The company, a farm commodities processor, will open a pilot factory in early 1992 to begin producing lactic-acid polymers from corn and other crops. Because the material is clear, degrades like paper and is not readily soluble in water, Cargill hopes it can start replacing packaging made from long-lasting petrochemicals.

“You hold this material up and you’d swear it was normal plastic, but it’s not — it’s made from renewable resources,” said Paul Dienhart, a Cargill spokesperson. “It’s an exciting project we’re hoping will work out. It’ll be good for the country if it does.”

The material can be produced in sheets or as a foam and can be molded for many different uses, he said. It also can be used as a coating for other forms of packaging, such as cardboard.

The term “biodegradable” has been tainted by earlier efforts in the 1980s to produce trash bags, Dienhart said. Although they were called biodegradable, the bags ended up leaving pieces of petroleum-based plastic behind when they decomposed.

“Through composting, however, this new material will leave no plastic residue, and you’ll end up with stuff you can spade right back into the garden,” he said.

This new plastic is not a replacement for materials that can be recycled, Dienhart pointed out, because recycling is still a better alternative to composting.

“But if this country makes a commitment to composting as an alternative to landfills, then a product like this has a lot of potential,” he said. “The big question is: Where is this country headed on the composting issue?”

After starting up its pilot plant, Cargill will determine the feasibility of large-scale production. The pilot program will help determine the cost to produce the new material, Dienhart said, and how much interest there is in this alternative.

“We’ve already received a number of calls from potential customers, so we’re pretty sure there’s plenty of interest out there,” he said. “But are people willing to pay a little more for it?”

Cargill has been researching lactic-acid polymers for the past 10 years. Other companies also have been studying these polymers, searching for a reliable plastic that is biodegradable and doesn’t require petroleum in its production.

“It will help if this country starts emphasizing composting in all forms,” Dienhart added. “That is the key to how useful this technology is going to be.”

Tip/Stat — The primary ingredient in Cargill’s new packaging material is lactic acid — a syrupy liquid created by fermentation and found in sour milk, molasses and various fruits and vegetables.

Technorati Tags: biodegradable packaging, packaging, landfills, waste management, recycling, composting, going green

Brinton, president and founder of Woods End Research Laboratory in Mount Vernon, Maine, is developing new methods to compost animal and vegetable garbage that decomposes too slowly and smells too bad to be tossed into a normal compost pile.

In doing so, Brinton is creating a new avenue for businesses that must dispose of large quantities of undesirable material. Instead of paying high prices to have the material accepted at a landfill, they can have Brinton whip up a recipe to make the material decompose in a hurry. The remaining compost is then ready for farm or garden use.

For example, when a fire smothered thousands of chickens owned by a Maine egg producer, the company buried the carcasses on its land. However, state environmental officials — fearing ground-water contamination — told the company to dig up the birds and dispose of them properly.

With a thousand tons of rotting chickens on its hands, the company decided to call Woods End rather than pay the high cost of having the material hauled to a landfill.

Brinton and his 12-member team at the laboratory first analyzed the birds for their chemical composition, then started adding various substances to the material to see which ones promoted rapid decomposition. Eventually, a mixture of carbon, sawdust and chicken manure was used to turn the mess into compost in a matter of months, Brinton said.

“At $70 a ton to have waste dumped at landfills, in many cases it’s more cost effective to have it composted,” he said. “We can take your waste material, analyze it and tell you what kind of compost it can make.”

Brinton, a plant and soil scientist, uses a computer program he developed to determine the most effective way to compost different organic wastes. By finding the right mix of materials and combining them in proper proportions, Brinton said he can get almost any waste to decompose quickly into high-quality compost.

“By diverting these wastes, we’re buying time for our landfills,” he said. “And compost is much better for fertilizing than chemicals because it actually helps rebuild the soil naturally.”

With several dozen companies already on his client list, and samples continually arriving for opinions, Brinton said the future looks good. Perhaps a composting recipe book is on the horizon.

Tip/Stat — According to Brinton, between 12 and 30 percent of the waste hauled to landfills could be recycled through composting.

