Month: November 2006

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Making the Holiday Season Greener

December is almost here, which means that the winter holidays are once again upon us. In the spirit of the season, check out these resources to help make your holiday season a little greener.

P2 for the Holidays is an excellent compendium of resources that encourage celebrating the season while avoiding waste. NewDream.org’s Simplify the Holidays web site is also an excellent resource for making your holiday season greener and less hectic.

Brian Smith wrote “Recycling Christmas” for the Environmental News Service in December 2002. In it, he told the story of how his family decided to make the holidays simpler by giving “recycled” holiday gifts and avoiding the hectic shopping season.

About.com’s Family Crafts editor has compiled a nice list of instructions for making recycled ornaments out of everything from used lightbulbs to CDs. AllFreeCrafts.com provides instructions for making ornaments out of old holiday cards.

BellaOnline offers suggestions for making earth-friendly gift wrap.

If you know of other resources, login and leave them in the comments.

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Illinois organizations receive Governor’s Pollution Prevention Awards

Governor Rod R. Blagojevich and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources have named 24 Illinois companies and organizations 2006 Governor’s Pollution Prevention Awards winners for their significant achievements in protecting the environment and boosting the economy. The 20th annual Governor’s Pollution Prevention Awards were presented in Bloomington during a luncheon hosted by the Waste Management and Research Center (WMRC), a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).

Applicants for the awards were judged in a statewide competition on criteria including technological innovation, environmental significance, economic benefits and commitment to pollution prevention.

“We were impressed again with the variety and quality of the projects undertaken by the winning companies,” said George Vander Velde, WMRC Director. “These businesses and organizations have proven that pollution prevention makes good sense for the environmental and economic health of Illinois. They have achieved their pollution prevention goals and saved millions of dollars in pollution control, waste disposal, energy and raw material costs.”

The winners include:

Small company
Chem Processing, Inc. (CPI), Rockford
PortionPac Chemical Corporation, Chicago
Spraylat Corporation, Chicago
Consolidated Printing Co., Chicago

Large company
Farmland Foods, Inc., Monmouth
Illinois Department of Military Affairs, Springfield
CITGO, Lemont

Vendor/Supplier
Finishes Unlimited Inc., Sugar Grove

Educational Organization
Pontiac Township High School, Pontiac

Continuous Improvement
Small company
Lansing Cleaners, Lansing
R.B. White, Inc., Bloomington

Large company
GE Healthcare, Arlington Heights
Abbott, Abbott Park
ITT Bell & Gossett, Morton Grove
Gates Corporation, Galesburg
Nestle’ USA, Jacksonville
Cardinal Health, McGaw Park
Continental Tire North America (CTNA), Mount Vernon
International Truck & Engine Corporation, Melrose Park

Service Organization
St. Joseph’s Hospital, Breese
Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System (SBLHS), Charleston/Mattoon

Innovate Illinois Award
Caterpillar’s Mossville Engine Center, Mossville

For more information on the Governor’s Pollution Prevention Awards, visit the WMRC website.