ghg emissions
New Plastic Recycling Discovery!
April 27, 2013 | 
Author A new method has been devised to recycle plastic which would normally end up in landfill.
Currently approximately 12% of plastic found in household plastic and packaging is currently processed.
Now, however, a process has been developbed by Warwick University which could mean 100% of this type is waste can be recycled.
Municipal plastic solid waste is often too time-consuming and labour intensive to separate and clean and ends up going straight to landfill rather than being recycled.
Engineers at the University have invented a process that can cope with every piece of plastic waste and can even break some polymers, such as polystyrene, back down to its original monomers.
The researchers have devised a unit which uses pyrolysis (using heat in the absence of oxygen to decompose of materials) in a ‘fluidised bed’ reactor.
Tests have shown that the researchers have been able to literally shovel in to such a reactor a wide range of mixed plastics, which can then be reduced down to useful products. Many of these products can then be retrieved by simple distillation.
The products the Warwick team have been able to reclaim from the plastic mix include: wax that can be then used a lubricant; original monomers such as styrene that can be used to make new polystyrene; terephthalic acid which can be reused in PET plastic products, methylmetacrylate that can be used to make acrylic sheets, carbon which can be used as Carbon Black in paint pigments and tyres, and even the char left at the end of some of the reactions can be sold to use as activated carbon at a value of at least £400 a tonne.
This research could have a significant impact on the budgets of local authorities and produce considerable environmental benefits.
The lead researcher on the project, University of Warwick Engineering Professor Jan Baeyens, said:
“We envisage a typical large scale plant having an average capacity of 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year.
“In a year tankers would take away from each plant over £5 million worth of recycled chemicals and each plant would save £500,000 a year in land fill taxes alone.
“As the expected energy costs for each large plant would only be in the region of £50,000 a year the system will be commercially very attractive and give a rapid payback on capital and running costs.”
The work will be of great interest to local authorities and waste disposal companies who could use the technology to create large scale reactor units at municipal tips which would produce tanker loads of reusable material.
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
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Tags: Benefits, Business, Change, Climate, computer recycling, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, electrical waste recycling, Emissions, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, glasgow eee, glasgow recycle, glasgow recycling, household plastic, London Plastics, London Recycle, plastic recycling, Plastics, Recycling, Reduce, Renewable, Uk Plastic recycling, UK Plastics, warming, Waste, waste plastic | 
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How Can ISO 14001 Benefit My Business?
Environmental Issues are now of paramount consideration by company directors, owners and employees worldwide.
Since the 14001 EMS includes everyone in the business and all aspects of the organization that affect the environment, it can improve an organization’s environmental performance in many ways. This improved performance comes at a cost to the organization, a cost which can be recovered by aggressively seeking benefits.
Some of those benefits are as follows:
All environmental policies and procedures are now in the same format
All documents are now easily accessible to employees so compliance has improved
Regularly scheduled EMS reviews are ensuring both legal and ethical obligations are met in a timely fashion.
Increased Profits
The quantity of materials and energy required for manufacturing a product may be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the product, material handling costs, and waste disposal costs.
An EMS can help reduce incidents of pollution and the associated expense of recovery.
Recycling manufacturing waste and unused inputs could increase revenues. Recycling need not be within the same facility, but with another one that can use the waste as input to their production.
Employee health and safety can be improved, thereby improving productivity, decreasing sick days, and reducing insurable risk.
Insurance claims may be reduced, thus reducing the costs of coverage and settlements.
This is just a sample of the benefits available to business; the list of benefits and potential benefits is considerably larger.
Posted in Carbon accounting, carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, Carbon management, carbon reduction, Carbon Reduction Commitment, Climate Change, CO2, CSR, Environmental accounting, Footprint, ghg emissions, Iso14001, Social Responsibility | Tags: Benefits, Business, carbon reduction, Change, Climate, Corporate, CSR, EMS, Enterprise, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, environmental management system, Global, Green, Greenhouse, ISO 14001, Management, Money, Social, Social Responsibility, Solutions | No Comments »
What Makes a Home a Green Home?
