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16 Aug 04 - diapers; school; compost; bags; green building; chair
** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM **
-- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition
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From Angelique Mullen, San Francisco, CA, Real Diaper Association:
I wrote to the Waste Prevention Forum in July, 2003, regarding my search for
a cloth diaper coalition, and for other activists who were interested in
spreading the word about cloth. Well, you will be happy to know that I found
some others who were interested in the same cause, and we have formed a new
organization called The Real Diaper Association. We are a collective
not-for-profit organization in which mothers like myself (and fathers) take
the lead in creating a cultural shift to increase the use of simple,
reusable cloth diapers. We connect current diapering parents to the long
history of cloth diapering through monthly meetings, workshops, materials,
and research into the environmental and health aspects of diapering. We feel
that cloth diapers are real diapers, and it is time to start reminding
people!
On our website, we are currently accepting non-tax exempt donations in the
form of memberships. We cannot offer a tax-exempt donation right now because
we are not yet incorporated. Our fees for incorporating as a national
organization are so costly (and involve hiring a lawyer), that we need to
raise a little money first. Once we have enough, our first priority is to
make ourselves official and tax-exempt. Then, any donations made can be
written off.
You do not have to have a child in diapers to become a member, although you
would probably benefit more from the membership if you did. All over the
U.S., people are signing up to lead local Real Diaper Circles, where they
can meet, share and learn more about different types of diapers, discuss
issues related to waste prevention, and perhaps plan some strategies for
local activism. In two days of having our site up, we already have over 40
members.
I hope you will take the time to check out our website:
http://www.realdiaperassociation.org
Please tell EVERYONE you know!
Angelique's e-mail: terang (AT) sbcglobal (DOT) net
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Excerpted from a message from Marcia Rutan, Snohomish County Solid Waste
Management Division, Waste Prevention and Recycling, Everett, WA:
BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPING: REDUCING WASTE AND CONSUMPTION
The Center for a New American Dream has a fascinating new website that: 1)
Calls into question our need for all new school supplies every year (sigh -
this is one of my sacred cows); and 2) lists safer, more
environmentally-friendly alternatives to standard school supplies. The
website has some great links and information:
http://www.shopbacktoschool.org
Here's how the Center for a New American Dream describes the issue and the
website:
"Have you noticed that the back-to-school season has almost become as
commercialized, jingle-laden, and stuff-centered as that other 'most
wonderful time of the year?' If so, you're not alone. The National Retail
Federation recently reported that consumers spend $14.1 billion annually on
back-to-school merchandise. As the second largest retail season,
back-to-school shopping packs a hefty punch on our wallets and on the
environment."
"Fortunately, there are better options for the planet and for producers (as
well as for students). This new website helps you meet most of your
back-to-school shopping needs with tips for re-using last year's supplies
and links to finding environmentally preferable ones online."
E-mail: marcia [DOT] rutan [AT] co [DOT] snohomish [DOT] wa [DOT] us
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The next two messages are in response to the recent postings about the life
cycle and use of home composting bins.
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Excerpted from a message from Carl Woestwin, Seattle Public Utilities,
Resource Conservation, Seattle, WA:
Along with the question of bin use over time, I'm also interested in the
useful life of the physical compost bin. That is something I have not seen
anywhere, perhaps because most compost bins have not been out there that
long. It would be a useful piece of information for people trying to
calculate the cost efficiency of distributing compost bins. With plastic
bins I think it has most to do with exposure to sunlight.
E-mail: Carl [ D O T ] Woestwin [ A T ] seattle [ D O T ] gov
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Excerpted from a message from Steve Apotheker, Metro Waste Reduction,
Planning & Outreach, Portland, OR:
1. In August 1998, Metro did a survey of 599 compost bin owners that had
purchased bins between 1994 and 1997. These are all Earth Machine plastic
bins made by Norseman, except for a few Toro plastic bins sold in 1994.
- Question: Do you currently use your Metro bin for composting?
1994 (4 years with bin) YES 94 percent
1995 (3) YES 92 percent
1996 (2) YES 92 percent
1997 (1) YES 96 percent
ALL respondents YES 94 percent
Of people that were not using the bin, the majority of them still continued
composting, but used another method. In one sense the bin purchase got them
started; they just needed a larger bin or easier method (pile it up).
