Happy St. Re-Patrick-Cycle-Mania Day!

It's that time of year again, Wolverines...the time when your two favorite events coincide... it's a green squared holiday...it's...

 St. Patrick's Day AND Recyclemania!!! 

Here are a few tips to make your St. Re-Patrick-Cycle-Mania Day even greener!

1. Share, swap, and get thrifty!
That all-green window display at American Apparel sure is tempting, but you'll save some green in your wallet, go green for the environment, and end up with a more original St. Paddy's Day outfit by sharing clothes with friends or checking out secondhand stores.

• Try organizing a pre-St. Paddy's Day clothing swap with friends. You know what they say... one friend's trash is another friend's treasure!
• Hit up Salvation Army, Value World, or the vintage stores on State Street. You might just get lucky!

2. Save the beads!!!

Got some old Mardi Gras beads lying around? These beads are not recyclable and often end up as litter or landfill, so make sure to hang onto them over the years. The green ones make fantastic St. Paddy's Day accessories!

Last year, Ann Arbor's Ecology Center tested Mardi Gras beads and found that they contained lead, bromine, arsenic, and other hazardous chemicals. Jeff Gearhart of the Ecology Center recommends that wearers of these beads avoid putting the beads in their mouths, wash their hands after handling, and make sure to reuse the beads rather than leaving them on roadways and sidewalks where chemicals could leach into the environment.

3. Green eats, green drinks

Having a St. Paddy's Day shindig? Planning to serve some green food or drink? It turns out artificial green food dye isn't so "green" after all. A study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest shows that artificial food coloring known as FD&C Green No. 3 and Fast Green CFC is derived from petroleum, contains coal tar, and has been associated with increased risk of certain cancers and hyperactivity in children. As an alternative, try serving foods that are naturally green, like kale, bell peppers, avocado, kiwi, or cucumbers. Smoothies, anyone?? If you've just got to have your green cupcakes and green beverage, try using a naturally-derived food dye instead. These can be found at health food stores or, if you're feeling ambitious, here are directions for DIY natural food dyes!

Another important thing to remember at your St. Paddy's Day party-- whether your cups are green or classic red, all plastic cups (i.e. Solo brand) can be recycled! Make sure to clean up your cups and recycle responsibly. Even better-- have guests bring their own reusable cups or mason jars so that everyone can show off their naturally-dyed green beverage!

Happy St. Re-Patrick-Cycle-Mania Day, everyone! 

Zero Delivery on Zero Waste Promise at the Sochi Olympics

Let's start off with some good news. According to the Economist/YouGov Poll posted February 19, the number of Americans willing to declare the Games "successful" has jumped from 36 to 49 percent since the opening ceremony. Congratulations, Sochi!

We know you're sick of hearing about all the failures of the Sochi Olympics. From the jokes spurred by the Olympic ring incident at the opening ceremony, to the compilations of photos displaying unwelcoming hotel conditions, the U.S. media has done little but blast the Russians with criticism. Many of the Sochi mishaps are forgivable, but the Russian government's failure to uphold their promise for Zero Waste Olympic Games is one #SochiProblem that is truly deplorable.

The promise for a Zero Waste Olympics-- the cleanest Olympics the world has ever seen-- was a centerpiece in Russia's bid for holding the Winter 2014 Olympics in Sochi. Sochi presented the International Olympic Committee with an ambitious sustainability plan. They promised the construction of new facilities for waste-to-building materials and waste-to-energy conversion, and claimed a desire to showcase the economic practicality of sustainability.

Russia also specified that they would refrain from dumping construction waste and rely on only reusable materials. Perhaps this is why construction waste disposal is not accounted for in the $51 billion budget for the Olympics. But in October of last year, construction waste from Sochi was found being illegally dumped just outside Sochi, in a landfill located within a water protection zone.

