Archive for the ‘Legislation’
Friday, April 16, 2010
InkCycle featured in Kansas City Star article: Jobs and employment increase for KC area small business as opportunities during recession grow
Posted By: Brad Roderick
The fear of a double-dip recession may be lessened after reports from March show the largest gain in payroll jobs for one month since 2007. I would like to share an article written by Diane Stafford from the Kansas City Star, about payroll jobs increasing during the month of March, and how InkCycle was a part of the increase in payroll jobs.
Payroll jobs rose in March
In the third straight month of gains, manufacturers added 17,000 jobs.
Among them was InkCycle in Lenexa. The producer of aftermarket toner and inkjet cartridges brought about 15 employees on board last month and reached 304 on payroll.
“We’re working hard to staff a second shift based on a 20 percent increase in orders,” said Robb Urschell, who is recruiting for the company. “We have 86 actual openings right now, some of which we’re using temporary staff to fill.”
Mark Rogers, a material handler at InkCycle in Lenexa, was hired by the ink recycling company full time in March.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Grenk releases video on electronic waste and the impact it has on the environment
Posted By: Brad Roderick
E-waste is an important issue, not just in the US or North America, but globally. Its an important issue on a number of fronts. Most people are aware that virtually every major city in the US that their landfills have been closed—theyre at maximum capacity now. So where does excess landfill material go? It has to be shipped somewhere. So were creating a problem somewhere else. Thats general landfill space, but when we look at electronic or e-waste space, the problem is a lot greater. In less scrupulous environments, e-waste is typically sold and bought by the pound and goes offshore.
China has significant problems in a couple of different provinces and regions right now because their whole economy is based on e-waste. In Hong Kong, one of the most beautiful cities on the planet, there are days when you cant breathe outside. The air is that thick, it makes you choke, its brown, its black. What happens with this e-waste is that there are certain chemicals; there are certain components that are of value say gold in electronic circuitry that they need to extract out of that. They do that by burning off the rest of the material. So there are toxic fumes there are toxic chemicals that are created when they try and extract the little bit of value out of this e-waste that here is. What happens to the rest of that material? It ends up being burned; it ends up being stockpiled in areas.
The thing about electronic waste: its growing, not just as a problem but its growing in terms of total units. What do we buy anymore that doesnt have some electrical or electronic componentry to it. But the two big ones that sometimes people forget are computer monitors. Those have to be handled in an environmentally appropriate way. They cant just be thrown into the garbage.
The other is the growing area of the home theatre stuff. Bigger and bigger screens and its all shorter life. So there is a growing amount of electronic waste that is being created and we have to find environmentally responsible ways to be able to deconstruct that material, to be able to truly recycle it in ways that are not just preferable but environmentally safe.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Grenk Featured in Sweeps4Bloggers Promotional Giveaway
Posted By: Brad Roderick
I want to thank Valerie Mitchell for featuring grenk on Sweeps4Bloggers for their promotional giveaway.
Giveaway – Grenk Printer Ink Cartridges – 5 Winners – Ends 5/2/10
For all information about the promotional giveaway go to: Sweeps4Bloggers
Friday, March 12, 2010
State of Green Business Report 2010
Posted By: Brad Roderick
I want to share the third annual State of Green Business Report for 2010 conducted by GreenBiz.com.
State of Green Business Report 2010
In this third annual edition of our State of Green Business report, we continue our efforts to measure the environmental impacts of the emerging green economy. This year’s effort was colored by the Great Recession and its myriad of impacts on individuals, companies and governments around the world. Would the economic downturn nip the green economy in the bud?
Of course, 2009 also was a time of political transition in the United States, the principal arena of our focus. How would regime change affect companies’ environmental policies, performance and progress? Would companies envision a new era of environmentally activist government? If so, would that compel them to become more proactive or to dig in their heels?
The answers aren’t simple, and therein lies the foundation for this report. As in previous years, it shows a mixed bag of encouraging and discouraging news and trends.
On balance, however, we were pleasantly surprised by what we found. First and foremost, green business activity did not go away amid the harsh economic environment. It survived — and even thrived. In some cases, such as with energy efficiency, the recession provided a stimulus, as the need to cut operating costs in order to maintain competitiveness became ever more valued by executives, their boards and their shareholders.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sprint Challenges Wireless Industry to Embrace a Greener Tech Future
Posted By: Brad Roderick
I want to congratulate Sprint for taking the lead on sustainability initiatives and testifying before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet. Below is a press release from MarketWatch, providing information on the issue.
Sprint Challenges Wireless Industry to Embrace a Greener Future
Hesse testifies before Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet
WASHINGTON, Feb 23, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Sprint Nextel [NYSE: S] CEO Dan Hesse testified today before Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and members of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet about sustainability initiatives undertaken by Sprint and the wireless technology industry to benefit the environment. Hesse focused his remarks on how Sprint’s environmental efforts and goals are challenging the technology industry to creat”greener” future.
