League of Municipalities Display
A Hit
The New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network teamed up with the
Association of New Jersey Recyclers this past November to develop
a very innovative and interesting
exhibit that was displayed at the League of Municipalities conference
and trade show in Atlantic City. In addition to providing important
information about the Network and "buying recycled," the exhibit featured
a variety of recycled products that are either manufactured or distributed
by Network members.
The front end of a recycled automobile with working headlights was
used by Pro Auto Recyclers to bring attention to the world
of recycled auto parts. Polywood, Inc.s recycled plastic
lumber picnic table was another eye-catching feature of the exhibit,
as was the recycled content Environ flooring provided by Rainbow
Eco Specialties. The exhibit also included Total Recycling
Services interesting display on the anti-freeze rerefining
process, as well as the various recycled products manufactured from
paper by Marcal Paper Mills, Inc. and the Homasote Company.
The financial and technical support provided by these companies helped
to make the Networks involvement in this event a success.
Special thanks must also be extended to Network member
Bell Atlantic and the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection, Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste for their financial
support of the exhibit.
Did You Know
- Furniture and cabinets made by Safe Solutions LLC of Durango,
Colorado are constructed from 100% recycled shipping pallets and
building materials. Contact the company at 970-247-3333.
- Baume & Merciers Catwalk wristwatch has a rubber and
steel band made from scrap tires. The watch was available this past
holiday season at Tourneau for $1,250!
- The Sheraton Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, PA is promoting
itself as the "First Environmentally Smart Hotel in the Continental
United States." State-of-the-art environmental, recycled and sustainable
materials are used throughout the hotel. For more information, call
800-325-3535.
- The EcoMall (http://www.ecomall.com)
promotes itself as the oldest and largest environmental shopping
center on the Internet. The EcoMall website features a wide variety
of environmentally friendly products and services.
- GreenDisk recycled computer disks are 100% guaranteed to be error-free
and virus-free. Visit the companys website at www.greendisk.com
for more information, including locations where the disks can be
purchased.
Buy Recycled Resources Recent Developments
The procurement of recycled products and other environmentally friendly
products just got easier thanks to a number of new or updated information
resources available on the Internet.
The Buy Recycled Business Alliance, a partnership of the National
Recycling Coalition, Inc., recently announced that its Buy Recycled
Guidebook has been updated and is available on the World Wide Web
at http://brba.nrc-recycle.org
(follow the "Whats New" link). In addition, the Environmental
Protection Agency has revamped its environmentally preferable purchasing
database which can be found at http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp
(follow the "Whats New" link).
In terms of new resources, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
recently announced the startup of its Gallery of Environmentally Preferable
Products website found at http://tbe.mit.edu/gallery/.
Another new resource is the National Association of Counties
"Local Government Purchasing Starter Kit." The kit is available through
the NACO website found at www.naco.org/programs/environ/purchase.cfm.
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Academia Embraces Sustainability
With the goal of making their campuses models of sustainability,
six New Jersey colleges and universities have come together to launch
the New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJHEPS).
The partnership is comprised of Bergen Community College, Kean University,
Montclair State University, Ramapo College, Rutgers University and
Stevens Institute of Technology and was formed with the support of
the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation of Morristown, New Jersey.
Among other goals, NJHEPS seeks to develop cooperative
green purchasing contractual arrangements at each campus for the procurement
of recycled products and other environmentally appropriate products
and services. For more information, visit NJHEPs website at
http://www.ramapo.edu/njheps.
Recycled Paper in the News
- A recent U.S. Conference of Mayors study proved that recycled
content copy paper works just as well in copy machines as does virgin-fiber
copy paper. Equipment producers did test runs of 2 million sheets
using virgin-fiber paper, 20% post-consumer recycled paper and 30%
post-consumer recycled paper. The results of the study are as follows:
Grade
Copier Jams/100,000 Sheets
Virgin
2.9
20% Recycled 2.8 2.9
30% Recycled 1.5 3.2
- Solana Recyclers of Encinitas, California formed a Recycled Products
Purchasing Cooperative as a way to increase the use of recycled
paper in the public and private sectors. The 30% post-consumer recycled
paper that is available through the Cooperative meets or beats the
price that many organizations are paying for virgin-fiber paper
and is recommended by the U.S. Government Printing Office. While
initially only available to six western states, the Cooperative
hopes to be open to all fifty states later this year. There is no
cost to become a member of the Cooperative. For further information,
call 760-436-7986 or visit their website at www.recycledproducts.org.
Earth Day, April 22, 2000 - Right Around the
Corner
While April 22nd might seem far away right now, it
is closer than you think, especially if you intend to organize
and hold a Buy Recycled Earth Day event at your company. While
Earth Day 2000 is scheduled for a Saturday, activities promoting
environmental awareness will be held throughout April so dont
worry if your event is not on Earth Day itself.
This annual celebration is a perfect opportunity for you to
help spread the Buy Recycled message at your company. Among other
things, consider creating a recycled products display that includes
the recycled products purchased by your company. In addition,
consider providing company staff with recycled content hats, frisbees,
or T-shirts, etc. that promote both the Buy Recycled message and
your company. So, start making your plans and have fun!
Q & A
Q. What is the New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network and
what is its role?
A. The Network is a leadership group of companies that have
made a commitment to increase their purchase of recycled products
and materials as part of their day-to-day operations. The role
of the organization is to bring the Buy Recycled message to as
many companies as possible. To join, call Marie Kruzan of ANJR
at 908-722-7575 or visit the Network website at www.state.nj.us/recyclenj.
New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network
Joseph Verga, Bell Atlantic Co-Chair
973-266-9033
Steven Rinaldi, NJDEP, Bureau of Recycling and Planning
Co-Chair, 609-984-3438
Editor: Steven Rinaldi
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