Technorati Tags: compost pile, landfill, waste management, composting, water contamination

When it comes to the environment, this neglect spells trouble.”Every 60 seconds, 70 million gallons of water flow over Niagara Falls,” said Donald Midgely, president of the Car Care Council. “That’s how much gasoline is wasted every 10 days in this country by motorists who drive with underinflated tires and poorly maintained engines.”

In the past, service station attendants helped make motorists aware of possible problems. But now, 80 percent of all drivers pump their own gas. Surveys show self-serve gas customers don’t look under the hood or check their tires as often as they should, Midgely said.

“Vehicle maintenance is going down, not up,” he said. “As long as the car starts, most people are content.”

But according to the council — a nonprofit organization that promotes safety and environmental awareness through vehicle upkeep — nearly 90 percent of all vehicles need some sort of ignition work. Another 30 percent have low or dirty oil and 44 percent need to have their coolant checked.

A simple tune-up can do wonders for a vehicle and the environment. Dirty filters, worn spark plugs and underinflated tires can have a dramatic impact on air pollution and fuel consumption, Midgely said.

“Typically, an engine that needs a tune-up will use 10 percent more gasoline than one that’s running efficiently,” he said.

Additionally, as cars get older, their problems get worse. Since the average car in America is 7.6 years old and has been driven about 80,000 miles, it’s important to give these cars plenty of attention, Midgely said. By properly maintaining these vehicles, they will last much longer and reduce contributions to junk yards and landfills.

“People treat their cars like their health — they wait for problems to develop before taking action,” Midgely explained. “But if all cars were properly cared for, we could save 2.2 billion gallons of gasoline in this country next year.”

Tip/Stat — Tires can lose one pound of pressure for every 10 degrees the temperature drops. Not only does this waste gas, but it wears out the tires more quickly.

Technorati Tags: emission inspections, vehicle maintenance, tires, landfills, environment, green causes, fuel consumption

“A lot of paper products are labeled — envelopes, newspapers, reports, you name it,” said Rick Alexander, market manager for Adhesives Research. “That material can’t be recycled into more paper without removing the label, so it often ends up in a landfill.To solve this problem, we’ve developed a label that’s recyclable.”

This new type of label eliminates a costly problem from the paper-making process — a problem paper mills call “stickies.” These are pieces of conventional labels, coated with rubber-based or acrylic adhesives, that make their way into the paper-pulp process.

These “stickies” cause shutdowns at paper mills which cost thousands of dollars in lost time and material each year, Alexander said.

“Paper mills understandably get very upset when this happens,” he said. “As a result, paper containing conventional labels is downgraded to a mixed-paper category and is usually hauled to a landfill.”

Paper mills are presently the largest users of Adhesive Research’s new label stock. But the company is starting to find acceptance from other industries, like direct-mail marketers and newspaper publishers, Alexander said.

“At the National Recycling Congress in Milwaukee, we were extremely pleased with the response we got,” he said. “The repulpable labels account for about 20 percent of our current label sales, but the growth prospects for them look very good.”

Large-volume users of labels like industrial corporations, banks, insurance companies and government agencies can benefit economically from switching to these repulpable labels, Alexander explained.

These organizations might pay as much as $20 per ton to dispose of waste paper with conventional labels. But if the same waste paper carried recyclable labels, it could be sold to a waste broker for about $50 per ton — a net difference of $70 per ton of paper.

After adding up the environmental and economic benefits of these new labels, why would anyone get stuck with anything else?

Tip/Stat — An average office worker disposes of 180 pounds of high-grade paper per year.

Technorati Tags: recycling process, recycling, landfill issues, environmental tips

While its popularity has grown in Europe and Canada during the past few years, the flexible-pouch concept was first patented in France in the early 1960s. It is now being used for the first time in the United States in packaging for S.C. Johnson & Son’s Agree Plus combination shampoo and conditioner.

The new package, called an Enviro-Pouch by the company, uses 80 percent less plastic than conventional shampoo bottles. It also is completely collapsible, resulting in 92 percent less waste being sent to landfills.

