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18 Jul 06 - diapers; schools; jobs; reading; floating; college textbooks ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.nwpcarchive.org --------------------- The first two messages are in response to a 7/6/06 posting seeking opinions and info about the new "flushable diapers." --------------------- From Sondra Flite, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Trenton, NJ: Here in New Jersey, we say, the Publicly Owned Treatment Works (aka POTWs) know best. If they have no problem with flushable diapers, far be it from us to tell people to use disposables, which must be removed by truck to a landfill, or cloth, which must be washed and are made from chemically-dependent water-hogging cotton. Until we see the upcoming man-made-fiber, poop-repelling washable diapers, this may be the best option. Diapers make up a lot of bulk in some households' garbage, and their removal from the garbage can could have an impact on tonnage, and thus on fuel use. E-mail: Sondra [DOT] Flite [AT] dep [DOT] state [DOT] nj [DOT] us --------------------- From Tom Watson, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA, and the National Waste Prevention Coalition: I submitted the original posting asking people on this list what they thought about flushable diapers. It's a waste prevention issue because many of us recommend cloth diapers over disposables, and this is a new option. A few days ago, I got an opinion on this from our own King County Wastewater Treatment Division, which operates major sewage treatment plants serving the Seattle area. The person who responded talked to several people within that Division. He noted that they are still looking at this issue, and they are especially interested in these findings reported on the website of gDiapers, a company that makes flushable diapers: http://www.gdiapers.com/flushtest Those findings indicate that gDiapers meet the criteria of two major organizations involved with water treatment, as far as the diapers' ability to pass through toilets. However, he noted that those findings do not mention how flushable diapers affect conveyance pipes, pump stations or treatment facilities. So, because they are not yet sure of the effects of these diapers, the King County Wastewater Treatment Division says their current informal position is that "flushable diapers should not be flushed down the toilet, but rather should be thrown in the trash (with the possible exception of flushable diapers that are not soiled by poop, which could be composted)." E-mail: tom [ D O T ] watson [ A T ] metrokc [ D O T ] gov --------------------- Link to information about the Center for a New American Dream's "Green Schools Sweepstakes" (first seen in the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center bulletin): http://www.newdream.org/cleanschools In this contest, schools that use green cleaning products register for a drawing for a $5,000 prize. The deadline for entering is Sept. 21, 2006. --------------------- Link to a job posting for a Green Building Program lead position with the State of Washington Department of Ecology in Lacey, WA (first seen in Jim Schrock's "Delete this Newsletter"): http://www.dop.wa.gov/JobSeekers/default.htm?JobPostingId=2602 The salary range for this position is $3,940 - $5,044 per month. The deadline for applications is Friday, July 21, 2006. Lacey is about 50 miles southwest of Seattle and is near Olympia, the state capital. --------------------- Link to a job posting for a solid waste and recycling education and outreach specialist for the Thurston County (WA) Department of Water and Waste Management in Olympia, WA (forwarded by Gerty Coville): http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/cm/hr/o-positions.asp#609 The salary range for this position is $3,752 - $4,990 per month. The deadline for applications is Friday, July 21, 2006. --------------------- From Tom Watson, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA, and the National Waste Prevention Coalition: I recently heard of two new products related to waste prevention. I have not tried either one, but I thought people might find them interesting: - ReadPal software (http://www.readpal.com), which is designed to make documents easier to read on a computer screen, reducing the amount of printing done just because people don't like to read documents on a screen. ReadPal is a product of Cucoco Ltd., a private company based at the Campus Innovation Centre of the National University of Ireland in Galway. The goal of the company is to develop commercial products "that will positively impact the environment and society." - The second product (first seen in "The Greener Side" blog) is more frivolous, but perfect for summertime: the Recyclers Raft (http://www.recyclersraft.com). It looks like an ordinary blow-up air mattress, but it's filled with 26 reused, empty 2-liter pop bottles, which keep it afloat. What I like about this product is that regular air mattresses (often made of polyvinyl chloride) frequently get holes or leaks and quickly end up in the garbage, but this raft should be much more durable. It also reuses a common product, and it's a clever way to illustrate durability and reuse. The raft consists of a zippered polyester-canvas shell that holds the bottles. It has a two-year free replacement warranty and costs $39.95. It's made in the U.S. by RSEE Innovations in Hartstown, PA. --------------------- Excerpted from Michelle Singletary's 7/15/06 syndicated personal finance column: BUYING USED COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS CAN SAVE BIG MONEY A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that in the past two decades, college textbook prices have increased at twice the rate of inflation. In academic year 2003-04, students and their families spent more than $6 billion on new and used textbooks. The state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) criticized the rising cost of textbooks in a report called "Rip-Off 101: How the Publishing Industry's Practices Needlessly Drive Up Textbook Costs." The non-profit advocacy groups found that, on average, the most widely purchased textbooks on college campuses have new editions published every three years. A new edition usually costs 45 percent more than a used copy of the previous edition. The reports by the PIRGs and the GAO concluded that many factors affect textbook pricing, including the addition of "bundled" features such as CDs and workbooks shrink-wrapped together. Publishers say the additional book features are what professors want. There are some things students can do to reduce the money they spend on textbooks. The California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) recommends buying online at websites such as http://www.campusbookswap.com, which allows students to buy and sell used books directly from one another. The site is free, but registration is required. Try these websites as well: http://www.textbookx.com, http://www.half.com and http://www.bigwords.com But when buying online, don't forget to consider shipping expenses. Before you buy your book, double-check that you have the correct 10-digit International Standard Book Number, or ISBN. Look for it above the bar code on the textbook's back cover or title page. If you are checking your class syllabus online, it should contain the ISBN along with the book title, author and edition. If you're really bold and struggling financially, there may be a way to use an old edition of a textbook. However, it'll take some work. First, check with the professor to see if the new edition of the textbook he or she is using for the course has substantial changes, CALPIRG recommends. If there aren't many changes then look online (or ask the faculty member) for an old syllabus so you'll have the correct page numbers. Used textbooks are typically priced at 75 percent of the retail price of the new book. Prices on used books range from $10 to $80, with the average price being about $40, the National Association of College Stores says. Most important before heading back to school, find out what books you have to buy. Many college bookstores post the required textbooks online for each course. You need to shop early so you'll have a chance to buy used books, which often sell out fast once classes start. --------------------- Note from Tom: I will be out of the office July 20-27 and August 7-11. Hope you are all having a great summer! - end -