REGIONAL ROUNDUP

BioCycle February 2005, Vol. 46, No. 2, p. 12

Sacramento, California
KEEPING SEDIMENT OUT OF WATERWAYS
BRINGS ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD TO GROUP
Partners in Restoration (PIR), a project which protects California watersheds, was organized by Sustainable Conservation (www.suscon.org) as “a one-stop permit review process to reduce bureaucratic hurdles for farmers and ranchers implementing watershed conservation projects. In the last six years, more than 45 landowners have enrolled, preventing an estimated 70,000 tons of sediment from entering the state's coastal waterways. “We are committed to helping landowners be good stewards of the environment,” says Ashley Boren, executive director of the San Francisco nonprofit. For its accomplishment with PIR,

Sustainable Conservation will receive the 2004 Environmental and Economic Leadership Award. The program was developed in partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and local Resource Conservation Districts.

Sunnyside, Washington
UPDATE ON FUELING ENERGY CROPS
WITH BIOSOLIDS FOR BIODIESEL
A recent newsletter from the Northwest Biosolids Management Association (NBMA) includes an update by Sally Brown of the University of Washington on the project using biosolids as a fertilizer for canola to produce biodiesel. “There is good news and bad news,” Brown reports. Yields have been phenomenal, averaging over 3,000 pounds per acre. Yields in all amended or fertilized plots were higher than the control soil.
“The bad news was that total oil content was between 25 and 30 percent of the seed weight. We had hoped for higher oil and higher values for the cultivars that we used. Taking into account the yields and the oil content of the seed grain, the canola can produce anywhere from 100 to 165 gallons of biodiesel per acre. In addition, the remaining seed cake is in demand for cattle feed.” Researchers are looking at a range of processing options, and Ted Durfey of Natural Selection Farms will be reporting complete results in a coming issue of BioCycle. Adds Brown in her update in the NBMA newsletter: “As a way to celebrate the great yields from the field trial, Ted Durfey presented a bottle of the First Vintage Biosolids Biodiesel to Ron Sims, executive of King County, Washington at a recent official meeting.”

Madison, Wisconsin
BIOGAS AND RURAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENT
COVERED IN TASK FORCE REPORT

The Wisconsin Governor's Task Force on Energy Efficiency and Renewables final report - summarized in an e-mail from Roger Kasper of the state's Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) - makes these points: Given agriculture's compatibility with renewable energy systems, the Task Force recommends the creation of a bioenergy/biofuel coordinator position at DATCP to better leverage federal and state programs and funding sources for rural renewable projects. Identifying the need for loan guarantees for waste and odor mitigation projects could also be a part of this coordinator's function. Concerning anaerobic digesters and on-farm application, “anaerobic digesters are a renewable technology with strong potential for Wisconsin,” emphasizes the report. The Task Force recommends increasing funding to foster R&D of digesters.

Denver, Colorado
GOVERNOR'S OFFICE SEEKS PROPOSALS FOR FUEL CELL INITIATIVE
The Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation (OEMC) announced last month its interest in getting proposals from organizations with expertise in fuel cells as part of the Colorado Fuel Cell Center. The goal is to expand R&D, education and commercial applications. Proposals must demonstrate “an actionable plan to realize that goal and identify objectives for its achievement.” OEMC will provide a minimum contract amount of $2 million over a two-year term to the Fuel Cell Center with funds from the Petroleum Violation Escrow fund. The selected proposal must provide a minimum of $1 million in matching cash funds. “We hope that the Colorado Fuel Cell Center will expedite a rapid, but practical deployment of this technology,” says Rick Grice, OEMC executive director. Contact OEMC at www.state. co.us oemc or call (800) 632-6662.

Maui, Hawaii
A QUICK PEEK AT RECYCLING METHODS ON THE ISLAND OF MAUI
We first learned about the many recycling and composting projects taking place on Maui from Hana Steel, the county's recycling coordinator. The pleasant memories returned when a copy of the Maui Recycling Group's newsletter arrived with descriptions of the mini-MRF, how Ms. Steel arranged to recycle the island's phone directories, and the beverage container redemption program that began January 1, 2005. “Every year, approximately 800 million beverage containers are sold in the state. The majority of these containers end up discarded in the waste stream, or as litter in our community. The program places a 5¢, redeemable deposit on each beverage container,” notes the newsletter, the Maui Recycling Guide.
The advertisements were also informative, featuring descriptions of: Maui Earth Organic Compost (“now available - worm castings and landscape mulch”); Aloha Plastic Recycling (picnic tables, decking, etc.); Aloha Glass Recycling (we pay cash for your glass); Aloha Shares Network (statewide reuse cooperative); Pacific Biodiesel (renewable energy for a cleaner tomorrow); Joy of Worms (worm composting starter systems for home, office or school); and EKO compost (“turns dirt into soil”).