“It looks like a ’space age’ type of package today, but within a few years, it will be commonplace,” said Tom Benson, environmental action manager for S.C. Johnson. “This is the future of packaging.”

An entire 10-ounce Enviro-Pouch package contains no more plastic than the cap of a typical shampoo bottle, he said. Collapsed, the pouch slides easily into a standard business envelope.

Agree Plus in the the new pouch is now being test marketed in three U.S. cities, but will be launched nationwide next spring, Benson said. The company also is testing pouches made from recycled plastic for use in 1993.

Additionally, to boost its environmental effort, S.C. Johnson will contribute one percent of all Agree Plus sales revenues to established environmental groups.

In customer surveys, nearly 70 percent of the people who have used Agree Plus say they prefer using the Enviro-Pouch over a conventional bottle, Benson said.

Pouch technology is currently used primarily in Europe, Canada and the Middle East. In Germany, refill pouches for concentrates are in heavy demand.

Milk is sold in pouches in Canada. Dupont’s pouch system in that country already has captured 55 percent of the Canadian milk packaging market and has reduced rigid container waste from 56 million pounds to 22 million pounds per year.

According to a report on the environmental advantages of plastic pouch packaging by the consulting firm, Mastio & Company, “Liquid pouches are lighter in weight, require less storage space, dramatically reduce shipping costs, consume less energy, and cost less to produce, fill and distribute.”

Because source reduction — using the minimum amount of materials needed in packaging — is so important in solving this country’s landfill crisis, liquid-pouch packaging may be one of the key elements in the success of this effort.

(Tip/Stat — The Environmental Protection Agency has set a goal for the United States of a 25 percent reduction in municipal solid waste by the end of 1992.)

Technorati Tags: packaging, energy, environment, plastics, environmental groups

Since May 1990, the EnvirOmintal Candy Co. has been producing chocolate mint squares and giving away 50 percent of its profits to qualified nonprofit organizations working to save endangered animals and their habitat.

“We wanted to get away from just sending out an envelope asking for money, like most nonprofits do,” said co-founder Patrick Clarke-Delehanty. “This way people get candy instead. And it’s not just another candy — the product has a tremendous educational value.”

Included with each peppermint-flavored chocolate square is a animal species card. Each card features a photo of an endangered animal, along with the date the animal was placed on the Endangered Species List and the historic range it used to occupy.

“There are so many endangered species now, we could come out with a new set of 48 species cards every six months and not duplicate any for the next eight years,” Clarke-Delehanty said.

Additionally, customers can write the company for a free Wildlife Action Guide. The guide tells people how they can take action by writing their political representatives or regional fish and wildlife offices. It also lists several organizations currently working to save the environment.

“We’re providing people with educational materials to help keep them informed,” Clarke-Delehanty said. “We hope it gets them thinking about wildlife, and endangered wildlife in particular.”

The company also has made the candy’s foil wrapper easier to recycle. By offering to sell one of its endangered species T-shirts for only $9.00 if accompanied by 20 candy wrappers, the company is receiving more than a hundred wrappers a day from interested customers. The foil wrappers are then bundled and shipped to Chicago for recycling.

The mints can currently be found in about 15,000 stores around the country. They retail for 25 cents a piece.

“Most people say they want to do something about the environment, but they don’t have a vehicle for doing it easily and at a price they can afford,” said Clarke-Delehanty. “This product gives consumers a very inexpensive and fun way way to help endangered wildlife.”

Tip/Stat — There are 355 endangered species in the United States alone.

Technorati Tags: environment, endangered species, endangered animals, wildlife, educational materials

Earth News Media is a pioneer in the field of environmental news and information. The company was founded in 1991 as an international news service. Its efforts have led to a syndicated environmental news column being published around the world.

Since the 1970s, Dr. Gary Hartshorn has studied how natural tree falls create openings or gaps in the rainforest canopy and allow for the regeneration of native trees.

“Initially, I was surprised by the results,” he said. “They indicated that many native tree species actually require these gaps for successful regeneration.”

He found that gaps in the rainforest canopy are the key to the natural rebuilding process because sunlight can then reach the forest floor and promote rapid growth of seedlings.