What Makes a Home a Green House?
One of the hottest topics today is about being environmentally friendly. There are many ways to become environmentally friendly about the home including water preservation and energy reduction. This not only helps with a positive action by reducing your impact on the environment, but will also save you money!
Lets take a look at what makes a home green.
Reduced Energy Use
Energy comes in many forms such as electricity, natural gas, oil, etc. The creation or use of this energy results in greenhouse gas emissions that affect our planet in a negative way.
Methods of Reducing Energy Usage
Insulation, One of the best things that you can do to make a green house is to ensure that the walls, windows, attic, and floors are all well insulated and draft free. The majority of the energy used in a home goes towards heating the house. Good insulation will prevent the air temperature from escaping the home and save you money on your utilities.
Energy Star Appliances When one of your appliances has reached it’s end of life, or when you areconstructing a new home, consider installing an appliance that meets energy star requirements. This will ensure that it will use over 30 percent less electricity or fuel than a typical appliance of that type.
Other options include advanced mechanical Systems On demand tankless water heaters, geothermal HVAC equipment, and even solar power is a great way to reduce the amount of energy that is wasted to run the plumbing, heat and air, and electrical systems in the home. While they can have a higher upfront cost than a typical unit of its kind, tax incentives from the government can offset a good deal of the extra cost and allow you to make the money back within a few years time.
Reduced Water Use
Water is another essential resource that can be preserved in our day to day use around the house.
Low Flow Fixtures Many low flow shower heads and toilets developed a bad reputation in the past because they could not live up to their less efficient counterparts. Fortunately, todays better engineered models and aerators allow you to experience the luxury and ease of use that you prefer, while additionally using a significantly lower amount of water.
Efficient Clothes Washers Many of the newer front loading clothes washers use as little as half of the water of a typical top loading washer. For families who are constantly putting in a new load of dirty clothes, this can lead to a significant savings in cost and water usage over time.
Use Rain Water For Irrigation For those who want to really cut down on water usage, storage tanks that collect rain water during a storm for latter use to water the garden and lawn can save thousands of gallons over the span of a summer.
These are just a few of the many ideas out there that will help ensure that your home is green. Environmentally friendly decisions in the home can lead to wallet friendly results over time and allow for the satisfaction of knowing you are reducing your negative impact on the planet.
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
Posted in Carbon accounting, carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, carbon reduction, Climate Change, CO2, computer recycling, CRC, CSR, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, Energy, Environmental accounting, Food Recycling, Food Waste, Footprint, ghg emissions, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, Glasgow waste, Green IT, landfill, Packaging Waste, Recycle Edinburgh, Recycle UK, recycling, UK Recycle, UK WEEE, Uncategorized, Waste management, weee, WEEE Edinburgh, WEEE UK, wheelie bin | Tags: Change, computer recycling, eco house, edinburgh green home, Edinburgh Recycling, Efficiency, electrical waste recycling, Emissions, Energy, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, Footprint, Glasgow green home, glasgow recycling, Global, Going, going green, Green, green home, green house, Greenhouse, Home, House, London green home, Makes, Management, Money, Power, Responsibility, warming | No Comments »
Recycling: It Really Is Simple, Try It
There are actually a lot of things that we can recycle: Electrical & Electronic equipment, Water, Energy, Paper, Metal, Aluminium Cans, Glass, Plastic, Styrofoam, Steel, & even junk mail. All of these things, as you know, could end up in a landfill or even worse, in the sea.
The basics of Recycling is to collect items that have been used and reprocess. Allowing them to be used againand again; simple?
Of course you don’t do this yourself, or could you? When people recycle, pretty much means that energy is saved. When a manufacturing company decides to make new stuff out of old stuff, it saves a lot of energy. A good example of this would be the recycling of cardboard, used in hospital bedpans for example; all of the carboard in the bedpans is recycled & can be recycled again.
