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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Give 'Em a Hand
Wal-Mart will slice use of plastic bags |
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25 Sep 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:10 PM on 25 Sep 2008 Wal-Mart aims to cut plastic-bag waste in its global operations by an average 33 percent over the next five years, the retail behemoth announced Thursday at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. And if you ever doubted that Wal-Mart is big, consider this: The move is expected to eliminate some 9 billion plastic bags each year, equating to more than 135 million pounds of trash by 2013. Wal-Mar ... |
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| Topics: business, green living, greening biz operations, greenish companies, news, progress, shopping, Wal-Mart, waste (all these topics) |
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They've Had Their Fill
Half of GM's manufacturing plants to go |
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05 Sep 2008 |
News |
| "landfill-free" by 2010 Posted at 7:04 AM on 05 Sep 2008 Automaker GM is planning to make half of its 181 manufacturing plants worldwide "landfill-free" by 2011 through initiatives to reuse or recycle some 90 percent of its waste, according to USA Today. The not-reused, not-recycled portion of the waste would potentially be incinerated to produce energy. GM has yet to formally announce the program, but USA Today ... |
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| Topics: business, cars, news, recycling, waste (all these topics) |
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Don't Shoot the Messenger
New HP laptop packaged in messenger bag instead of box |
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03 Sep 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:03 PM on 03 Sep 2008 Don't take Grandma to Wal-Mart: the big-box store's new Hewlett-Packard laptop "will be displayed on shelves wearing only the HP Protect Messenger Bag." Scandalous! But actually, there's no need to avert your eyes: the HP Pavilion dv6929 is served up in a recycled, reusable messenger bag instead of a box, cutting cardboard and plastic packaging by 97 percent. Thinking outs ... |
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| Topics: business, green living, green products, greening biz operations, greenish companies, innovation, news, shopping, tech, Wal-Mart, waste (all these topics) |
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You Ghana Deal With That?
Toxin-laden e-waste dumped in West Africa |
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06 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:22 PM on 06 Aug 2008 European Union laws prohibiting the export of hazardous materials aren't keeping shipments of electronic waste out of West Africa, according to a new Greenpeace report. Traders obtain e-waste in the E.U. and ship it off "under the false label of 'second-hand goods,'" says the report, adding, "Sending old electronic equipment to developing countries is often hailed as 'bridging the ... |
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| Topics: business, e-waste, Ghana, Greenpeace, news, tech, toxics, waste (all these topics) |
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Bye, Buy Burden
Best Buy tests free e-waste recycling program to ease its eco-impact |
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02 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:40 AM on 02 Jun 2008 Electronics retailer Best Buy announced on Monday that it's testing a free electronic-waste recycling program in 117 of its stores in the Baltimore, Minneapolis, and San Francisco areas, plus a few other select stores in the East and Midwest. Customers can bring in up to two e-waste items per day for free recycling, including TVs, computers, video-game consoles, VCRs, and the li ... |
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| Topics: business, e-waste, news, recycling (all these topics) |
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For Whom the Dell Toils
Chastised by bloggers, Dell aims to cut down on waste |
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09 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:33 PM on 09 May 2008 To paraphrase Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of loud, critical bloggers can change Dell's packaging M.O." OK, that's a bit of a stretch -- and we won't go so far as to say "Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." But photos published on the internet during Earth Week of a tiny flash drive arriving to a customer in a giant box provoked enough outc ... |
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| Topics: business, greening biz operations, greenish companies, news, progress, tech, waste (all these topics) |
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Take It Back! No, You Take It Back!
