Category: Recycling

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Green Your Office, Join the Challenge

Illinois Green Office ChallengeRegistration is now open for the 2016 Illinois Green Office Challenge (IGOC), a friendly competition to see which Illinois organization can accumulate the most points by conserving energy and water, reducing waste, and saving money.

 

The competition will launch with a kickoff and informational session at 4:30 – 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), 1 Hazelwood Drive, Champaign.

 

Last year the Challenge began in the Central Illinois communities of Champaign-Urbana, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Construction Engineering and Research Laboratory in Champaign was the highest scorer in the region. This year offices statewide are encouraged to sign up.

 

Contestants can start piling up points Tuesday, March 1, as they begin to score points for completing specific sustainability activities at their facilities.

 

Money-saving ideas and assistance will be provided by ISTC, a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

the challenge helps offices cut water, energy and waste
Workplaces primarily used for office space are encouraged to join the challenge to cut energy, water and waste.

 

The Challenge website provides participants with the information and tools they need to compete and complete activities, and a live leaderboard will track their scores, as well as those of other competitors from across the state. At the end of the Challenge, participants will be acknowledged for their hard work through media, peer recognition, and year-end awards. The Challenge welcomes all public and private buildings that are used primarily for office space.

 

There is an administrative fee of $50 for registration, but it can be waived if it is a barrier to participation. Questions can be directed to Bart Bartels: bbartel@illinois.edu.

 

A Peoria-area kickoff is scheduled for Thursday March 3. Additional community meetings and informational workshops will be scheduled as organizations and communities sign up. For complete information, visit the IGOC website at https://www.illinoisgoc.com/.

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8 Easy Sustainable New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year 2016 over colored fireworks

 

Aah….the New Year’s resolution. Whether it was exercising, dieting, crafting, getting out doors, or cleaning more frequently, it always seems that life took over and I was back to doing the bare minimum just to make it through the week. So when I decided to write a blog on sustainable New Year’s resolutions, I thought, “Oh boy!” there are so many great sustainable things to do like growing your own food in your back yard with your own compost or installing renewable energy sources on your property to get totally off the grid. But then I had to stop myself because here I was again setting New Year’s resolutions that were too ambitious for my current life style. So let’s start with the basics. Here are eight easy sustainable New Year’s resolutions that just about anyone could incorporate into their daily routine. Don’t worry about them all; just pick your favorite one and give it a try this year!

10 different colored and shaped reusable beverage containers

  1. Reusable beverage containers – Many places have rewards programs when you buy their reusable beverage containers and they often come in stylish patterns that can set you apart from the average mobile drinker. In addition, reusable water bottles come in all sizes, shapes, and styles these days and a one-time investment in a reusable water bottle can provide you with free water for the rest of your life because nearly every place has a drinking fountain or sink where water bottles can be filled. (And by the way, there are more safety regulations on tap water than bottled water, making it a better choice in most instances as well as saving money.)
  2. Eating in season – We all have to go to the store to get food (unless we have a large garden) but instead of just getting the usual stuff, think about what food is in season and was grown locally. By shopping for in season and local produced food, you can make a big dent in your carbon footprint because the food wasn’t shipped from all over the world.
  3. multi colored reusable bags. one is open and four are folded on top of the open bagReusable shopping bags – Avoid having to choose between paper or plastic and which one might be better for carrying different items vs. their environmental impact by investing in reusable shopping bags. Usually they fold up into small bundles and can be left in the car so you will never forget them when you are at the store.
  4. Drive less – In the city, many have embraced public transportation as a great way to move around quickly and avoid pollution from driving their own vehicles. But that often doesn’t work for most small cities and rural communities. Consider working from home and/or teleconferencing a couple days a week if your work allows. Or check with people in your neighborhood or at your work to see if you can set up a carpool. Also, combining errands by location and day can reduce your carbon footprint and time spent driving around town.
  5. Sustainable laundry – Some articles of clothing don’t need to be washed as often as we might think. For example, a student-professor team at the University of Alberta found that new jeans could be worn and not washed for 15 months without affecting a person’s health (see article on not washing jeans). In addition, consider the natural drying power of a clothes line either in the back yard, basement, or spare room to avoid using electrical or gas power for drying.
  6. Reduce, reuse, recycle – Reducing waste is the number one way to be more sustainable and have a zero waste life style. If you buy individual servings, consider buying a bulk container to reduce packaging or think of another use for the individual serving containers. If you find that you aren’t using something as much as you have in the past, think about cutting that item off your shopping list.
  7. Donate Don't Dump - the word donate and the word dump are spelled out using donatable items like computer keybord, mirror, clock, cloths, dishes, toys, lamps, umbrellas, and musical instramentsDonating old stuff – With the New Year comes Spring Cleaning. Don’t just toss out all that junk and old clothes; many reuse stores such as Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity will take all sorts of items from small appliances, furniture, silverware, to clothes, decorations, and games. This way you can keep stuff out of the landfill and get a tax benefit and/or the pleasure of giving items which others can use!
  8. Energy efficiency – Throw on an extra sweater this winter and keep the thermostat down to reduce energy consumption and save money on your bill! Also, when a light bulb burns out, try replacing it with an LED bulb. The LEDs are a little pricier but they last longer and use so much less energy than conventional bulbs that the investment is worth it in the end. LEDs have conventional watt bulb comparisons on their box as well as a cool-warm light emission rating, so if you like the warm glow of traditional bulbs you can get the same look with an LED.