Aside from breaking their Zero Waste Promise, Russia's illicit waste disposal activities raise larger questions of health, safety, and sustainability in Sochi. Dumping of industrial waste is banned at this site because the site is located in close enough proximity to potentially contaminate the Mzymta River, which provides about half of Sochi's water supply. In response to complaints from villagers and activists in the surrounding community, Russia's Environmental Protection Agency issued a $3,000 fine to the multibillion dollar company Russian Railways. The EPA did not require the waste be removed from the site.

Other environmental concerns have addressed the impact of the the Olympic games on Sochi's habitat and biodiversity. According to Salon magazine, the construction of the Olympic village affected over 8,000 acres of Sochi National Park, a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. Environmental regulations were relaxed to accommodate the games, resulting in the degradation of sensitive ecosystems.

In response to criticism of Russia's dedication to sustainable practice at the Sochi Olympics, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reminds critics that Sochi will hold the first carbon neutral Games in Olympic history. Russia will be partnering with Dow Chemical, who will invest in low-carbon technologies to offset emissions, including travel, from the games. Putin also touts the government's agreement to invest in restoration of the endangered Persian leopard population. So the games may not end up being "zero waste" but they aren't "zero effort" either.

The International Olympic Committee has noted that the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics are the first to take environmental concerns into consideration. They are not, however, the first to recognize the intersection between sports and sustainability. Here at University of Michigan, our student group M-SAS (Michigan Student Athletes for Sustainability) has brought together student athletes with concern for the environment since 2012. Click here to learn some helpful sustainability tips from our very own athletes and here to let our athletes tell you more about the U-M hybrid buses.

This post would not be complete without a shout out to the University of Michigan athletes participating in this year's Winter Olympics in Sochi. For more information on U-M's representation in Sochi, visit: http://bit.ly/NcNPO0. 

GO USA! GO BLUE! GO RECYCLE!

Why Natural Burial Is the Right Way to Go... literally

When you die and you're buried, your body decomposes, and within a few years, you're back in the Earth. Just like composting! All-natural, right? Well, not exactly... 

In the U.S., the most common modern burial process starts with embalming, in which a formaldehyde-based chemical solution is used to preserve and disinfect the body. Next, the body is placed in a steel-lined wooden casket which is then placed inside a concrete vault. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the average cost of a conventional funeral is $6,500 with many running over $10,000, a steep price to pay for a service nature provides all other animals for free. 

Conventional burial practices are also extremely costly to the environment. At burial sites across the U.S., 1.6 million tons of concrete, 827,060 tons of formaldehyde-based embalming fluid, 90,000 tons of steel, and 30 million tons of hardwood are buried each year! Formaldehyde is a carcinogen known to pose health risks in funeral homes, and has been banned for use in embalming in the E.U. for this reason. Manufacturing and transporting steel is an energy-intensive process, as is the manufacture of concrete which is usually made with coal-fired energy. In the past few years, a number of organizations have begun to address environmental concerns surrounding the burial industry, and a new sector has emerged: natural burial.

The Green Burial Council was founded in 2002, spearheading a movement for ecologically responsible deathcare. On their website, GBC outlines their vision:

• We believe end-of-life rituals are meant to let us honor the dead, heal the living and invite the divine.
• We believe burial is "green" only when it furthers legitimate environmental aims such as protecting worker health, reducing carbon emissions, conserving natural resources, and preserving habitat.
• We believe the field of funeral service needs to embrace a new ethic for a new era.
• We believe death can and should connect to life.

GBC engages in advocacy efforts to spread the word on green burial, provides training and technical assistance at educational seminars, and has created the world's first eco-certification program for cemeteries, funeral homes, and burial products. GBC offers three levels of certification for cemeteries-- Hybrid Burial Grounds, Natural Burial Grounds, and Conservation Burial Grounds. The state of Michigan has two "Natural" and one "Hybrid" cemetery, as well as 14 three-leaf-rated funeral homes!

