Category: GLRPPR Website

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RSS Feeds Available for GLRPPR Sector Resources

GLRPPR is pleased to announce that RSS feeds are now available for all of the GLRPPR Sector Resources. This means that you can now subscribe to the sector and subject categories that interest you and receive updates in your news aggregator (e.g. Google Reader, Bloglines, etc.) when something new is added to those categories. Many of you already use the GLRPPR News RSS feed, but if you’re new to the concept and need more explanation, check out P2RIC’s RSS Frequently Asked Questions page. The Sector Resource RSS feeds will allow you to keep up with the latest information added to the GLRPPR web site related to your subjects of interest –without having to visit the GLRPPR site, search through the Sector Resources and try to figure out what has been added since you last checked. The “new additions” you’ll be monitoring will include resources, upcoming events, funding opportunities and archived Help Desk questions and answers related to a sector or subject.

To subscribe to Sector Resource RSS feeds, visit the Sector Resources section of the GLRPPR site. Browse through the list of categories, and click on those of interest to you. Within each Sector Resource, you’ll see a small orange box (like this: ) next to the title of the Sector Resource. If you want to subscribe to the RSS feed for that Sector Resource, just click on that orange icon. If you’re using Internet Explorer as your web browser, you’ll see a page showing the code for the RSS feed. Use the URL for that page to subscribe to the feed with your news aggregator of choice. If you’re using FireFox as your web browser, you’ll go to a page that allows you to select the news aggregator you want to subscribe with. Once that choice is made, click on the “subscribe now” button and then follow the regular procedure for adding a new feed to your aggregator. For an example, see the Mercury Sector Resource and look for the orange icon at the top of the page, next to the title. The updates you’ll get in your news aggregator will include the title of the new item and an indication of what the item is (e.g. “Resource,” “Training,” “Funding Opportunity,” etc.), as well as the description of that item as it appears on the GLRPPR web site. Click on the link to the item to go to that item.

This is a new service, so we anticipate that there may be bugs to work out in the beginning; if you want to report a technical problem related to the new feeds, email Tyler Rubach, GLRPPR Webmaster.

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NWF Documents on EPP, Mercury Thermostat Recycling, & Mercury Switches in Vehicles

Thanks to Michael Murray, Ph.D., National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Staff Scientist for the Great Lakes Natural Resource Center, for providing three new NWF documents for access on the GLRPPR web site:

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing in the Great Lakes Region: A Survey of State, Municipal and Institutional Programs assesses EPP programs in the eight Great Lakes states, eight municipalities and three universities, with an emphasis on policies addressing PBT chemicals. Researched and written by Cameron S. Lory and Amy E. Scott-Runnels of INFORM, Inc., and Michael W. Murray, Ph.D. of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).

Recycling Mercury Thermostats in Ohio outlines the problem of mercury in the environment, and provides information on mercury in thermostats and alternatives and recycling mercury containing thermostats in Ohio. It also includes a comparison of collection of mercury containing thermostats via the Thermostat Recycling Corporation voluntary program for both the U.S. as a whole and Ohio.

Putting the Brakes on Quicksilver: Removing Mercury From Vehicles in Ohio addresses the removal of mercury switches from automobiles in Ohio. This report was written by Michael W. Murray, Ph.D. with research assistance by Knoll Larkin and Liz Szaluta of the University of Michigan.

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Grants Available for P2 Projects at Michigan Public Parks

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has announced the availability of applications for the 2007 Community Pollution Prevention (P2) Grants Program. The goal of this program is to institute P2 practices and waste reductions at public parks, and offer visitors a unique opportunity to learn about P2 and environmentally sustainable practices while observing day-to-day operations at those parks. A total of $250,000 in grant funds are available and applications are due April 30, 2007. Examples of eligible activities include: development of a park-wide P2 program; recycling projects; implementation of education outreach programs to train park staff and visitors about P2; the disposal of solid and hazardous waste, pesticides, and fertilizers located on park property; replacement of hazardous cleaning products through the purchase of environmentally friendly products; the purchase and installation of water saving fixtures and landscaping; the purchase of energy efficient lighting, heating and cooling, and maintenance equipment; and green demolition and construction projects.

Be sure to check the GLRPPR Funding Opportunities page regularly for additional notices of grants available throughout the region. Relevant funding opportunities also appear in corresponding Sector/Subject Resources on the GLRPPR web site.