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
STATE BILL CREATES ALTERNATIVE FUELS INCENTIVE ACT
Last month, Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell signed a bill establishing the Alternative Fuels Incentive Act, creating a fund made up of a portion of revenues from the utilities' gross receipts tax offering grants to school districts, municipal authorities, etc. for the incremental cost of biodiesel. “We're thrilled that this has passed,” said Nathalie Shapiro, Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Coordinator. “The single biggest barrier to accessing biodiesel, especially for schools, has been price. This, along with the federal tax incentive, puts biodiesel well within their reach. I think we will see demand for biodiesel grow significantly in Pennsylvania.”

Toronto, Canada
ADVISORY GROUP OUTLINES STEPS TO MEET 60 PERCENT DIVERSION
Toronto's “New and Emerging Technologies, Policies and Practices Advisory Group” was established in 2003 by Council directive. Comprised of both citizens and experts, the Advisory Group was asked to provide advice on adopting new technologies and policies to help manage the city's solid waste. Some observations made recently include the following:
The City should be able to achieve source-based diversion from landfill of between 50 and 60 percent, and quite possibly higher, by 2010 - with full and aggressive implementation of current policies and practices along with new initiatives recommended by the Advisory Group. Regarding the next steps for the City to move beyond the expected diversion rate by 2006, the group recommends:
Immediately establish a Waste Diversion Working Group to oversee the planning, design, implementation, promotion and monitoring of source-based diversion programs. This group should report directly to the Works Committee and include members of the public, City staff, frontline collection workers, and possibly Works Committee members.
Move ahead expeditiously with a full environmental assessment (EA), the formation of a public advisory committee that reports directly to the Works Committee to direct the EA process. Given the significant public concerns about various potential solutions to the City's waste management problems, the EA process needs to be innovative, thoughtful, well managed and fully transparent.

Atlanta, Georgia
REMOVING CONTAMINANTS FROM
WETLANDS USING AQUATIC PLANTS
Environmental engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) have found that various chlorinated, fluorinated and mixed chloro-fluoro compounds are taken up and sequestered in the plant tissue of their model plant species - duckweed (Lemna minor), a floating aquatic plant. Sources of the persistent compounds include agrochemicals, such as pesticides, and pharmaceutical residuals such as those from antidepressants excreted in human waste.
“The compound goes into the plant, and the plant has no choice about the uptake. Whether the compound is water loving or water hating does not appear to be a major factor,” explains Professor Michael Saunders of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. ... “And our plants take up this large class of compounds quickly, at rates faster than bacteria would degrade the contaminants.”
These findings have implications for both water monitoring regulations and wastewater treatment practices, notes a report in the GIT Research Horizons. The research has focused on halogenated phenolic molecules as indicators of chlorinated, fluorinated and mixed chloro-fluoro compounds in natural waters and engineered wetlands. Previously, researchers found that various chlorinated phenols were sequestered in duckweed cell tissue. The current study shows that mono, di and tri-fluoro phenols and mixed chloro-fluoro phenols are also taken up and sequestered at varying rates.
This research has led Saunders and his students to believe duckweed and probably other aquatic plants are acting as “sinks”' for persistent organic compounds. Saunders notes that regulators monitoring contaminants in the water may be missing something by not considering the plant uptake of these compounds - a process that is affecting the overall removal time of the contaminants from the water.
“These types of compounds we have studied are emerging in the regulatory sector as the ones we need to know more about,” Saunders says. “They may soon meet with more regulatory control. They are not well regulated now.”
The researchers' current findings may also have an impact on water treatment and reclamation practices. “Constructed wetlands are not designed for duckweed and other plants to remove organic contaminants, but it's happening even though it's not generally recognized or included with the design concept. ... So here's another tool in the toolbox for getting additional removal of contaminants.”

Chichester, New Hampshire
FIRST YEAR REPORT ON
NORTHEAST RESOURCE RECOVERY'S SUBSIDIARY
It's been an exciting and challenging year for New Frontier Industries, a nonprofit subsidiary launched by the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA). Its primary recycled plastics product is EverQuiet Wall - a sound wall that reduces sound up to 10 decibels and can be installed as high as 30 feet. NFI is working with the Departments of Transportation in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts to obtain orders, and is negotiating with another manufacturer to market the wall under its brand name. A second product is EverGreen deck, scheduled for the market soon.
About 500 tons of plastic have been collected during the past year, reports NRRA, and more than 60 tons of product have been sold. The primary mission of NFI is to remove plastic from the waste stream that is not otherwise being recycled. So far, only commercial plastic has been used to produce the sound wall, but the company hopes to accept municipal plastic in the next year. For more information, visit www.newfrontierindustries.com.

