by Kelly Wenner

Imagine a vending machine that pays you for your product. For those readers living in a state with a bottle deposit law Reverse Vending Machines, or RVMs, may already be commonplace at your local public spaces.  An RVM is a device that accepts empty beverage containers and returns payment – either in money or another form of currency such as coupons or gift cards – to the user.  Businesses that are looking for ways to increase their sustainability initiatives may have found one in this incarnation of recycling. What blue recycling bins lack is what RVMs offer – an interactive element for the user and the opportunity to provide immediate rewards for recycling.  RVMs also provide opportunities for businesses to develop relationships with the public and further strengthen and encourage sustainability initiatives within communities.

A variety of institutions have taken their recycling efforts to the next level with the use of RVMs.  Universities such as Sacred Heart University in Connecticut have tied in their incentives with free goods from key sponsors like BIC and FUJIFILM.  Large event venues like the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, encouraged by eco-minded entertainers, offer prizes to their patrons in the form of event tickets.  Even hospitals have honed in on the opportunities provided by RVMs.  Hospital staff and patients generate hundreds of used beverage and meal containers daily.  The Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut, decided to use the recycling of these containers to the benefit of their employees.  The proceeds from each bottle or container placed into the machine go to raise money for the hospital’s Employee Hardship Fund.  PepsiCo created, in conjunction with Waste Management RVM, the ”Dream Machine,” to offer reward points to individuals who use the machine to recycle bottles and cans or cash donations to charities.  The points accumulate to earn rewards such as travel or movie tickets and coupons for Pepsi products.

These unique endeavors demonstrate how many different ways RVMs can be used by a wide variety of industries to incentivize people to recycle.

by Shawn Skinner

Last year “more people were killed worldwide by natural disasters…than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.”  If 2010 was the “year the earth struck back,” what will 2011 be known as?  So far in the U.S., the year 2011 has been a year of climatic record breakers—blizzards, tornadoes, floods, droughts, and most recently, heat waves.  There are few areas throughout the nation that have not been affected by intense heat this summer.  With energy costs increasingly on the rise, how can you afford to keep your home cool on a budget?  There are ways you can save money and still stay cool in this time of recession, and one place to start is the outside of your home.

If you do not already have shade trees nearby, consider planting some, particularly on the side of your home that experiences the most midday and afternoon sunlight.  Trees will block some sunlight from reaching your windows and siding and decrease the amount of heat that will build up inside, thus reducing your cooling needs.  According to the Arbor Day Foundation website, if you have an outdoor or window air conditioning unit, consider planting a tree to shade it.  Of course, trees will not grow over night, and you will want to research tree varieties to choose which are right for your unique situation.  Some fast growing varieties can be found at the Fast-Growing-Trees website.  Also, factor in the eventual need for trimming, and do not plant trees too close to your house, as mold formation is heightened and gutters can become clogged with foliage and tree debris.  Tips for pruning trees can be found at the USDA Forest Service website.  Additionally, deciduous trees may be a good choice because they will let the sun’s rays reach your home during the winter months after their leaves have fallen.  If you are currently looking to rent or buy, add shade trees to your list of search criteria.

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by Beth Gray

Recently, a coworker who is also an American Public University (APU) student (as many of our employees are) sent me a link to a YouTube video that her professor posted as part of that week’s assignment.  The video, produced by The Story of Stuff Project and narrated by Annie Leonard, is 20 minutes in length and provides a somewhat scathing look at the life cycle of our “stuff.” 

Through the use of basic yet effective animations, Leonard describes in accessible terms how all of our stuff comes to be and what happens when we are finished with it.  Through the five steps of the materials economy (extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal), our stuff requires tremendous resources, natural and human.  Along the way, the process harms many of the parties involved.  During the extraction process, for example, people living in the places where the first resources are culled often lose the lands and natural materials on which they have relied for generations.  Because their resources are lost, some 200,000 people a day (worldwide) move from environments that had previously sustained them for generations to cities in search of work, often finding it in the factories that are making stuff from the resources taken from their lands.  During the production process, workers are subjected to many harmful chemicals that are used to create the stuff.  At the same time, working conditions in many of the factories producing our stuff leave much to be desired. 

Even the consumer, who is the driving force behind the manufacturing of this stuff is harmed.  The toxins that go into making the stuff impact those who buy and use these items.  Leonard uses the phrase, “toxins in, toxics out” to make the point that many of our products are actually toxic to us.  Through all of this, the environment takes the most consistent abuse, however.  The loss of vast quantities of natural resources, toxins emitted into the environment, and the irresponsible disposal of most items leaves our planet quite vulnerable, according to Leonard.

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by Shawn Skinner

Many people often do not equate auto performance with efficiency.  This is often true of many early American performance cars.  The first performance engine available to the masses was the Ford Flathead V-8 introduced in 1932.  It is often associated with bootlegging and hot rodding, but it was compact and fuel efficient when compared to larger inline six or eight cylinder engines.  Road tests were even able to achieve 20mpg fuel economy, quite remarkable for the times.

In 1949 the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 was introduced with the first high performance modern overhead valve V-8 engine.  The horsepower wars continued throughout the 1950s with the Chrysler C-300 becoming the top performer with its Hemi engine.  Larger, higher horsepower engines continued to be offered throughout the first half of the 1960s, but mostly in larger cars.  This was soon to change.

In 1964, Pontiac shoved a full sized 389 cubic inch V-8 from its full size car line into its midsize Tempest, calling it the GTO.  This created what some argue is the first muscle car (a large, high horsepower engine midsize car).  The Ford Mustang was introduced the same year, with high performance engines offered the following year.  Both of these cars found imitators such as the Plymouth GTX and Roadrunner, Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Chevelle SS, Oldsmobile 442, Plymouth Barracuda, and Chevrolet Camaro, just to name a few.  The large, gas-guzzling muscle cars were constructed with straight-line performance, not fuel economy as the number one priority.

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by Jennifer Lefebvre

Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 19th. If you are looking for an environmentally friendly gift for your dad, there are many items available.

Earthtec offers functional apparel while keeping green thinking at the forefront.  In fact, all of their products are made from recycled or renewable materials.  They focus on materials like organic cotton and wool and work with eco-textiles, as well.  Some of these new materials include recycled nylon, corn and coffee beans.

For the hungry dad, Hearst Ranch offers grass-fed meat products for shipping.  Hearst Ranch’s cattle live as foragers and grazers.  The rancher believes that this “enhances a complex and balanced mosaic of native grasslands which in turn maintains vigor and distribution of these habitats, ensuring a sustainable food system.”

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