[Sqg-program] EPA Region 4 Innovations Update - May 22 2007

Tue May 22 14:55:21 EDT 2007

Good info from EPA Region 4 
  _____  

Innovations Update

From:               Pam Swingle

                        Region 4 Innovations Coordinator

Date:                May 22, 2007

New EPA Web Site Makes It Easier To Be Good Environmental Stewards 

The new EPA Web site on stewardship programs can help business, government
and private citizens make intelligent choices on sustainable environmental
benefits. Simple everyday decisions by organizations and individuals on such
issues as recycling, reuse or choice of fuel support pollution prevention and
environmental stewardship.  The Web site will enable users to find EPA
partnership programs, such as the Energy Star energy saving program, which
best align with their needs and interests. Businesses can search for EPA
programs based on their industrial category, environmental issue of interest,
and geographic area. The Web site also provides information links individuals
can use to protect the environment in different settings, such as home, work,
school and shopping.  The website is available at www.epa.gov/stewardship

Home Depot Has Released Their "Eco Options" Labeling

Source:  Home Depot

Eco Options is designed to give consumers environmentally friendly product
options for your home and home improvement needs.   Every product with the
Eco Options label has less of an impact on the environment than conventional
products. Specifically, Eco Options products offer one or more of the
following benefits:

*	Sustainable Forestry 
*	Energy Efficiency 
*	Clean Water 
*	Clean Air 
*	Healthy Home

For more information visit www.homedepot.com/ecooptions

Cans For Cash City Recycling Challenge: Building A Sustainable Environment
for Your Community! 

The United States Conference of Mayors, Novelist Corporation and Keep America
Beautiful Inc., have partnered to encourage and assist U.S. cities with their
sustainable recycling efforts. The challenge will award twelve $5,000 awards
to participating municipalities and four $2,5000 awards to KAB affiliates.
For more information visit www.usmayors.org/mwma

Green Building Series Comes to Public TV

Source:  Georgia Recycling Coalition Newsletter

A new weekly television series about building green homes and buildings will
start airing on PBS stations June 5.  The "Building Green" series will
feature 13 episodes examining eco-friendly building techniques and
alternatives.  "Many people don't realize that buildings cause more CO2
emissions than cars," said Kevin Contreras, host and creator of the show. "In
fact, buildings and their construction account for nearly half of all
greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumed in this country each year. By
providing people access to information about how they can build greener, I
believe we can better sustain our planet one home at a time."  For more
information visit www.buildinggreentv.com <http://www.buildinggreentv.com/> 

Senate Committee Wants To Boost Car Mileage Standards
Source:  Waste News
May 9 -- The Senate Commerce Committee has approved a measure that would
boost fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks by 10 miles
per gallon over 10 years. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein,
D-Calif., and co-sponsored by Olympia Snow, R-Maine, and a bipartisan
coalition of 15 other senators. It would raise the fleetwide average fuel
economy standards for all passenger vehicles and light trucks from 25 to 35
miles per gallon by model year 2020. In addition, it would require that the
fuel economy of medium- and heavy-duty trucks be improved by 4 percent per
year. It would also extend the fuel economy increase of the entire fleet
beyond 2020 by an additional 4 percent per year.  For more information visit
www.wastenews.com <http://www.wastenews.com/> 

Big Month for E-Cycling Legislation

Source:  E-Scrap News

The month that recognizes mothers also could be the month that experiences
the birth of many state-based comprehensive electronics recovery programs.
Below are the States moving forward with electronics programs:

*         On May 8th, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty approved House File 854
assuring that the Gopher State will be the fifth U.S. state to implement a
comprehensive electronics recycling program.  

*         In Connecticut , House Bill 7249 establishes a comprehensive
electronics recovery system based on the Northeast Recycling Council's
(Brattleboro, Vermont) model legislation. As of May 9th, the bill has been
tabled in a House Government Administration and Elections Committee. 

*         New York lawmakers have proposed similar legislation with the
recent introduction of Senate Bill 5243. The measure is currently being
reviewed by an Environmental Conservations Committee.  

