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22 Sep 06 - PVC; teens; Florida; phone books; job; eating; Zebo; mail; repair ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.nwpcarchive.org --------------------- From Jeanette Hardison, Get SMART! Resource Efficiency Program, Corvallis Environmental Center, Corvallis, OR: We are currently working with an organic farm, providing them with a resource efficiency evaluation (to prevent solid, water and energy waste). We'd like to recommend a plastic strip door to them to save energy in their walk-in cooler, but it seems so many of these curtains are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Does anyone know of any good alternatives for this? Thank you! E-mail: lunadancer ( A T ) earthlink ( D O T ) net --------------------- From Susan Salterberg, Center for Energy and Environmental Education, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA: I'm looking for websites about waste issues that are specifically targeted to teens. I Buy Different (http://www.ibuydifferent.org) is a great site for that, and Worldwatch's Good Stuff leans a bit in that direction (http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/44). Anyone have other ideas? Thanks! E-mail: salterberg ( AT ) mchsi ( DOT ) com --------------------- Link to information about the upcoming conference, "Campus and Community Sustainability: Sharing Best Practices and Visions for Florida's Future" (forwarded by Gina Hawkins): http://www.sustainable.ufl.edu/conference This inaugural conference will be held at the University of Florida in Gainesville Oct. 25-26, 2006. Its goal is to provide a venue for the exchange of information "among Florida's universities, colleges, and communities." --------------------- From Tom Watson, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA, and the National Waste Prevention Coalition: UPDATE: PHONE BOOK REDUCTION PROJECT About four months ago, I reported that several government agencies around the nation were joining together to provide funding for this project, and I asked if any other agencies were interested in supporting this effort. I'm happy to report we have surpassed our initial funding goal of $20,000. We now have $37,600 pledged! As you may recall, we are providing this funding for the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), a Boston-based non-profit, to lead the effort to work with the phone directory industry to reduce the amount of unwanted phone books. Representatives of the funding agencies also help steer the direction of the project. The funding agencies are: City and County of San Francisco; City of Lansing, MI; City of Lincoln, NE; City of Omaha, NE; Clinton County (MI); Eaton County (MI); King County (WA); North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Snohomish County (WA); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4; and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10. Thanks to all of them! We have already had two conference call meetings. The issue of unwanted phone books has also recently generated media coverage around the country. For example, after area residents complained about unwanted phone books, a Washington, DC, television station ran this creative report (featuring PSI and this project) for their "What Makes You Mad?" feature: http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=789090&version= 2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.1.1 (You may need Macromedia Flash software. Click on the screen. They make you watch an ad first, but the ad is short.) Although we exceeded our initial funding target, we can still use additional funding in the next year to support research, meetings, etc., to meet our goal of achieving a measurable reduction in the amount of unwanted phone books. If your agency would like to make a contribution and become an active participant in this ground-breaking new project, please contact me at tom [D O T] watson [A T] metrokc [D O T] gov or 206-296-4481, or PSI executive director Scott Cassel at scott (AT) productstewardship (DOT) us or 617-236-4855. Thanks! --------------------- Link to a job posting for director of the Office of Recycling Outreach and Education in New York City: http://www.cenyc.org/site/pages/OROE_Director.pdf The newly-created Office of Recycling Outreach and Education (OROE) is within the Council on the Environment of New York City. OROE's mission includes promoting waste prevention and recycling outreach and education. The annual salary range is $65,000-$80,000. The deadline for applications is Oct. 13, 2006. --------------------- Link to the Eating Green calculator, a project of the Center for Science in the Public Interest: http://www.cspinet.org/EatingGreen/calculator.html This calculator shows the effects of your specific diet on the environment (and your health). --------------------- Link to Zebo, a new website where people list what they own (first seen mentioned in the New York Times): http://www.zebo.com Note from Tom: Although innovative sustainability and waste prevention-oriented websites are constantly being introduced, there are also many new consumption-oriented websites such as Zebo (obviously aimed at young people), and I thought people might be interested in checking it out. --------------------- Link to the website for 41 pounds.org, a new business that helps people get off mailing lists, for a fee (forwarded by Dale Alekel): https://www.41pounds.org Note from Tom: This appears to be a for-profit business based in Ferndale, MI. I don't know anything about it other than what is on their website. "41 pounds" refers to the amount of unwanted mail the average American receives in one year. This company will help people get off mailing lists for a subscription fee of $41. Although the operators of this service do not identify themselves on their website, they state that they plan to donate "50 percent from all of our profits to support conservation and reforestation efforts through various nonprofit environmental organizations." --------------------- Link to an article by D. Parvaz in the 9/11/06 Seattle Post-Intelligencer about services that will repair shoes, denim, sweaters, handbags and hats, if you send them in: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/284429_repairs11.html - end -