2. At our annual bin sale, we ask customers to fill out a survey. For our
2004 sale, we had 5,110 customers purchase a bin, of which 14.6 percent had
purchased a bin at a previous Metro sale.
Of these previous purchasers, only 4 percent said they were doing it because
their bin broke. The major reasons for buying another bin were:
- 69 percent - They were still using it (so evidently wanted more capacity).
- 19 percent - Left it behind when they moved.
This fall I will do a telephone survey, which may include a sample of Metro
bin owners that have had their plastic bin for more than 10 years. This
would be the first data on participation rates at 10 years or more. It
would also determine whether the plastic bins are making their 10-year
warranty period.
I expect to see use rates for composting with bins in the 75 percent - 85
percent range for households that have had their bins for 9-10 years. Our
random household telephone surveys (June 2001) show that on average, 87
percent of households that start composting yard trimmings keep it up. I
don't expect that to change very much for the subset of compost bin owners
from a Metro sale. For food composting, the success rate is in the high 70s
(people who keep composting food scraps once they have started).
E-mail: apothekers [ AT ] metro [ DOT ] dst [ DOT ] or [ DOT ] us
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Excerpted from an article by Jamie Duncan in the 8/12/04 Melbourne
(Australia) Herald Sun (forwarded by Katie Jensen):
PLASTIC BAGS UNDER SCRUTINY IN AUSTRALIA
Concern about plastic bag waste is increasing in Australia. Towns in
Australia that have laws restricting the use of plastic bags include: the
Tasmanian town of Coles Bay; Anglesea, on Victoria's surf coast;
Huskisson, Mogo and Kangaroo Valley, on the New South Wales south coast;
and the Sydney suburb of Alexandra Hills.
A number of other locations in the state of Victoria - Cannons Creek,
Tooradin, Olinda, Creswick, Cohuna, Murtoa, Timboon, Tallangatta and
Queenscliff, the South Melbourne and Dandenong markets and the Elwood
Village shopping center - plan to progressively outlaw plastic bags. Some
retailers, including Bunnings and Ikea, have introduced charges for the use
of plastic bags.
A 2002 Roy Morgan survey found 83 per cent of Australians were concerned
about the effect plastic bags had on the environment and 80 per cent favored
banning the bags. About 6.9 billion plastic shopping bags are used in
Australia each year, according to figures from Clean Up Australia.
In a related development, a Sydney-based company, the Environmental
Biotechnology Co-Operative Research Centre, is developing a new
biodegradable plastic bag that can be made from animal excrement or food
waste.
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Link to "Greener Buildings," a new website sponsored by GreenBiz.com and the
U.S. Green Building Council (first seen in the WasteCap Wisconsin E-mail
Bulletin):
http://www.greenerbuildings.com This
website includes an extensive collection of resources for environmentally
responsible building development.
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Link to the City of Seattle's "Green Home Remodel" guides and resource
lists:
http://www.cityofseattle.net/sustainablebuilding/greenhome.htm
Scroll
down. There is an overview guide, plus separate specific guides and
resource lists for kitchens, bath/laundry and roofing.
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Link to the "Environmental Product Declaration" for the new "Think" work
chair produced by Steelcase Inc. (forwarded by Theresa Koppang):
http://www.steelcase.com/en/pdf/brochures/04-0012421ThinkEPD.pdf
This
is an example of an effort by a manufacturer to provide information on a
product's environmental impacts throughout its entire life cycle - including
raw materials extraction, production, transport, use, and end of life.
This document describes the steps that Steelcase took to reduce this
product's impact on the environment, including:
- The chair contains no hazardous materials; no PVC (polyvinyl chloride),
chrome, mercury or lead. The paint is free of VOCs (volatile organic
compounds), and free of heavy metals. No gluing processes are used in
assembly, and all urethane foam is water-based.
- To maximize the Think chair's working life, the seat and back cushions,
arms, headrest, and lumbar support can easily be added or replaced.
- Overall material usage has been reduced; the chair weighs only 32 pounds.
- When the chair is manufactured, suppliers send materials in reusable totes
to reduce packaging waste.
- end -
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