By Recycling you not only make this planet a better place to live, but also reduce pollution & improve environmental conditions. By simply recycling as much as we can, you help prevent the global climate change, reduce greenhouse gases and cut the amount of fuel used!
By doing all this, it leads to us and companies saving natural resources. For example: If the all the tabloid newspapers were to recycle all of the newspapers that they print every single day, there wouldn’t be the need to cut & kill a thousand trees a day.
Trees in different rain forests are being cut down at an alarming rate, according to some researchers we could see no more trees left in a few years time, though how accurate that statement is I do not know, but it stands to reason that if you continue to take more than you put back eventually you will be left with nothing. This is the same with all fossil fuels as well.
Not only are you helping the world, but you’re saving money!
It is expensive to start production on new products with new materials, manufacturers are going to want that money reimbursed so they can continue making the expensive products. When you buy things that are recycled, it’s obviously cheaper to make, though the marketeers of the large manufacturers would have us believe otherwise, greenwashing at it’s worst! In effect we should be able to buy recycled goods for a low price. Even when you think about it, all the waste & rubbish that isn’t recycled is taking up space in landfills, which are fast becoming full.
Whatever you may think about recycling, be it, in your opinion, another “hippie” movement, at be motivated to do your part, the alternatives, fines for not recycling and destruction of our world as we know it, it unthinkable. No One is saying you have to become obsessed with it, all that is being suggested is that every little bit you can do is a step in the right direction. The Earth has provided a place to live, grow food, provide raw materials, it’s our turn to think and act responsibly to ensure it continues to do so for future generations.
Recycling is simple, whether it be at home or in the office. Take a look around and look at how much waste that is “thrown” in the bin. Almost all office waste can be recycled simply, it just needs someone like you to get the ball rolling and it won’t just be the environment that benefits.
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
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Computer Retailers & Manufacturers Need To Be More Responsible
Computer Aid International has called for companies involved with IT to be more responsible for the environmental cost of their products.
The organisation has produced a report: Green ICT: what producers must do, which blames original equipment manufacturers for poor practice and pollution in production.
A manufacturer, in terms of The WEEE Directive, is any organisation who builds computers, ranging from your Joe Bloggs PC retailer in the high street to the Multinationals such as Dell, they are both treated equally!
They say that retailers need to take responsibility for the entire life-cycle of their products.
The report argues that most environmental damage of computing happens during manufacturing; for instance, 80% of the energy used over a PC’s lifecycle is used before it is switched on for the first time.
The report cites mining materials and the excessive use of toxic chemicals in production as the source of the enormous carbon footprint made by manufacturing and its global sourcing and distribution chains.
Computer Aid International CEO Tony Roberts said: “In Europe all ICT manufactures including HP, Samsung, Nokia, Apple, and small independants have a legal duty to fund the end of life recycling of equipment that they produced.
“Within Europe manufacturers fulfil this requirement of corporate social responsibility and are justifiably proud of their green credentials.
“However we would argue that they have exactly the same moral obligations where their products are sold in Africa, Asia and elsewhere.
“Most developing countries are entirely without the kind of facilities necessary to re-use and recycle ICTs and to recover the precious metals and other composite materials before they pollute the environment and threaten public health and safety.”
The report calls for producers to be responsible for the end-of-life management of their goods in all countries they operate in, not just in rich developed countries, so that all nations can build the operational capacity to re-use IT equipment and to recycle e-waste.
It says producers need to shift the cost of toxic, wasteful design away from communities and the environment back to themselves.
They call for producers to be forced to include the real costs of their goods through wide-ranging programmes that encourage eco-design
To find out how the WEEE directive affects you, whether you’re an end user, retailer or manufacturer, contact Be Seen Go Geen for advice and help
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The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme – A Review
We are now well on the road to the end of the first year of the CRC.
We’ve had the scare stories, the organisations not registering, or less organisations registering than were first thought. Early estimates from the Government suggested 5000 plus organisations would be full participants with a further 20,000 as information disclosures.
We’ve had just over 3,700 full participants register, what does this communicate to us?