Although most traditional development of tropical forests is synonymous with total deforestation, Hartshorn has developed a management system based on this gap theory. It allows for native people to both harvest the rainforest and help it regenerate at the same time.

In a small Peruvian valley near the Amazon River basin, a pilot project has been under way since 1986 and has proven successful. A similar project is now being tested in Bolivia, Hartshorn said, and he hopes to eventually set up the process in the rainforests of Africa and Southeast Asia.

In Peru, the Yanesha Indian tribe is simulating these tree fall dynamics by clearing thin strips in the rainforest and harvesting all the timber from them. Hartshorn has discovered that the optimum size for these openings is between 30 and 40 meters wide by 100 to 300 meters long.

“This is really the antithesis of clear cutting,” Hartshorn said. “It’s a way of managing tropical forests on a sustained-yield basis.”

The Yanesha Forest Cooperative harvests the wood with oxen to keep costs low and minimize damage to the forest. From a small processing facility on their land, the Indians produce raw lumber, preserved posts and utility poles, and charcoal.

Research on two harvested strips has revealed that the Peruvian rainforest can regenerate itself quickly in these artificial openings, Hartshorn said. Nearly two times the amount of tree species have grown back in the harvested strips than were originally removed.

“It’s an ecologically sound process in the sense that we’re doing very minimal damage to the ecosystem,” he said. “It promotes excellent natural regeneration of hundreds of tree species and can be easily implemented by native people.”

Through this management system, the lives of the local people can be improved without depleting natural resources, he said, and the chance to use tropical forests without destroying them presents an exciting opportunity.

Tip/Stat — Many Amazonian forests have between 150 and 200 tree species per hectare — a metric unit of area equal to just over two acres.

Technorati Tags: tropical forests, rainforests, ecological forest, helping the rainforest

Earth News Media is a nationally syndicated environmental news service profiling the positive environmental efforts of individuals, organizations and corporations around the world.

In the past, Christmas trees displayed at the U.S. Capitol have all been cut. But this year, New Mexico carefully removed a 60-foot spruce tree for transport to Washington, D.C. — complete with a 50-ton root ball. It will be the Capitol’s first living Christmas tree.

Each year, a different national forest is given the privilege of providing a Christmas tree for the nation’s capital. The honor this year went to New Mexico’s Carson National Forest.

After the holidays, this tree won’t be shredded for composting or hauled to a landfill like most Christmas trees. It will be putting down roots in its new home on the East Coast.

“We’re trying to encourage individuals and communities to switch from cut Christmas trees to living trees,” said Jim Freeman, New Mexico’s Urban Forestry Coordinator. “In New Mexico alone, 250,000 Christmas trees are cut every year, and many of them end up in landfills.”

To create a statewide event, most communities in New Mexico will decorate living Christmas trees this year and transplant them after the holidays, Freeman said. With the help of an Albuquerque radio station, all of these communities will coordinate their lighting ceremonies with the lighting of the national Christmas tree in Washington, D.C. New Mexico also hopes many of its residents will add momentum to the program by using living trees at home.

By following a few simple precautions, anyone can successfully use and then transplant a living Christmas tree. The tree should not be brought inside and left for a long period of time, Freeman said, because it will break its dormancy and could possibly freeze when taken back outside for planting.

“It’s best to keep the tree outside or in the garage for as long as possible, and then bring it in and decorate it right before Christmas,” he said.

Ideally, the tree should be planted as soon as possible after the holidays. If the ground is frozen, keep the tree in the cold and occasionally water its root ball until the ground thaws, Freeman said. But make sure the roots don’t freeze by adding a layer of burlap cloth or surrounding the root ball with wood chips.

However, if a living Christmas tree doesn’t appeal to you, be sure to find out if your cut tree can be mulched through a community program instead of being hauled to a landfill.

Tip/Stat — The United States has only seven percent of the world’s forests, but about 23 percent of the world’s industrial wood is harvested in this country.

Technorati Tags: Christmas trees, living trees, green holiday tips, green Christmas, forestry

As anyone who drives a gasoline-powered vehicle knows, the rest is history. Americans have since accepted the economic and environmental consequences.