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P2 for Hospital Sterilizers, Area Source Categories, & Biotech Labs

The Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) has developed three new Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) Topic Hubs: P2 for Hospital Sterilizers, P2 for Area Source Categories, and Biotechnology Labs. The Hospital Sterilizer Topic Hub provides information for health care facilities and pollution prevention professionals on the sterilizer ethylene oxide (EtO) and how to reduce its use while providing necessary sterilization capabilities at a health care facility. The P2 for Area Source Categories Topic Hub provides information and tools to facilitate assistance to sources that are themselves small emitters of toxic air pollutants, but collectively comprise 1/4 to 1/3 of all toxic air emissions. The Biotechnology Labs Topic Hub provides information for biotech research labs, manufacturers, and P2 professionals on how to reduce toxic material use, wastes and energy and water use in biotech labs.

For more information on the P2Rx Topic Hubs, and to see a complete list of available Topic Hubs, see the GLRPPR web site.

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From the GLRPPR Help Desk archive

The GLRPPR Help Desk Librarian is here to answer your P2 questions. Previous questions and answers are archived on the GLRPPR web site and also appear in related sector resource categories. Below is a recent inquiry.

Question: I have heard about a $1/gallon government incentive for biodiesel. I would like some information about who provides the incentive and who gets it.

Answer: This incentive is also known as the Biodiesel and Ethanol (VEETC) Tax Credit. According to the U.S. Department of Energy:

The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-357) created tax incentives for biodiesel fuels and extended the tax credit for fuel ethanol. The biodiesel credit is available to blenders/retailers beginning in January 2005. It also established the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), which provides ethanol blenders/retailers with $.51 per pure gallon of ethanol blended or $.0051 per percentage point of ethanol blended (i.e., E10 is eligible for $.051/gal; E85 is eligible for $.4335/gal). The incentive is available until 2010.

Section 1344 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended the tax credit for biodiesel producers through 2008. The credits are $.51 per gallon of ethanol at 190 proof or greater, $1.00 per gallon of agri-biodiesel, and $.50 per gallon of waste-grease biodiesel. If the fuel is used in a mixture, the credit amounts to $.0051 per percentage point ethanol or $.01 per percentage point of agri-biodiesel used or $.0050 per percentage point of waste-grease biodiesel (i.e. E100 is eligible for $.51 per gallon) (Source: U.S. DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)

For more details on this program and other incentives for using alternative fuel sources, see:

Getting bucks back for your biodiesel production
This article provides a good overview of the tax credit and related incentives for biodiesel producers.

State & Federal Incentives & Laws
This database captures state and federal laws and incentives related to alternative fuels and vehicles, air quality, fuel efficiency, and other transportation-related topics. State-level information is updated annually after each state’s legislative session ends. Federal information is updated after enacted legislation is signed into law.

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Industrial Ecology of Metals Forum Launched

A free new tool has been launched to promote the application of industrial ecology and facilities research on material flows. The Industrial Ecology of Metals Forum maintains two web-based dynamic and interactive compendia of data: one containing the concentrations of metals found in various high-volume materials, and the other containing the flow rate information for high-volume materials. A discussion group focused on building and maintaining the compendia completes the Forum. The Forum also contains an area for comments on data quality issues. The compendia are available to the general public for viewing, but only discussion group members can make additions to or comments on data contained in the compendia. Funding for the Forum is provided by the U.S. EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) and by U.S. EPA Region 5. For more information on the Forum, contact Gary Miller, Assistant Director, WMRC.

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Online Training for the P2 Results Data System

GLRPPR will be presenting a free online training on the use of the P2 Results Data System on Wednesday, January 24th at 1:30 PM CT. The course will include a background of the tool, step-by-step instructions for registering and entering data, plans for future improvements of the tool, and a Q and A session. The course will be presented by Ken Grimm of NPPR with assistance from GLRPPR webmaster, Tyler Rubach. To sign up for the course, fill out the online registration form. Upon submission of the registration form you will receive a confirmation email and be put on a mailing list to receive further instructions and details via email as the date of the course approaches.

For more information on the measurement initiative and the P2 Results Data System, see the project fact sheet and the “About the Project” section of the regional module available on the GLRPPR web site.

A similar training session will be presented at the joint GLRPPR/Region 7 roundtable conference in March in Chicago, IL. Continue to check the conference web page for more information on the conference in the coming weeks.

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October is Also Children’s Health Month

In addition to Energy Awareness Month, Children’s Health Month is observed each October. This year’s theme is “Promoting Healthy School Environments.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering webcasts throughout October to raise awareness of protecting children from environmental risks, such as poor indoor air quality, while they are at school. These webcasts begin tomorrow (October 5) with an overview of safe and healthy school environments. Topics of subsequent webcasts include high performance schools, chemical management in schools, and Healthy SEAT, an EPA software tool to help school districts evaluate and manage their facilities for key environmental, safety and health issues.