 

For the more ambitious sustainability enthusiast or if you just want to check out some cool stuff:

 

Sources & Ideas

 

Companies and products mentioned in this blog are not an endorsement but merely discussed as an example.

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Two: 10 Days of ISTC; Anniversary Presentation Videos

30thBlogThing3

Videos of presentations at ISTC’s anniversary event provide a fascinating look at problems of pollution contamination in Illinois and how the Center contributed to the clean up. Links to the videos will be made available over the next two weeks as they become available.

ISTC Looks Back, and to the Future During Anniversary

VIDEO 2: David Thomas, the founding ISTC director, joined in May, 1985. During his presentation he looked back to the early days of Illinois’ hazardous waste center. When President Jimmy Carter declaired a federal health emergency at Love Canal, the problem of hazardous waste management had become a front burner concern nationwide. Previously working at an engineering firm, Thomas could see the concern grow as he saw more and more of the firm’s work had to do with hazardous waste.

 

As an U of I alumnus, Thomas was delighted Illinois had proposed the new hazardous waste center for Champaign. He also relished the job as a way to delve full-time into the interesting and important challenges of the hazardous waste. During his talk, Thomas discusses the legislative mandate of the center and its early efforts to organize a scientific response to the problems.

 

Thomas and original Assistant Director Gary Miller studied design of modern research labs around the nation to guide the development of the center’s research laboratory capabilities. Thomas noted with satisfaction that ISTC’s focus has effectively evolved to remain relevant in the rapidly changing field.

 

NEXT UP: Gary Miller, founding ISTC assistant director, “30 Years: Projects, Politics, and People.”

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One: 10 Days of ISTC; Anniversary Presentation Videos

Anniversary videos available
Videos of presentations at ISTC’s anniversary event provide a fascinating look at problems of pollution contamination in Illinois and how the Center contributed to the clean up. Links to the videos will be made available over the next two weeks as they become available.

 

ISTC Looks Back, and to the Future During Anniversary

Duration: 12’33”

VIDEO 1: Mike Barcelona was a primary architect of the Hazardous Research and Information Center (HWRIC) that would evolve into the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC). He and the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) Chief Stan Changnon negotiated the political and bureaucratic waters to establish the center. Barcelona, head of the water chemistry group at ISWS was the primary author of the position paper on the organization and goals of the center.

 

Barcelona went on to serve on the faculties of the University of Michigan and the University of Western Michigan where he served a chair of the department of chemistry.

 

For his presentation at the 30th anniversary celebration, Barcelona focused on state of things as the Center was being formed. Government and industry had only just begun to define the outlines of hazardous and toxic industrial by-products. At the beginning, the Center was most interested in determining the amounts of hazardous waste in Illinois, and particularly their impacts on groundwater, he recalled. He noted that the state produced an estimated 70 million tons of hazardous wastes between 1920-80.

 

What has changed today?  Barcelona cited a recent Illinois Environmental Protection Agency analysis that showed hazardous waste generation in the state has dropped 75 percent between 1987 and 2013. He also cited an October, 2015 study which estimated that pollution prevention efforts nationwide have avoided the environmental release of five billion to 14 billion pounds of toxins.

 

While that is a good record for meeting that threat, Barcelona added there are plenty of challenges in the future.  In particular, he noted the growing avalanche of electronics in the waste stream, and the increased concern over landfilled food waste and its massive emissions of methane (a potent greenhouse gas).

 

NEXT UP: David Thomas, founding ISTC director, “ISTC: The Early Years.”

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Tips for a 2015 Waste-Free Holiday

old maps used as wrapping paper on gifts with a little bit of white and red ribbon to finish the look.

Imagine a simple holiday season without a bunch of stuff to clean up in the end. You might think that it can only happen in your dreams, but it is easier than you might think. Take a look at the blog we wrote last year called, “9 Ways to have a Waste Free Holiday.”

 

Are you traveling over the holidays? Whether you are going to Grandma’s or heading south for some warmth and sun, we all like to take our favorite things with us. But, consider this: how much volume will all those one-time-use travel toiletries and bought-on-the-go travel snacks take up in the landfill? Holiday traveling can indeed be waste-free! Check out the “Waste Free Holiday Travel” blog by KathrynH on Second-Hand Tales or “Philippines: a Zero Waste and Plastic Free Holiday” by Erin Rhoads on Rogue Ginger for some helpful zero waste travel tips.