*         Four producer responsibility-based measures have been scheduled for
a May 21st public hearing in Massachusetts . The four House measures - HB793,
HB864, HB872 and HB894 - will receive their first such action since
originally being introduced the second week of January.        

*         Passed by the Texas House of Representatives, House Bill 2714
received its first reading within the Senate and has since been transferred
to a Natural Resources Committee. Along with companion measure Senate Bill
1324, the bills create an individual producer and shared responsibility
system for information technology equipment. SB 1324 has been received in the
House and has since been redistributed to an Environmental Regulations
Committee.

What You Need to Know About Compact Florescent Light Bulbs

Source:  Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center Newsletter

The Benefits - According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the
U.S. Department of Energy, if every American home replaced just one light
bulb with an ENERGY STAR(r) <http://www.energystar.gov>  compact fluorescent
light (CFL) bulb, enough energy would be saved to light more than 2.5 million
homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of
nearly 800,000 cars.  The good news is that the use of CFLs in households
across the country grows every day. This is in large part due to consumers'
interest in responsible energy use. A few benefits of CFLs include:

*         Use at least two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent
bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and last up to 10 times longer. 

*         Save $30 or more in energy costs over each bulb's lifetime. 

*         Generate 70 percent less heat, so they are safer to operate and can
cut energy costs associated with home cooling.

The Matter Of Mercury - CFLs do contain about 5 milligrams of mercury - an
element that, if breathed and absorbed by the body, can cause neurological
damage. Mercury is an essential, irreplaceable element in CFLs and is what
allows the bulb to be an efficient light source. By comparison, older home
thermometers contain 500 milligrams of mercury, and many manual thermostats
contain up to 3,000 milligrams. It would take between 100 and 600 CFLs to
equal those amounts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S.
Department of Energy assure that CFLs are safe to use in your home. No
mercury is released when the bulbs are in use, and they pose no danger to you
or your family when used properly. However, CFLs are made of glass tubing and
can break if dropped or roughly handled. Be careful when removing the lamp
from its packaging, installing it or replacing it.

Proper Cfl Handling And Disposal - Due to the mercury content in CFLs,
consumers must be sure to properly dispose of CFLs as they would paint,
batteries, thermostats and other hazardous household items. DO NOT THROW CFLs
AWAY IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE IF BETTER OPTIONS EXIST.   Because there is
such a small amount of mercury in CFLs, your greatest risk if a bulb breaks
is getting cut from glass shards. Research indicates that there is no
immediate health risk to you or your family should a bulb break and it's
cleaned up properly. You can minimize any risks by following these proper
clean-up and disposal guidelines:

*	Sweep up - don't vacuum - all of the glass fragments and fine
particles. 
*	Place broken pieces in a sealed plastic bag, and wipe the area with a
damp paper towel to pick up any stray shards of glass or fine particles. Put
the used towel in the plastic bag as well. 
*	If weather permits, open windows to allow the room to ventilate. 

Following are links to Web sites that provide more information about the
proper use and disposal of compact fluorescent light bulbs. These resources
also further address the issue of mercury and mercury content in CFLs.

www.earth911.org
www.lamprecycle.org
www.nema.org/lamprecycle/epafactsheet-cfl.pdf
www.eneregystar.gov <http://www.energystar.gov> 

NOAA's New Tool to Distinguish Between Natural and Human Carbon Emissions

Source:  NOAA

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in
conjunction with partners in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France and other
countries, has released a new tool to measure the effectiveness of efforts to
reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The CarbonTracker tool will help experts
distinguish between carbon emissions that are natural and those which are the
result of human activity. The tool will use continuous measuring stations,
with data fed into computer models covering 135 ecosystems and 11 ocean
basins around the world.  One of CarbonTracker's most powerful assets is its
ability to detect natural variations in carbon uptake and release by oceans
and vegetation, which may either help or hinder efforts to curb fossil fuel
emissions on a seasonal basis.  Visit
www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/carbontracker

Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) Tool Released

Source:  NIST

The Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) is a free
software tool for selecting environmentally preferred, cost-effective
building products.  BEES contains data on more than 200 products and adds 30
new products for review.  It also offers users the option of a new set of
consensus weights for scoring the environmental impact of individual building
products, based on a BEES Stakeholder Panel convened at the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) last year.  For more information
and to download the software visit  www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/bees.html

  _____  

EVENTS CALENDAR

May 30-31 - Third Annual Product Stewardship Forum in San Francisco,
California.  

www.productstewardship.us/2007Forum  

Jun 1 - KY Hospital Compliance Assistance Workshop in Louisville, Kentucky.
For more 

information contact Delane Anderson, EPA Region 4 at (404) 562-9681

Jun 4-5 - Florida Recycles Today Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.  For
more information email info at recyclefloridatoday.org or call 877-867-4RFT.

Jun 18-21 - National Small Business Conference is June 18-21, St. Paul,
Minneapolis. For more information visit - www.sbeapconference.com/   

Jun 19-22 - Community Involvement Conference in Jacksonville, Florida.  For
more information visit www.epa.gov/ciconference

Oct 1-3 - BioCycle Conference on Renewable Energy from Organics Recycling in
Indianapolis, Indiana.  For more information visit www.biocycle.net
<http://www.biocycle.net/> 

Jun 18-21 - "Sustain the Mission - Preserve Our Environment - Secure Our
Future", 2007 

Region 4 EPA, Department of  Defense and States Environmental Conference in
Atlanta Georgia.  

Jun 18-21 - National Small Business Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota.  For
more information 

visit www.sbeapconference.com/   

Jun 19-22 - Community Involvement Conference in Jacksonville, Florida.  For
more information 

visit www.epa.gov/ciconference 

June 26-27 - SE Diesel Collaborative Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.  For more
information visit 

www.southeastdiesel.org/index.html 

Jul 31-Aug 2 - Southeast Bioenergy Conference 2007 in Tifton, Georgia.  For
more information 

visit www.sebioenergy.org/reg.htm

Aug 13-15 - ASTSWMO Solid Waste Managers Conference in Portland, Oregon.  For
more information visit
www.astswmo.org/meetings_upcomingmeetings-2007Conference.htm

Aug 22-24 - Georgia Environmental Conference in Savannah, Georgia.  For more
information 

visit www.GeorgiaENet.com <http://www.georgiaenet.com/>  

Aug 26-29 - Georgia Recycling Coalition Annual Conference: Rolling Out the
Green Carpet for 

Recycling in St. Simons Island, Georgia.  For more information visit
www.georgiarecycles.org <http://www.georgiarecycles.org/> 

Sep 16-19 -- National Recycling Conference in Denver, Colorado.  For more
information visit 

www.RecyclingConference.org <http://www.recyclingconference.org/>   

Oct 22 - NC Sustainability Awards and Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina.
For more 

information visit www.sustainnc.org <http://www.sustainnc.org/>  

Oct 24-25 - E-Scrap 2007: The North American Electronics Recycling Conference
in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information visit www.e-scrapnews.com
<http://www.e-scrapnews.com/> 

Nov 7-9 - Greenbuild 2007 - US Green Building Council Conference in Chicago,
Illinois.  For more information visit www.greenbuildexpo.org
<http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/> 

Nov 15 - AMERICA RECYCLES DAY

2008

Apr 22 - EARTH DAY 

May 5-7 - Brownfields 2008 - The National Brownfields Conference in Detroit,
Michigan.  For more information visit www.brownfields2008.org
<http://www.brownfields2008.org/> 

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Note:   Mention of non-EPA documents, websites, meetings or presentations
DOES NOT

constitute a U.S. EPA endorsement, only an acknowledgment that they exist and
may be 

relevant.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO FORWARD INFORMATION YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE TO
swingle.pamela at epa.gov

TO BE REMOVED FROM THIS DISTRIBUTION LIST

EMAIL:  swingle.pamela at epa.gov

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