NYC mayor says he'll veto an electronics-recycling bill |
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19 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:42 PM on 19 Feb 2008 The New York City Council overwhelmingly passed a bill last Wednesday that would require electronics manufacturers to take back products for recycling. But on Friday, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he'll veto it -- and that if his veto is overridden, he'll choose not to enforce the law. The council estimates that more than 25,000 tons of TVs, computers, cameras, and oth ... |
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| Topics: business, local politics, New York City, news, politics, recycling, waste (all these topics) |
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Scrambling to Go Green
Cadbury eggs will come with less packaging |
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19 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:16 AM on 19 Feb 2008 Cadbury Schweppes, the maker of the Easter season's omnipresent sugar-yolk-in-a-chocolate-shell, has unveiled an alleged "eco-egg." No, the goopy white innards aren't organic; no, the chocolate isn't fair trade. The "eco" aspect comes merely from the eggs being sold unboxed, reducing packaging waste. So which came first, the greenwashing or the egg? sources: The Guardian, BBC ... |
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| Topics: business, food, greening biz operations, greenwashing, news, waste (all these topics) |
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Massey watch
W. Va. Supreme Court to get out of bed with Blankenship, reconsider his case |
David Roberts |
29 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A while back, loathsome mountaintop-mining outfit Massey Energy was hit with a $50 million judgment in a West Virginia court, in a ruling that they had illegally driven other area mining companies out of business. They appealed to the W. Va. Supreme Court, which overturned the ruling in a vote of 3-2. Later, pictures turned up of loathsome Massey CEO Don Blankenship vacationing on the French Riviera with W. Va. Supreme Court justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard ... |
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| Topics: business, coal, energy, litigation, shenanigans, waste, water pollution (all these topics) |
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'The Story of Stuff'
Another reason to procrastinate about my Christmas shopping |
Katy Balatero |
11 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| From the producers of 'The Meatrix' and 'Grocery Store Wars' comes 'The Story of Stuff,' a short video about production and consumption, just in time for the holiday shopping binge. Click here for the full movie (sample clip embedded below). |
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| Topics: business, consumerism, green living, recycling, shopping, waste (all these topics) |
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Junk-free mailbox
A new company offers relief from unwanted mail |
Maywa Montenegro |
22 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Perhaps the only great thing about having moved four times in the past year is that I get virtually no junk mail, at least yet. At my permanent residence in Tennessee, however, where my parents have lived for over twenty years; the catalogs, credit card offers, and sweepstakes offers cram the mailbox on a daily basis. Just yesterday my mother was telling me how bad it's gotten -- and how bad she feels trekking straight from the post box to the recycling bin with arm ... |
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| Topics: business, waste (all these topics) |
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Garbage Can Do
Largest U.S. garbage hauler greens operations |
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12 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 2:40 PM on 12 Oct 2007 Strange but true: Our trash is going green. The nation's largest garbage hauler and landfill operator, Waste Management Inc., has announced plans to make its operations more eco-friendly. The company hopes to double its landfill methane-to-electricity production by 2020, boost the fuel efficiency of its fleet by 15 percent by 2020, process more recyclables, and set aside more land for wildlife habitat. ... |
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| Topics: business, greening biz operations, news, waste (all these topics) |
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Electronic Boogie
Greenpeace releases another ranking of tech companies' environmental records |
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21 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 4:09 PM on 21 Sep 2007 Greenpeace has released the fifth version of its Guide to Greener Electronics, and lauds the tech industry for making "great improvements" since the first scorecard hit the scene in August 2006. Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and Dell took the top three spots this time around; Apple, the CEO of which was rankled by his company's dead-last ranking in April, is now soli ... |
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| Topics: business, e-waste, greenish companies, Greenpeace, news, tech (all these topics) |
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The wrong kind of bulk discount
Washington state caps the cost to pollute, rather than the pollution |
JMG |
06 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The Sightline Institute (formerly Northwest Environment Watch) picks up a Seattle P-I report on yet another counterproductive incentive: making it cheaper to pollute in bulk. The more hazardous waste you produce in Washington, the better the deal you can get from the state. Companies that make chemicals, oil, paint, paper and airplanes must pay a Hazardous Waste Planning Fee for the toxic substances that they pump into the air and water or send to landfills. But because the f ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, business, toxics, Washington, waste, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Victory, with a catch
BP promises to stop dumping waste into the Great Lakes |
Jon Rynn |
24 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| On July 15, the Chicago Tribune reported that BP wanted to significantly increase the discharge of ammonia and toxic wastes into the Great Lakes. The outcry was enormous -- even Republican congressmen from the area joined in the criticism, and several powerful congressional members, including Rahm Emanuel in the House and Barack Obama in the Senate, threatened hearings. The city of Chicago was considering legal action, and a large petition drive began. Apparently the pol ... |
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| Topics: business, Chicago, energy, George Bush, Indiana, oil, waste, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Don't go to BP Amoco!