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Take a Good Look at the Bad Old Days, and How Science Saved the Future

bttf-30thThe 30th Anniversary Celebration of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) gathered together many of the original leaders of the effort to get a handle on hazardous pollution in the environment.

 

It was a valuable window into the spirit of the times before 1985 that convinced Illinois lawmakers to create a center for research, industry assistance and public information. Thousands had been killed in Bhopal, Love Canal had blighted whole neighborhoods, the Cuyahoga River had burned, and in Illinois, contamination at Waukegan Harbor and Lake Calumet had brought home to citizens the need for scientific evidence about the threats.

 

ISTC took the opportunity to tell this story at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Nov. 9. It was a proud moment for the original players who participated in the event, and for ISTC’s parent Prairie Research Institute, and all of their current researchers who continue to drive sustainable economic development in Illinois. Videos on the presentations will be made available soon at http://www.istc.illinois.edu/news/30anniversaryhome.cfm.

 

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What ‘Back to the Future Part II’ got wrong (and right)

sharmaHappy Back to the Future Day! ISTC Senior Research Engineer B.K. Sharma is one of the University of Illinois researchers featured in a fun roundup of predictions made for this day by the feature film 26 years ago.

 

The movies predictions about alternative fuels from garbage were somewhat prescient. Sharma hasn’t come up with Mr. Fusion, but he makes gasoline from all types of wastes (grocery bags, prescription medicine bottles, milk cartons, straws, bottle caps, tires, old coffee grounds, algae, sewage sludge, manure and food waste).

 

The Cubs, predicted to win the World Series, on the other hand, are just hanging on.  See the whole article at https://illinois.edu/blog/view/6231/263585.

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Free Champaign County Electronics Collection Event, Oct. 10

A free countywide residential electronics collection event will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2015 from 8 AM to noon at Parkland College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign, IL. The collection will be in Parking Lot M; enter from Duncan Rd.

 
Residents may bring the following electronics items (working or non-working) to the collection event. The limit is 10 items per household.

Computer components:

  • Computers, printers, copiers, monitors*, keyboards, speakers, mice, cables, PDAs
  • Software, CDROM/floppy disks, UPS, tablet computers
  • Computer parts including but not limited to: circuit boards, hard drives, optical drives, power supplies, ribbon cables, RAM
  • Networking equipment, hubs, switches, routers, cables, modems, scanners
  • Ink cartridges

Entertainment:

  • Televisions*, VCRs, radios, stereo equipment, tape recorders, record players, remote controls, MP3 players, compact disc players, e-readers
  • Electronic toys, amplifiers, electronic keyboards
  • Hand-held gaming devices, game consoles, Walkmans, sewing machines
  • Digital cameras, camcorders

Communication Devices and Other Electronics:

  • Cash registers, typewriters, adding machines, calculators
  • Copiers, duplicators, voice recorders
  • Label makers
  • Portable power banks and coin counters
  • Telephones, PBX systems, answering machines, fax machines
  • CB radios, ham radios, cell phones, pagers, Black Berry/Palm Units, GPS units, Bluetooth serial port adapters
  • Rechargeable batteries, battery chargers and adapters, surge strips
  • Video recorders, video monitors, security systems, walkie-talkies

Miscellaneous: cables/cords/wire

 
*not accepted: broken glass cathode-ray-tube televisions or broke glass cathode-ray-tube monitors. For a complete listing of items not accepted, please visit the Champaign County RRR webpage at www.co.champaign.il.us/rrr.

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Now’s The Time to Recycle Ag-Chemical Containers

pesticide container recyclingThe state Agriculture Department is accepting empty agrichemical containers for recycling this month.

 

Each weekday through Aug. 28, you can drop off empty pesticide containers at daily locations around the state. This Friday, Aug. 14, the collection site will be United Prairie in Tolono. For a list of the other drop off locations, visit http://www.aiswcd.org/agrichemical-recycling/.

 

This is a great opportunity to keep these wastes out of our landfills. Instead the containers will become shipping pallets, fence posts and other useful stuff. Only clean and dry #2 plastic agrichemical containers are eligible.

 

Thanks to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Container Recycling Council, GROWMARK, Inc., Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association, Container Services Network, Illinois Farm Bureau, and the University of Illinois Extension for helping keep these contaminants out of our waste stream.

 

Also remember to take old or unwanted medicines to collection points in your area.

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U of I Awarded Second Santucci Greenovation Award for Reducing Solid Waste

RightCycle Award for recycling nitrile glovesThe University of Illinois received its second Greenovation Award July 28 from Kimberly-Clark Corporation for its leading role in supporting the recycling of nitrile gloves in its laboratories, kitchens and housing facilities. One of Kimberly-Clark Professional’s RightCycle program’s top performing partners, the University has recycled a lot of gloves – nearly 3,500 pounds of them through April, 2015.

 

The local recycling program originated with engineers at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) and was quickly taken up by the University’s Housing, as well as Facilities and Services Departments. Bart Bartels, technical assistance engineer at ISTC and part of the Center’s Zero Waste Illinois team, is assisting the university with its program.