,000 POUNDS Boy Scout troops in Oregon collected about 351,000 pounds of donated clothing and household items on Goodwill/Good Turn Day, which was held on Saturday, March 1st, 2003. It is believed to be the nation's largest door-to-door donation drive for these types of items. Goodwill/Good Turn Day has been an annual event since 1950, when the Cascade Pacific Council of the Boy Scouts of America, in cooperation with the East Portland Rotary International Club and Goodwill Industries, spearheaded this community service project. The week prior to this year's event, scouts delivered empty collection bags in neighborhoods throughout Oregon (and also in a few bordering communities in Washington state). Donors were asked to fill the bags with reusable clothing and household goods and place the filled bags on their front porch for pick-up by Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts on Good Turn Day. The bags were taken to 102 collection points. A total of about 27,000 bags were collected. This project covers 25 counties, including the Portland area. According to the Portland-based Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette (GICW), more than 90 cents of every dollar received from the sale of donated goods goes towards the training and employment of people with disabilities and special needs. GICW expects to serve more than 7,000 individuals through its job services programs this year. -end -