In natural burial, no chemical preservatives or disinfectants are used. The body is not embalmed (or if it is, only approved, nontoxic chemicals are used) and is shrouded in cloth or buried in a natural casket made from biodegradable materials such as cardboard, wicker, or pine. Concrete burial vaults are not used, and some cemeteries have even started using GPS coordinates or trees and shrubs to mark graves, rather than headstones.

Other alternatives to conventional burial exist as well. Cremation is a popular option, but not necessarily a "greener" one. Cremated bodies are still embalmed and the burning process releases the carcinogenic embalming chemicals into the air. A single cremation requires temperatures of between 1,400 and 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit and emits about 573 pounds of carbon dioxide, as well as other fossil fuels including hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfur dioxide, and dioxin. 

Some crematoriums have begun to reduce their ecological footprint by participating in carbon-offset programs. Other green minds have begun to think up eco-friendly uses for cremated ashes. In 2011, an industrial design student from France introduced Poetree, a funeral urn-gravestone-tree planter combo that allows new life to sprout from the ashes of your loved one. Another innovative business, Great Burial Reef, allows cremated remains to be incorporated into natural concrete urns which are placed on the ocean floor to become part of an artificial reef, attracting and fostering marine plant and animal life in a federally-protected marine sanctuary.

A lesser-known alternative to conventional burial is a process called "promession." In this process, a body is frozen to -196 degrees Celcius in liquid nitrogen and then placed on a vibrating mat allowing it to disintegrate into powder. After any metal parts are removed by magnet, the remains are packaged and placed in a shallow grave to be reincorporated into the ecosystem. Susanne Wiigh-Masak, the Swedish marine biologist who developed the process, envisions "prematoria" to replace crematoria as an eco-friendly alternative to body disposal.

Innovative minds around the world are churning out new ideas and alternatives to conventional burial and cremation practices that better maintain the intimate connection between life and death. Many of these ideas are quite new and have yet to catch on in the mainstream, but perhaps it won't be long before the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" will be followed by, "What do you want to be when you die?"

Being Green in 2013: Holiday Edition

DIY Recycled Holiday Decorations

Cardboard Tube Snowflake

Materials:

Cardboard tube

Scissors

Tape, Elmer’s glue, or hot glue gun

White acrylic paint

Paintbrush

Glitter

String




Directions:

1) Flatten cardboard tube

2) Cut into pieces about ¼ inch wide

3) Arrange 5 or 6 petal-shaped cardboard pieces with points touching in the center, forming a flower or star shape

4) Add additional cardboard pieces for a more complicated snowflake

5) Tape or glue cardboard pieces together where they touch. Make sure to keep it symmetrical like a snowflake!

6) Paint with white acrylic paint and sprinkle glitter while paint is still wet. Let dry.

7) Tie a string around one of the cardboard loops and hang as decoration around the house!

Alternative snowflake design: 

______________________________________________

Cardboard Tube Wreath

Materials:

Cardboard tube (1 paper towel roll or 3 toilet paper rolls)

Scissors

Elmer’s glue or hot glue gun

Green acrylic paint

Paintbrush

Glitter

Directions:

1)  Flatten cardboard tubes

2) Cut into pieces about ¼ inch wide for a total of 38 pieces

3) Glue the point of one petal-shaped cardboard piece ½ or 1/3 of the way up the side of another. Repeat so that all petals are paired. There should be 19 pairs.

4) Arrange in a circle—you may have to add or subtract pieces to form a full circle, depending on the size of your cardboard tube(s)

5)  Paint each pair of cardboard pieces with green acrylic paint (this will be easier than painting the final product!). Let dry.

6) Arrange back into the circular shape. Glue pieces together wherever they touch

Optional: Reapply clear-drying glue around the edges and generously sprinkle glitter
______________________________________________

Recycled Gift Wrap

Get creative with you gift wrap this year-- it's free, fun, and can still be festive! Check out these examples for inspiration:

 

Newspaper + Magazine bow

Paper grocery bag

Bandana or extra pieces of fabric

Old road maps

Lightly-used foil

______________________________________________

Happy Holidays from the U-M Waste Reduction and Recycling Office!