For me, based on my experience, it tells me that a lot of organisations didn’t understand what they needed to do. For example, a car dealership, an example Defra used in their literature, if that dealership was a single franchise, SEAT for example, then if a single SEAT dealer anywhere else in the UK had a half hour meter then ALL SEAT dealerships and SEAT companies were in, under the banner of SEAT, who had the responsibility of collating this information. That’s nice and simple, until you then look at if that same dealership had say SEAT and VW at the same premises, they’re out? Add to that the ability to register independently so the SEAT brand did not have to account for everything that traded under its name . . . confused . . . therein lies the problem!
At least the Con/Dem co-alition government has pushed back the full implementation of phase 1 of the CRC by 12 months, the same for Phase 2.They are also looking at making the scheme simpler, firstly by making it a Tax, no payments from the pot for those that reduce emissions the most, Good or Bad?
For me it’s a bit of good and bad, organisations no longer being rewarded for reducing emissions will need to find some other motivation to reduce emissions! The good side is that it is giving these organisation more time to get to grips with the scheme, however, as experience has shown, a lot of organisation left it to the last minute before registering for the CRC, will they do the same again?
Initially Phase 1 reporting is primarily about Scope 1 & 2 emissions, Scope 1 being based on energy you produce, for example if you had a wind turbine and selling electricity back to the grid, Scope 2 is for energy you purchase.
However Phase 2 of the CRC is interesting, as it suggests that Scope 3 emissions will be included in a company’s declaration, a good way of introducing mandatory emissions reporting for all via the back door. Scope 3 covers everything from Travel to Suppliers.
If we look at suppliers for a large organisation, this could easily be in the thousands, a local authority I recently met with, have in excess of 5000 suppliers, under phase 2 they will need to liaise with all 5000, collate the emissions data for those 5000 and submit under the local authorities umbrella.
This will be an administrative nightmare for the unprepared, both the supplier and the large organisation. This will mean that for those who tender for work from larger organisations it will no longer be just a tick box exercise for environmental policy, such as ISO14001, it will be a detailed report on emissions and those not able to submit such a report, will ultimately, not win any business.
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
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Going Green Is Not Just For Big Business-You Can Grow Profits, Too!
The world of big business is making daily headlines by “going green” after discovering that what’s good for the planet is also proving good for business.
IBM recently announced “Project Big Green,” a $1 billion initiative to reduce energy consumption by offering new lines of energy-efficient IT products.
Wal-Mart is adding solar power to more than 20 stores.
PepsiCo is buying renewable energy certificates to offset its carbon footprint. Even major banks and energy firms are being asked by shareholders to prove that they, too, are going green.
It’s not just the biggest businesses that are attracting new customers and shareholders and reaping huge profits by “going green.” Small businesses also are growing eco-profits by embracing surprisingly inexpensive strategies to add value to their products, services and brand.
Consider these innovative examples:
- Bob Smith of Mad River Brewing Company in Blue Lake, California, has attracted positive publicity (and new customers) by promoting his efforts to reduce his small firm’s waste output and take other environmentally conscious steps. In turn, he has received welcome positive publicity from the press. “What PR budget? That is our PR budget,” he told the Albuquerque Tribune about “going green” to market his business.
- In Florida, Natalie Kelly formed Home Therapy Cleaning Services, which uses only nontoxic, all-natural cleaning products for her home cleaning business. She used to sell aromatherapy candles from her home, she told the St. Petersburg Times, but today uses an aromatherapy baking soda blend to freshen carpets.
Here’s what you can do:
- Two inexpensive ways any small business or solo entrepreneur can go green are to change light bulbs to energy-efficient bulbs and use biodegradable cleaning products.
- With that done, tell your customers and the media about these simple ways to go green. You will have just earned instant credibility as a green business, and also as a media resource for simple, effective ways to “go green.”
- Many communities online and offline are forming networks to exchange energy-saving ideas for home and business. Form your own energy network, enlisting neighborhood businesses that will welcome another opportunity to show they’re going green, too. The plus for you is that you will have just positioned yourself and your business as a community environmental leader.