Hesse announced two new initiatives as Sprint continues its leadership in developing aggressive, measurable sustainability goals. Sprint has implemented green product guidelines for all its manufacturers, and is introducing an innovative wireless recycling Buyback program. Below are excerpts from Hesse’s testimony:
Thursday, February 18, 2010
How Green is the 2010 Winter Olympic Games: Recycled medals made from electronic waste
Posted By: Brad Roderick
With the Winter Olympics in full effect in Vancouver, I want to highlight some of the initiatives being taken to make the games more green. Here is a video from GreenopolisTV, explaining how this years Olympic medals in Vancouver are made from electronic waste.
Olympic Medals made with your recycled TV?
From: GreenopolisTV | February 17, 2010 | 1,572 views
For the first time in Olympic history, the medals at the Olympic Games contain gold, silver and copper that has been recovered from electronic waste (e-waste). Each medal was made with a tiny bit of the more than 140,000 tons of e-waste that otherwise would have been sent to Canadian landfills. More than 1,000 medals to be awarded at the Vancouver games this year.
The recovery of medals from e-waste is important, because it reduces demand for scarce metals such as gold and copper. Check in your community for e-waste recycling centers and drop off points and go for GOLD.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
TIME Magazine covers Options on Cutting Carbon
Posted By: Leslie Fischer
It looks like the world is going green and getting greener! Here is an interesting article I found discussing a plausible solution to cut carbon. Some industry leaders in developing sustainable energy solutions think the solution to this problem is right under our noses (and feet, for that matter), with an innovative process called carbon capture and storage, or CCS.
Cutting Carbon: Should We Capture and Store It?
By SIMON ROBINSON / ABU DHABI Friday, Jan. 22, 2010
In the push to cut the amount of carbon we release into the atmosphere, solutions usually focus on how to reduce our power use (drive less, insulate our houses better) or how to replace our carbon fuels (coal, oil) with renewable sources (solar, wind, biofuels).
But even in the most optimistic scenario, we will be using fossil fuels such as coal for years to come. China and India aren’t going to suddenly shut down all their new coal power plants, nor will Western industrial giants close their factories overnight. Solar and wind may be today’s sexy new energy sources, but coal is the fastest-growing fuel in the world, boasting twice the known gas reserves and three times the known oil reserves. “Coal is here to stay,” Milton Catelin, head of the World Coal Institute, told the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi on Jan 19.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
CNET: China introduces law to boost renewable energy
Posted By: Jared Cook
Here is an article I wanted to share from CNET about China’s renewable energy news.
China introduces law to boost renewable energy
A new Chinese law requires power grid operators to buy all the electricity produced by renewable energy generators, in a move that will increase the proportion of energy that comes from renewable sources in coal-dependent China.
Monday, December 28, 2009
UN urges all countries to sign climate accord in Copenhagen
Posted By: Jared Cook
Here is an interesting article from COP15.dk, the official Web site of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009. The article discusses the necessitiy of countries signing this bill to collectively combat climate change.
UN urges all countries to sign climate accord
The UN secretary-general on Monday urged all countries to formally sign on to the Copenhagen Accord to start tackling climate change and step up work toward a legally binding treaty in 2010.
Ban Ki-moon also urged richer nations to contribute to a multi-billion dollar fund to help poorer countries cope with global warming which will become operational in January.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
E-Stewards video uncovers the infamous face of e-waste
from guest blogger michael timberlake
Check out this video from the Basel Action Network (BAN) that I found on the front of the Surplus Exchange’s website, a KC non-profit electronic donation and recycling organization and an BAN E-Steward Founder. It is far and away the best and most comprehensive video I have seen about e-waste. Covering issues such as corrupt ‘e-waste recyclers’ who make profits from donated electronics, pollution and contamination in developing nations due to primitive metal extraction practices, confidential data security risks in improperly recycled electronics, and poor legislation and enforcement by the U.S. and Canada in curbing this problem.
About BAN and the Surplus Exchange, a local Kansas City non-profit organization:
The Basel Action Network (BAN) is the only organization focused on confronting the global environmental injustice and economic inefficiency of toxic trade and its devastating impacts. Their E-Waste Stewardship Project is to designate and certify a group of recyclers and refurbishers that have proven a commitment to reaching the highest standards for responsible reuse and recycle of electronics, and to ensure every pound of e-waste is properly recycled and refurbished. Too often, corrupt e-waste recycling centers deceive responsible like you by claiming to operate environmentally-friendly while making profits through illegally shipping your e-waste to other countries or recycle their electronics below standards. The certification is to designate which non-profits and businesses adhere to this standard.
The Surplus Exchange is a non-profit organization that has been operating in Kansas City since 1984, and is an E-Steward Founder. Operating out of the West Bottoms, they take in donated surplus business goods and redistribute them charitably to the non-profit community, students in need, new businesses and are also sold to the general public to help divert the cost of their recycling programs and other efforts. Between 2005-2006 they diverted nearly 1500 tons of just electronics from landfills. However, much of the electronics dropped off or donated cannot be reused and are sent to a reclaiming facility with Surplus Exchange incurring the cost. You can help their efforts by donating or purchasing reusable electronics and business supplies, donating to their cause and efforts, or becoming an E-Champion by helping Surplus Exchange spread through forwarding information via your email. All donations are tax-deductible, go to SurplusExchange.com to learn more.