Tracy, Rufus, Eva and Alison

Being Green in 2013: Thanksgiving Edition

Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

You might still be trying to get all the cooking done for Thursday, but here at U-M Recycling we're already thinking about leftovers! After all, the next best thing to Thanksgiving dinner is the days of Thanksgiving leftovers that follow. The best way to show how thankful you are for all the food on your Thanksgiving table is to make sure none of it goes to waste! So here are some great recipes that will let you savor every last bite of Thanksgiving:

Next-Day Turkey Soup
8 cups chicken broth
1 turkey carcass, all meat removed
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 onions
2 bay leaves
3 cups dark turkey meat
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups leftover cooked Thanksgiving vegetables (brussel spouts, sweet potatoes, green beans, etc)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

For full directions: http://bit.ly/8B2v72

Stuffing-Stuffed Mushrooms
1 cup leftover stuffing
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 minced garlic clove
24 button mushoom caps

Mix leftover stuffing with parmesan, olive oil, parsley, and garlic. Stuff into mushroom caps. Top with parmesan and olive oil. Bake 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees.

http://bit.ly/Ifh8wE

Cranberry Tartlets
12 (2 3/4-inch) squares of dough
6 tablespoons cranberry sauce
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Sanding sugar

Arrange squares of dough in a mini-muffin pan. Top each square with 1 1/2 teaspoons cranberry sauce. Fold in edges. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Beat together egg yolk and cream. Brush tartlets with egg wash. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake at 400 degrees 30-35 minutes (until golden).

http://martha.ms/1cIGCMn

For many more Thanksgiving leftovers recipes, go to:
http://bit.ly/4IiCA
http://bit.ly/u9IQkv
http://bit.ly/hUSiIZ

Happy Turkey Day! We're thankful for our readers of the MRecycle blog!

Being Green in 2013: Week 16

Reduce, Reuse,... Reprocess
How the health care industry is becoming less disposable and more sustainable

According to environmentalists, our "culture of disposability" will not be environmentally and economically feasible for long, and we will soon transition away from single-use items. If necessity arises, humans could reasonably transition from Kleenex back to handkerchiefs and give up Solo cups and plasticware. But what those products for which the benefits of disposability extend beyond convenience? In the medical arena, disposable items such as syringes, gloves, masks and bandages provide the hygiene, sterility, and safety that define our modern medical system. So what can hospitals do to be less disposable and more sustainable?

Recycling and reprocessing of surgical instruments is a growing area in engineering and product development. Reprocessing generally entails cleaning, disinfecting, and/or sterilizing reusable devices. Medical device recycling has been ranked 6th out of the Top 10 Fastest Growing Industries 2012-2017. According to an article from Clemson University:

[T]here's a new push for controlling the amount and type of waste hospitals generate, as it costs a lot of money to control biohazardous waste. Not only are hospitals interested in controlling this cost, but companies are also interested in a more sustainable model. As a result, some instruments are now being reprocessed so that they can be safely reused for different surgeries. Additionally, insurance companies are no longer funding certain medical devices for individual patients, so work toward making such devices reusable is also being done.

Cost-effectiveness is a key incentive for the recycling of medical devices. Stryker Sustainable Solutions Inc., a leader in medical device reprocessing and remanufacturing, asserts that even if only 1 to 2 percent of all single-use devices were reprocessed, the healthcare industry could save up to $2 billion. Universities have been showing increasing interest in the reprocessing sector and in 2012, Clemson University established the first Medical Device Recycling and Reprocessing Certificate Program for engineers entering the medical device industry. Beyond reprocessing, some companies are creating alternatives to conventional wasteful medical devices. A Netherlands-based technology group has recently come out with the Bioneedle, a waste-free alternative to syringes for vaccine delivery.


