Washington Post – Maryland Takes Safe Water Seriously
Filed under: Earth911 - August 8, 2006
The Washington Post
August 8, 2006 Tuesday
An Aug. 3 front-page story ["Health Worries Over Bay Pollution; Uneven Testing, Tourism Concerns Affect Re-porting"] omitted key facts about Maryland’s program for monitoring water quality at beaches and misled the public about state and local government issuance of public health advisories and the closures of bathing beaches in Maryland. The data show Maryland’s beaches are open 99 percent of the time.
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) administers the Maryland Beaches Program. Local health departments monitor water quality through sampling and notify citizens about water-quality conditions at beaches. The MDE, in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency and local health departments, provides current information about the water quality at all beaches monitored in Maryland at www.earth911.org.
The MDE and the local health departments take the responsibility of protecting public health at bathing beaches very seriously. Maryland has worked hard and has gone above and beyond what is required by the EPA by applying beach water-quality standards statewide, monitoring all bathing beaches across the state and protecting all Maryland residents — not just our coastal beaches.
KENDL P. PHILBRICK
Secretary
Maryland Department of the Environment
Baltimore
PC Magazine.com – Recycle Your Old PCs
Filed under: Earth911 - August 8, 2006
Go green with these simple tips on how to recycle your business PCs safely.
Russell Morgan
PC Magazine.com
August 8, 2006 Tuesday 12:12 PM EST
Environmentally friendly initiatives are becoming more prevalent in the area of technology, just as they are in other aspects of business and private life. So, how does sustainability relate to the way your business uses technology? There are several easy steps you can take to lessen the impact that your technology use has on the environment.
Conserve Energy
Often even simple steps can immediately save energy. One easy task is turning off computers when not in use–particularly at night and during weekends. There is a misconception that turning computers off and on again not only uses more energy than leaving them running, but that it is also harder on computers. This is not true. Today’s computers are built to handle 40,000 on/off cycles. This is considerably more times than the average user will turn the computer on and off during its five- to seven-year life .
In addition to saving energy, turning a computer off helps reduce heat stress and wear on the system. Turning on a computer’s power-management features can also be an easy way to conserve energy. And when it comes time to replace computer monitors, purchase LED screens. These use a third to half of the power that standard cathode ray tube monitors require. People are growing familiar with the Energy Star seal of approval for energy-efficient computers, appliances and even homes. A new system, similar to the Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program for green buildings, has been developed to evaluate, certify, and register green desktop computers, notebooks, and monitors.
The program, initiated by Green Electronics Council, is called Electronic Product Environmental As-sessment Tool (EPEAT) and rates products according to three tiers of environmental performance: gold, silver, or bronze. EPEAT helps electronics purchasers evaluate products by establishing a clear and consistent set of performance cri-teria for environmentally friendly features. It also provides manufacturers with increased opportunities for recognition of efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their products. The program’s Web site will soon have a searchable registry of EPEAT-certified products, enabling small-business owners and consumers alike to make informed decisions about electronics purchases. You can learn more at www.epeat.net.–next: Recycle >
Recycle
Keeping your old PCs in a closet or warehouse? Just as recycling paper, cardboard, cans and bottles has become standard practice in most offices, recycling technology is an important step in keeping things out of landfills and protecting the environment from hazardous wastes. So what should you do with those old PCs and laptops?
Donate:
You can donate them to an organization that refurbishes computers. Usually these organizations send them to local schools and nonprofits in need. (Make sure the organization protects the privacy of your information by wiping the hard drive clean.) These organizations will also make sure that the computer functions properly before sending it off for charitable use. If it’s too obsolete to be worth refurbishing, the hard drive will be destroyed, and the remaining por-tions of the computer will then be taken apart so the numerous valuable and recyclable components can be reused. There are a number of different programs nationwide that provide this service. Web sites such as www.Earth911.org can help you find a facility in your area. Don’t forget to write off your donation when tax time rolls around.
Recycle with an independent company:
The three major parts of a personal computer–monitor, computer, and key-board–can all be recycled. From the glass in the monitor to the metals used in the circuits, much of a computer’s com-ponents can find new life in other applications. The Environmental Protection Agency’s term for obsolete computers is “hazardous household waste.” This hazardous label is in part due to the lead, mercury, and other toxic materials con-tained in all computers. Disposing of hazardous waste, such as the 1.5 pounds of lead inside an average 15-inch com-puter monitor, in a landfill that is not permitted for such wastes poses a threat to drinking water and can result in other environmental hazards in the future. Again, see www.Earth911.org to find a local computer recycler, or talk to your solution provider–they are usually familiar with independent recyclers in your area.
Recycle with a manufacturer:
Most computer manufacturers recognize that disposal of old equipment is a problem for their customers and the environment, and many have implemented computer recycling programs to help consumers and business people safely dispose of unwanted PCs. Hewlett-Packard has a good recycling program; it’s recycled more than 750 million pounds of hardware and print cartridges globally. And that’s not just HP products; it includes equip-ment traded in for credit on new HP gear.
Don’t forget about those used printer and toner cartridges–these should be recycled too. Most manufacturers in-clude an envelope to return the used cartridges inside the package with the new cartridge.
As always, your solution-provider partner has probably already helped other customers in your area dispose of older equipment, so it should be a good source of information about local resources and the manufacturer programs that they support.
Top Tips for Saving Energy
Russell Morgan, is the president of the Information Technology Solution Providers Alliance, a national, nonprofit organization of technology experts headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Founded by Morgan in 2003, ITSPA has a mem-bership of over 300 technology consultants and provides a neutral resource for educating small and medium-size busi-nesses on the benefits of technology and ways to stay safe and productive.