-Write a “green” article on simple ways you are going green and submit it to one of the dozens of “green” Web sites and blogs that invite reader contributions. It’s a great way to market your smart ideas and your business!
Posted in Carbon accounting, carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, Carbon management, carbon reduction, Carbon Reduction Commitment, Climate Change, CO2, CRC, CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, CSR, Environmental accounting, Footprint, ghg emissions, Glasgow CRC, Green IT, London CRC, Social Enterprise, Social Responsibility, UK CRC | Tags: Business, BusinessYou, carbon reduction, Change, Climate, Emissions, Enterprise, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, Footprint, Going, Green, Greenhouse, Grow, Just, Management, Profits | No Comments »
A Small Step
A Simple Step that Business can use to Save Money whilst Reducing Carbon Emissions
Small to medium business is being pressed hard by the global financial crisis at the same time as it is being told to cut its carbon emissions.
Their goal is to realise that by going green and reducing waste they also save money.
We have now reached a point where most forms of energy are increasing in cost and are in short supply.
We have polluted our world and we need to slow the rate of pollution down and governments around the world are setting up greenhouse gas emission restrictions.
Small to medium business needs to be able to reduce costs and also reduce their wastes and this includes energy, materials and human effort. Business also needs to do this without an extra time commitment. Or cash flow to make changes because business also has to cope with global financial chaos.
With all the problems that businesses faces at present, why do they need to add carbon reduction to the mix?
It is a fact that we have serious and increasing air pollution. This is man made, and has been measured, and this if the cause of climate change and global warming! This is a measurable fact. We have changed the chemical composition of the atmosphere by pouring carbon dioxide, methane and other gases into the atmosphere. This is unarguable and is putting our children and grandchildren’s future at risk. We ignore this at THEIR peril.
Around the world governments are bringing in monitoring legislation and surveys show that most businesses have no idea what that will involve – it is yet another demand.
Businesses owners are increasingly caught in a juggling act trying to balance work, home, higher costs and now pressure ro reduce their carbon footprint and in many cases even start carbon accounting.
BUT reports show consumers increasingly patronise businesses that show they consider the impact of their business on the environment. This is a growing market segment and that is important in tough economic times.
All around the world people want to help the environment. In Australia this is over 90 %, 53% in UK, 63% in the USA, 45% in China.
OK so it means we need to make some changes now but many of these will actually save money once we get our head around them and decide that these often minor changes are ok.
So many of the changes are surprisingly easy and painless!
Go for a walk around your business once or twice every day and turn off things that are not being used and make a list of other ways you can save energy and reduce waste.
At Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
Posted in Carbon accounting, carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, Carbon management, carbon reduction, CO2, CRC, Environmental accounting, Footprint, ghg emissions, landfill, Waste management | Tags: Business, carbon, carbon accounting, carbon emissions, carbon reduction, CO2, crc, Directive, edinburgh recycle, Emissions, ghg emissions, ghg reporting, glasgow eee, Money, Reduce, Save, Small, Steps | No Comments »
USA introduce legislation for the regulation of GHG emissions
Efforts to strip the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the regulatory power to curb greenhouse gas emissions have been delayed until next year, after Democrat Senator Jay Rockefeller conceded late last week that he would not be able to secure a Senate vote on proposals to block new EPA carbon rules for two years.
Rules requiring carbon-intensive power stations and industrial plants to obtain permits demonstrating that any new facilities or upgrades use only the most efficient technologies available will now come into effect next month as planned.
Senator Rockefeller, who represents the coal-rich state of West Virginia, had been lobbying for a vote in the Senate that would delay the new rules by two years, arguing that their introduction would harm the economy and push up energy bills.
However, recently he issued a statement conceding that he had not secured the support required to trigger a vote.
“Republican proponents of my bill to suspend EPA regulations on greenhouse gas emissions have pulled their support for this year so that they can gain some political advantage trying to take over this issue in 2011,” he said.
The Republicans have signaled that they will move to strip the EPA of its power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions when they take control of the House of Representatives next month.
