December 2007

The Gulf of Mexico Program announced that the East Bay Wetland and Water Quality Protection Project has received a first place Gulf Guardian Award for 2007 in the Partnership Category. The project is series of plantings and barrier placement to protect and restore habitats along the East Bay shoreline at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. Groups working on the program include Gulf of Mexico Program, USFWS ANWR and Texas Coastal Program, Galveston Bay Foundation, EPA, NRG Texas LLC, National Fish and Wildlife Federation, Shell Oil, NOAA, Restore America's Estuaries, Galveston Bay Estuary Program, USDA/NRCS and TCEQ.

Also, Port of Houston Authority will receive a third place award in the same category for its "The Beneficial Uses Group (BUG)". This is a committees formed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' to address environmental issues associated with the Houston-Galveston Navigation Channels expansion project.

The Gulf of Mexico Program is underwritten by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is a non-regulatory, inclusive consortium of private and public entities and individuals from all five Gulf States. For more information click here.

According to Linda McFarland, President/CEO & Founder of Classic Computer Recovery Inc., during the first year alone, it is estimated that 28 million TVs will enter the solid waste stream because of the FCC-mandated digital switchover in February 2009 (this represents 10% of the total analog TVs currently being used in households today).  She states that special interest groups like Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, environmentalists, and many pro-recyclers expect the TV producers to pay for this.  But, she admits,  they also have to consider that the mostly likely thing to happen will be that the residents will dispose of their TVs curbside in the 45 non-legislated states.  "If that happens then there needs to be a solution for cities, counties, state governments, and solid waste industry to take care of this issue through their current existing solid waste hauler when the TVs are disposed of at the curb."  If 1 in 4 households recycle one analog TV that would equate to 6,282.02 additional tons of solid waste generated in Houston.

The question McFarland poses is how we can provide incentive to the solid waste haulers to sort the TVs out of their normal curbside garbage pick ups which are automatically hauled to a land fill?  In the absence of additional funds to supplement sorting this product category out of the waste stream, landfilling is the easiest economic and operational logistic solution to choose for disposing of TVs when the FCC converts the TV broadcast signal from analog to digital in the 45 non-legislated states.

Read more about this issue here.

Gulf Coast Green and the City of Houston are proud to inaugurate the first Sustainable Energy and Green Building Consumer Expo exclusively featuring certified green products and building materials, renewable energy, energy efficiency tips, and green vehicles.  It will be free and open to the public on April 5 and 6, 2008 at Reliant Park. Gulf Coast Green is the leading green building conference on the Texas Gulf Coast.

An estimated 15,000 consumers from Houston and the Gulf Coast Region are expected to take advantage of the opportunity to learn about green, energy efficient products and services in a hands-on atmosphere free of green misinformation.  An innovative set of Green Guidelines will govern the types of products and services exhibited at the event.
For more information check out www.gulfcoastgreen.org.

Cycled Plastics does 21st century recycling business

By Asher Price
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, November 12, 2007

A hundred years ago, a resourceful man like Mike Largent might have found himself in the scrap metal business, or, perhaps, as a peddler of rags.

Instead, he is engaged in a 21st-century version of recycling: He pelletizes plastic and Styrofoam. In a North Austin warehouse recently expanded to handle more business, Largent oversees the operations and is a co-owner of Cycled Plastics, a six-year-old company that pulls together detergent bottles, plastic flowerpots, milk crates, pallets, and the sort of foam that is used to pack computers. The materials come from across the United States and Mexico.

The company shreds the hard plastics into bits the size of cornflakes and densifies the foam; melts them to at least 240 degrees Celsius; and then filters and compresses them until they are pellets each the size of a half-pea, ready to be sold to pipe and plastic bag companies to be reconstructed for service.  Read the full article here.

Earth 911 Launches EnviroTip Series

The Earth 911 EnviroTip series is now available for free viewing on Earth 911. These 13 one-minute videos will teach you how to green various aspects of your life from conserving water and energy to properly disposing of motor oil. They are produced in TV broadcast quality, creating the opportunity for brands and organizations to customize and run as licensed public service announcements.

"It is time to move beyond the discussion of all these environmental problems and allow people to take action in their everyday lives," says Earth911.com CEO Jeffrey Rassás. "The EnviroTip series is a free and simple way for anyone to green all aspects of their home life."