The healthcare sector is taking other measures to reduce its environmental impact as well. According to an article on Grist.org, hospitals across the country are finally working to cure their "environmental ills". Spectrum Health's Butterworth Campus in Grand Rapids, MI is working to become mercury-free. The Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY has established a comprehensive waste-reduction program and has built a distillery to reclaim its chemical waste. And the Gunderson Health System in LaCrosse, WI has invested $30 million in becoming energy self-sufficient by 2014. 

A non-profit organization called Health Care Without Harm partners with hospitals to "implement ecologically sound and healthy alternatives to health care practices that pollute the environment and contribute to disease." The organization seeks to transform the health care industry worldwide. Their goals include: to create markets and policies for safer products; eliminate incineration of medical waste; transform the design and construction of health care facilities; encourage sustainably-sourced food production at health care facilities; promote human rights and environmental justice; and address climate change by improving energy practices.

The University of Michigan Health System leads the health care industry in environmental stewardship. In September 2013, U-M Hospitals and Health Centers (UMHHC) was recognized by "Becker's Hospital Review" as one of the 50 greenest hospitals in America. UMHHC has also received Practice Greenhealth's Environmental Leadership Circle Award-- the organization's most prestigious award-- five years in a row (2007-2011). UMHHC has an Environmental Stewardship Committee with subcommittees focusing on building design, energy conservation, waste management and recycling, environmentally preferred purchasing, cleaning and chemicals, and food programs.


U-M Hospitals and Health Centers provides all new buildings, additions and construction projects with a budget of $10 million or more to meet or exceed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification level. Building design focuses on energy saving, water efficiency, reduced CO2 emissions, improved indoor air quality, and stewardship of resources. The new LEED certified C.S. Mott Children's and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital have features including the green roof, which reduces heating and cooling costs and water runoff issues, and occupancy sensors to save energy when rooms are not in use. For more information on sustainable building design at UMHHC visit: http://sustainability.umich.edu/envsteward/design.

Since 2005, UMHHC buildings have increased their energy efficiency by over 24%. Energy-saving projects in 2012 included advanced controls to increase efficiency of heating and cooling and reduce heating and cooling of unoccupied areas, occupancy censors and daylight censors, water-saving fixture retrofits in restrooms, airflow balancing, and GreenIT programs to manage computer energy use during inactive periods. Check out this Youtube video onU-M Health System Energy Conservation to learn more.

UMHHC recycled over 25% of its waste in 2010 and decreased its total waste by 106.65 tons from the previous year. The UMHHC participates in a Beverage Container Recycling Program, Battery Recycling Program, Cell Phone Recycling Program and the Recycle Write! program. With health care facilities across the country adopting a new focus on environmental sustainability, and trend-setters like the U-M Hospitals and Health Care Centers to lead the way, we can trust that our health care system has begun to tackle the issue of disposability.

NoThrowber Challenge

Want a chance to reduce your environmental impact and win cool prizes? 

Take the NoThrowber Challenge! 

This October 2013, the U-M Waste Reduction & Recycling Office is hosting the NoThrowber Waste Reduction Challenge to encourage U-M students, faculty, and staff to be mindful of what they throw away. Each day we will post a new challenge to our Facebook page. Participants may respond via “Like” or comment on the daily post. Some challenges will include a free giveaway and the participant who completes the most challenges will receive a Grand Prize. The NoThrowber Challenge is open to all U-M students, faculty, and staff.

Grand Prize: U-M Recycling canvas tote bag filled with goodies that will keep you waste-reducing all the time

Giveaway and Grand Prize winners will be contacted via Facebook to arrange pick-ups.

Please only post relevant comments and pictures. The U-M Waste Reduction & Recycling Office reserves the write to delete any off-topic or inappropriate content.

https://www.facebook.com/UMRecycling