And don't piss off Pearl Jam |
Sarah van Schagen |
21 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| BP's sludge dumpage into Lake Michigan has a whole mess of people pissed off. Including green-leaning band Pearl Jam, who performed an angry li'l ditty at this year's Lollapalooza festival. The lyrics are pretty simple; sing it with me: "Don't go to BP Amoco!" |
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| Topics: business, energy, music, oil, waste, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Thinking caps wanted
On cleaning up the catalog industry |
Adam Browning |
21 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| ForestEthics, one of the most effective orgs fighting to save forests, is looking for ideas for their next campaign. Help them out -- more productive than reading blogs anyway ... |
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| Topics: business, waste (all these topics) |
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BP, coal plants dump mercury into Great Lakes
Enemies of the human race |
Jon Rynn |
27 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Last week, I put up a post explaining that BP will be increasing their dumping of toxic waste into the Great Lakes. Congress overwhelmingly approved a resolution condemning BP's dumping -- a resolution sponsored by Rahm Emanuel, a powerful Democratic Congressman. Now, thanks to some fine investigative reporting by the Chicago Tribune, we find out that BP has been dumping mercury as well, and will continue to do so: Federal records analyzed by the Tribune show B ... |
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| Topics: business, coal, energy, mercury, oil, toxics, waste, water pollution (all these topics) |
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BP means 'bad pollution' for the Great Lakes
It's easy being not green |
Jon Rynn |
20 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Sleeping Bear Dunes, Lake Michigan. In an effort to keep expanding the flow of oil, companies such as BP have been trying to extract oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, which is like trying to drink coffee after you've dumped it into sand. The process is so energy-intensive that there is talk of putting the world's largest nuclear power plant on top of the tar sands in order to heat them up enough to use them, and lakes of toxic water have been created t ... |
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| Topics: business, Chicago, oil, toxics, waste, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Turning Lemons Into Powerade
Waste Management announces $400 million methane-to-energy plan |
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28 Jun 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Turning Lemons Into Powerade Waste Management announces $400 million methane-to-energy plan Renewable energy got a boost this week: mega-hauler Waste Management said it will spend $400 million over five years to build 60 landfill-based facilities that will convert methane to electricity. The potent gas -- which results from the decomposition of organic yummies like trash and cow manure -- is t ... |
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| Topics: business, energy, innovation, news, renewable energy, waste (all these topics) |
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Fund and games
More on Superfund |
Kate Sheppard |
13 May 2007 |
Gristmill |
| I've posted several pieces recently on the recent Center for Public Integrity study of the downfall of Superfund. There are two more pieces out this week that relate -- this one on the EPA diverting funds from the program, and this one on the EPA giving clean-up cash to the very same businesses that created the sites in the first place. (Hint: Halliburton is one of them. Surprise!) |
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| Topics: business, US EPA, waste (all these topics) |
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Infosmog
Information technology accounts for 2 percent of world's CO2 emmissions |
Jerome Woody |
03 May 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Just as Steve Jobs was polishing the final draft of his defense of Apple's environmental programs, computer industry analyst firm Gartner announced to the world its findings about Global IT's carbon footprint. It's not good. As an industry, information technology accounts for 2 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, placing it in the same club as the aviation industry. The causes are numerous, including increasing power consumption, use of refrigerator-l ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, e-waste, greenhouse-gas emissions, tech (all these topics) |
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Circuit Training
U.N. launches global partnership to combat unhealthy e-waste habits |
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08 Mar 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Circuit Training U.N. launches global partnership to combat unhealthy e-waste habits Faced with an annual global gadget toss approaching 40 million tons, the United Nations has launched a partnership to battle the world's heaps of e-waste and the environmental and health problems caused by impromptu e-recycling. Solving the E-Waste Problem, or StEP -- which counts governments, unive ... |
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| Topics: business, greening biz operations, news, toxics, United Nations, waste (all these topics) |
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Putting a price tag on nature
Environmentalism's confusing accounting |
Adam Stein |
19 Feb 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The L.A. Times published an interesting if somewhat odd piece in last week's magazine about efforts to coax the business community into loving the environment by assigning a dollar value to our natural resources, or 'ecosystem services.' So, for example, we learn that dung beetles provide $380 million of waste management services to the U.S. cattle industry. One mile of coastal wetland provides $2.4 million of storm protection. A nice fern is worth $4, or you can get ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, business, environmental movement, waste, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Apple offers free computer take-back program
Cool |
Sarah K. Burkhalter |
08 May 2006 |
Gristmill |
| April 21, 2006--Apple® today announced an expansion of its successful recycling program, offering free computer take-back and recycling with the purchase of a new Macintosh® system beginning in June. US customers who buy a new Mac® through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) or Apple's retail stores will receive free shipping and environmentally friendly disposal of their old computer as part of the Apple Recycling program. Equipment received by the program in the U ... |
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| Topics: business, e-waste, recycling (all these topics) |
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