Month: June 2007

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Latest Edition of Symbiosis Addresses Pharmaceutical Pollution Prevention

The latest edition (Vol. 4, No. 2) of the Teleosis Institute‘s journal, Symbiosis, focuses on pharmaceutical pollution prevention. The Teleosis Institute is a non-profit organization based in Berkeley, California, devoted to developing effective, sustainable health care provided by professionals who serve as environmental stewards. Teleosis recently launched a Green Pharmacy Campaign, which is a collaboration with local pharmacies, health providers, and consumers, aimed at reducing the “footprint” of pharmaceutical medicine. The campaign includes a pilot program in Berkeley to take-back unused medicines at pharmacies and doctor’s offices.Symbiosis, Vol. 4, No. 2

The contents of this edition of Symbiosis include:

  • Letter from the Director
  • Health in the News: Pharmaceutical Pollution
  • Green Pharmacy: Preventing Pharmaceutical Pollution
  • Pharmaceutical Pollution: Ecology and Toxicology Considerations
  • Christian Daughton and the Ecology of PPCPs: An Integral Vision
  • Water Quality: Key to Many Doors in the 21st Century, by Christian Daughton, PhD
  • The 4 T’s: Assessing Exposure to Multiple Chemicals
  • Green Pharmacy: Preventing Pollution with Sustainable Medicine
  • Facts on Pharmaceuticals and the Environment
  • Ecological Economics and the Drug Life Cycle: The True Cost of Drugs
  • Pollution Prevention Partner: PharmEcology, LLC
  • Unused and Expired Medicines: A National Pandemic
  • Pollution Prevention Partner: Physicians for Social Responsibility
  • Spotlight on Green Pharmacy: Stockholm County Council
  • Website Review: Environmental Protection Agency: Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) as Environmental Pollutants
  • Book Review: Macroshift: Navigating the Transformation to a Sustainable World
  • Support Green Pharmacy!!

All articles are available online in PDF format at the link above.

Thanks to Evin Guy of the Teleosis Institute for sharing this information.

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WasteCap Wisconsin June 2007 Bulletin Available

Ok, so end-of-pipe recycling is not technically considered pollution prevention in the strictest sense of the term; it is often argued that only in-process recycling counts. But folks interested in P2 also tend to be interested in diverting waste from landfills, especially if that waste can be turned into an asset and put to further use, at the source or otherwise. Plus, many P2 professionals are becoming more and more interested in the concepts of product stewardship and extender producer responsibility, which include thinking about how to reuse and recycle materials once they’ve served their original purpose. Information on recycling and recycled-content products is also of interest in matters of environmentally preferable purchasing and green building. So, beneficial reuse is part of my personal sense of the intention of pollution prevention, and yes, I am going to talk about end-of-pipe recycling in this P2 blog. Gasp if you must, and direct all criticisms to me (Joy).

WasteCap Wisconsin LogoIf you’re interested in beneficial reuse in general, and specifically in construction and demolition debris recycling, electronics recycling, and organic material recycling (composting, food donation, scraps for animal feed, etc.), check out WasteCap Wisconsin’s web site. They offer case studies, publications, training opportunities, and other resources on these issues. They also produce a monthly e-mail bulletin chock full of case studies, resources, news, information on recycling technologies, legislation, events, and profiles of member organizations. The June 2007 issue is available online, and archived issues are available all the way back to 2005. Information on signing up for the bulletin is available on the WasteCap Wisconsin home page.

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Small Business Resources: MPCA’s Small Business Environmental Assistance Program

If you operate a small business in Minnesota, be sure to check out the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Small Business Environmental Assistance Program web pages. Included are general information pages on air, water, waste and clean up issues, a link to the Environmental Guide for Small Businesses in Minnesota, information specific for various sectors (including auto body and auto repair, dry cleaning, halogenated solvent cleaning, automotive salvage yards, chromium electroplating and anodizing, fiberglass fabricators, and wood finishers), links to related EPA initiatives, and archived editions of two newsletters–Small Business Enterprise, a quarterly newsletter published by the SBEAP that covers pollution prevention, compliance and training, and The Cross Link, a newsletter geared specifically toward fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) products manufacturers.