Had Ford’s plan to use ethanol been realized, America might have looked very different today. However, ethanol still has many benefits and its not to late for America to take advantage of them, said Mark Dunn, director of the Northwest Ethanol Fuel Association.

“Ethanol is fermented and distilled from agricultural products like corn, wheat, barley and potatoes,” he said. “This makes it a renewable resource — unlike fossil fuels.”

By combining gasoline with 10 percent ethanol, the new mix will actually gain a higher octane rating and burn more efficiently, Dunn said. Equally important, however, vehicles burning this fuel called “gasahol” will emit about 25 percent less carbon monoxide.

Since roughly 60 percent of all carbon monoxide pollution is created by vehicles, these reductions can be significant. Several U.S. cities already have started “gasahol” programs and have noticed the benefits of ethanol in dealing with air pollution problems.

Ethanol has other environmental advantages, as well. Some production methods can use agricultural waste like potato skins. Sending these wastes to an ethanol manufacturer can keep them from contributing to America’s solid waste problem.

Ethanol also has some impressive economic advantages. In Bend, Ore., the Oregon Ethanol Co. is building a small refinery that will employ more than 40 people.

“From our workforce, even more jobs will be created,” said Terry Lynch, president of the company. “For every job we create, another seven will be created indirectly.”

A study by the Illinois Corn Growers Association revealed that for every 100 million bushels of corn used for the production of ethanol, 2,250 new rural jobs would be created. Additionally, the ethanol industry could put 50 million idle farming acres back into production.

Last year alone, 34 states sold more than eight billion gallons of ethanol, which was blended into only eight percent of the gasoline burned in the United States.

Perhaps it’s time to put Henry Ford’s original plans back on track.

Tip/Stat — For more information on ethanol or other alternative fuels, call the Renewable Fuels Association at 1 (800) 543-3802.

Technorati Tags: fuel efficiency, ethanol, ethanol industry, environmental consequences, renewable fuels, renewable energy, gasahol, carbon monoxide pollution

By encouraging U.S. corporations to install state-of-the-art lighting in their facilities, the EPA is promoting both energy efficiency and pollution prevention. Companies that join the program will profit by lowering their energy bills and improving lighting quality. As a byproduct, these companies also will help reduce the air pollution caused in the generation of electricity.

Lighting consumes nearly 25 percent of the electricity used each year in the United States. And commercial and industrial lighting represents 80 to 90 percent of that electrical demand.

By installing “green lighting,” companies can reduce the electrical power required for their lighting systems by 50 to 75 percent, said Maria Tikoff, manager of the Green Lights program for the California EPA. This in turn reduces the amount of pollution produced at power plants.

“One of the misunderstandings we need to overcome is that energy efficiency means a sacrifice of some sort,” Tikoff said. “When it comes to lighting, that’s just not the case. In most instances, the quality of lighting is improved.”

Since the voluntary Green Lights program started last January, more than 125 corporations and five state governments have joined the effort. This means more than one billion square feet of building space has already been dedicated to energy efficient lighting, she said.

Under the program, participants sign an agreement committing their organization to survey all of its facilities and install new lighting systems that maximize energy savings and do not compromise lighting quality.

To simplify the process, the EPA has a computer program to help participants quickly survey their lighting systems. The program assesses various options and can even make final recommendations. The EPA also offers product information and can help organizations find grants or low-interest loans for the new lighting.

California was the first state government to join the Green Lights program. The state estimates that by installing “green lighting” in its buildings, taxpayers eventually will save $255 million in annual energy costs, Tikoff said.

Along with the monetary savings, the new lights also will keep more than two billion pounds of carbon dioxide, two million pounds of sulfur dioxide and six million pounds of nitrogen oxide out of California’s air.

Not a bad gain for changing a few light bulbs.

Tip/Stat — One compact fluorescent light bulb can last as long as 13 incandescent bulbs, while saving about $57 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.

Technorati Tags: saving the environment, environmental protection, pollution prevention, energy efficiency, green lighting, green lighting systems