GLRPPR currently maintains three Topic Hubs related to pollution prevention for schools: Pollution Prevention for Arts Education, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Schools, and Mercury–Schools. “P2 for Arts Education” describes the health and environmental hazards found in art education, including the theatrical arts. Ideas for pollution prevention in the art classroom, including suggestions for alternative, more environmentally-friendly materials and products, are provided. The contents of this Topic Hub are applicable to all educational institutions, including K-12, colleges and universities, and informal education programs. Theater groups may also benefit from the information provided in the Topic Hub. “IPM for Schools” describes the hazards and disadvantages associated with traditional pest management practices, and introduces the concept of IPM as a means to improve the health and safety of all school facilities while preventing waste and pollution. The IPM for Schools Topic Hub is useful for K-12 schools, colleges, universities and day-care facilities. “Mercury–Schools” provides information about the key locations in school facilities where mercury may be found, health hazards associated with mercury exposure, and opportunities to reduce or eliminate mercury in school facilities.

There are several green/sustainable school programs at the state level in our region. In Illinois, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Waste Management and Research Center collaborate on the Greening Schools project, and the project’s web site is a rich resource for those interested in more environmentally-friendly school buildings as well as incorporating pollution prevention concepts into curricula. Wisconsin has a Green and Healthy Schools Program that includes a recognition program. Michigan Healthy Schools, the Pennsylvania Green Government Council’s Green Schools program, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Green Schools! program are other examples. Resources for green school buildings are available in Minnesota and Ohio. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management educates teachers about environmental issues and potential hazards in school buildings through its e-newsletter, The Notepad.

For our colleagues north of the border, the Canadian Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (CPPIC) provides pollution prevention lesson plans, tools and pollution prevention plan for the classroom. Look under “Education Programs” on the CPPIC web page for information on other Canadian green/sustainable school programs, including Ontario EcoSchools and the SEEDS Green Schools program.

Continue monitoring this blog for information on other programs and links related to green schools in the U.S. and Canada.

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October is Energy Awareness Month

In honor of Energy Awareness Month, during October the GLRPPR Blog will highlight web sites, resources, and organizations pertaining to energy efficiency and alternative/renewable energy.

To kick things off, be sure to check out GLRPPR’s Web Site of the Month for October, the Delta P2E2 Center. The Delta Institute is a non-profit organization located in Chicago, IL that works with businesses, governments and communities to improve environmental quality while promoting community and economic development. The Institute and its partners have developed the Delta P2E2 Center to help promote pollution prevention and energy efficiency measures among manufacturers, local governments, school districts, and civic institutions. The Center provides technical assistance to identify energy efficiency measures to save money and protect the environment. The Center provides a range of financing programs to implement the most promising measures. The Center also buys and sells carbon credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange on behalf of companies, and pools and trades carbon credits generated from carbon sequestration projects on behalf of farmers and landowners.

The web site provides case studies (three are currently available) and publications related to the Center’s P2E2 assistance projects in the Great Lakes region (none available at the time of the writing of this post). Continue to watch this site for further developments. Contact information for partner organizations in both Illinois and Michigan is provided on the web site for those who would like more information.

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Discussion Group Pages

One of the outcomes of the GLRPPR Strategic Planning Meeting that was held in February 2006 was the formation of four “discussion groups” for the purpose of networking and facilitation of communication and cooperation among regional organizations. These groups were formed around four topics identified by meeting attendees as subjects of special interest for the region: mercury, energy efficiency, water, and lean and green manufacturing.

GLRPPR administrative staff will assist these groups as needed with the arrangement of conference calls, and facilitation of communication among members of the group and among the groups and the general membership via the maintenance of these web pages and posting or promotion of material via the GLRPPR web site and newsletter. The discussion groups are independent entities/efforts of GLRPPR members—the GLRPPR administrative staff and Steering Committee do not manage these groups or dictate the pollution prevention topics for which GLRPPR members may form groups.

Discussion Group pages are now available on the GLRPPR web site. These pages provide descriptions of these groups and contact information, as well as conference call information and shared documents of interest where appropriate. If you are interested in joining any of these groups, please contact the individual “lead” for that group, identified on the group’s page.

If you are interested in forming an additional discussion group on a topic of regional significance, please contact Bob Iverson.