The EPA and the Obama administration maintain that using the agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act represent the only route open to them after Congress consistently failed to pass energy and climate change legislation.
They also point to a series of independent reports that suggest the EPA’s new rules will have a minimal impact on the economy and energy bills while helping to deliver cuts in carbon emissions.
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
Posted in Carbon accounting, carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, Carbon management, carbon reduction, Climate Change, CO2, Energy, Environmental accounting, Footprint, ghg emissions, USA carbon management, USA congress, USA EPA, USA ghg emissions | Tags: Business, carbon accounting, carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, carbon management, Change, Climate, CO2, co2 emissions, co2 footprint, Corporate, Emissions, Energy, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, environmental management, Footprint, GHG emission, greenhouse gas emissions, Management, Money, Reduce, Responsibility, Social, USA GHG emissions, warming | No Comments »
Mandatory Emissions Reporting: A step closer following Defra report
Mandatory Emissions Reporting: A step closer following Defra report
The case for government legislation to force businesses to report
emissions has been boosted by new research which found more than half of
companies voluntarily measuring greenhouse gases claimed it led to a net
benefit for business.
Cost savings, improved green credentials and better relationships with
investors and customers were among the additional bonuses experienced by
companies that actively tried to reduce greenhouses gases.
Research carried out on behalf of the UK’s Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) found firms were using emission
measurements to set future targets for reduction and to influence wider
business plans.
The majority of companies, 53 per cent, admitted that regular emission
reports had been instrumental in triggering a change in behaviour within
their own organisation and raised interest in environmental matters to
boardroom level.
Businesses reported that being seen to be green by actively reporting
their own emissions and setting targets to reduce them had strengthened
their brand in the eye of investors and customers ,as well as creating
estimated energy savings ranging from £200,000 to £60 million over five
years.
“I am pleased to see that the many companies already voluntarily
involved in reporting GHG emissions are finding the process beneficial
to their business and investors. I am also delighted to see that the act
of reporting is encouraging attempts to reduce emissions,” said Lord
Henley, UK Environment Minister.
“The next steps for Government will be to consider the findings of the
report. We’ll be announcing a way forward in early 2011.”
The positive results from this latest research will help inform the
Government’s decision on whether to make GHG reporting mandatory and an
announcement is due to be made early next year. The Climate Change Act 2008
requires government to introduce legislation for mandatory reporting by 6 April
2012, or explain why this hasn’t happened.
“It is encouraging to find that many companies see GHG reporting as
beneficial to their business. The emission figures seem to act as a
catalyst for other changes within the company resulting in wide ranging
benefits for both the environment and the business,” said Bob Watson,
Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK government.
“Tackling climate change is something we need to do together so it’s
great to see the positive contribution being made by many British
companies.”
However, before the government introduces mandatory emissions reporting
experts have called for a unified approach to how reporting is done.
“There are already a number of existing schemes, such as the EU
Emissions Trading Scheme, the Carbon Reduction Commitment and Climate
Change Agreements, which are used by firms to report their emissions and
plan for reductions,” said William Dick, Director of Be Seen Go Green
Environmental Consultants.
“There needs to be a simple and unified approach which will make life
easier for businesses and encourage more to measure their emissions and
make behavioural changes within organisations.
“When you consider that the cost of instigating a measurement procedure
is around £50,000 for most big companies and the average savings are a
minimum of £200,000 then it should be a fairly easy decision to make yet
many companies still need to be convinced to make the first move. This
research will help.”
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
Posted in Carbon accounting, carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, Carbon management, carbon reduction, Climate Change, CO2, CSR, Energy, Environmental accounting, Footprint, ghg emissions | Tags: Benefits, Business, Change, Climate, co2 reporting, Corporate, CRC, Efficiency, Emissions, emissions reporting, EMS, Enterprise, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, environmental management system, Footprint, Global, Green, Greenhouse, ISO14001, Management, Money, money saving, Power, Reduce, Reducing, Responsibility, ROI, Social | No Comments »