Sumter County, Florida
ODOR CONTROL DEMONSTRATION
UNDERWAY AT COMPOSTING FACILITY
The Florida Organic Recycling Center for Excellence (FORCE) is sponsoring an evaluation of the performance of an odor control product at the Sumter County Solid Waste Facility in Lake Panasoffkee. Principal investigator, Bob Broom of RKB Enterprises, says its purpose is to “diminish odor to unnoticeable levels in any location around the MSW tipping building and minimize odors inside the building.” According to Broom, most problem odors in the composting and wastewater industries result from either reduction reactions or incomplete oxidation reactions. The compounds can be ionized, oxidized or further broken down into odorless end products. The demonstration equipment installed at the transfer station and biosolids tipping area provides the opportunity for odorant and reactant to come together.Visit www.Floridaforce.org or email: jpbradshaw@earthlink.net for more details.

Palo Alto, California
CITY OFFICIALS TAKE SECOND LOOK AT
SINGLE-STREAM RECYCLING PROGRAM
Last month, the City Council voted 8-1 to reconsider plans to begin single-stream recycling by July 2005. Council said it wanted to make sure the new program would pay off - that it made sense in the context of the proposed waste transfer and recycling center. Public estimates for single-stream range from an annual savings of about $1 million to extra costs of $1.6 million. A March 2004 survey from the American Forest & Paper Association noted that some costs increased with single-stream systems, while others dropped. Cost of recycling paper tends to rise since it's mixed with other materials that make processing more complicated; overall collection costs are reduced, while sorting expenses increase.
A major plus is user convenience. In the five neighborhood Palo Alto trial that included 2,500 homes, 93 percent of residents preferred single-stream to sorting. City staff point out that the single-stream approach usually gets residents in apartments and condos as well as businesses to recycle more.

Sacramento, California
“ADVANCE RECYCLING FEE” SUPPORTS ELECTRONICS RECYCLING
PROGRAM IN STATE
Starting January 1, 2005, California consumers will pay an “advance recycling fee” when they purchase certain video display products. The fee - $6 to $10 on most televisions, computer monitors and laptop computers - will fund a payment system for proper collection and recycling of these electronic products at the end of their service life. “This new program,” explains Rosario Marin of the California Integrated Waste Management Board, “will provide an economic stimulus that will enhance safe recovery and recycling of obsolete electronics and encourage other manufacturers to be aware of the impact of product designs.” Retailers will collect the Electronic Waste Recycling Fee on each sale and remit fees to the California State Board of Equalization.

Albany, New York
PROMOTION OF RENEWABLE BIOFUELS LEADS TO NEW REFINERIES FOR MAKING BIODIESEL AND ETHANOL
Syracuse University's School of Environmental Science and Forestry is working to produce ethanol from renewable sources like wood fiber. At Clarkson University, staff is building refineries to make biodiesel from agricultural products. These announcements were included in the State of the State address given by New York Governor George Pataki. He also said that an Executive Order would require state agencies to begin phasing in use of biofuels to heat state buildings and power its trucks. In Fulton, New York, the old Miller brewery is becoming the largest producer of ethanol in the East. Two other ethanol projects under development are Northeast Biofuels which is planning a 100 million gallon per year (mgy) ethanol plant and farmer-owned Empire Biofuels and its 50 mgy plant. “New York's commitment to ethanol and biodiesel is truly remarkable,” sums up Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen. “More non-Corn Belt states will follow this trend in the years to come.”

King County, Washington
LINKUP PROGRAM CONTINUES TO BOOST SALES FOR RECYCLED CONTENT PRODUCTS
A program in King County known as LinkUp has for many years helped to build sales opportunities for companies using recycled materials as feedstocks for different products. Products vary from boat bumpers (from scrap tires) to shower tiles (from recycled bottles) to flooring and furniture (from salvaged trees). Last year, LinkUp partners used nearly 32,000 tons of recycled materials.
Some examples: Owner Dennis Kerber of Schuyler Rubber believes that product testing along with copywriting and graphic design - two services provided by LinkUp - contributed to a 20 percent sales increase last year. “We nailed several contracts as a result of that technical support. It was a $250,000 sales increase for us,” notes Kerber. Adds Bruce Kelling, owner of Big Shrimpy, which makes a line of environmentally-friendly pet products: “The professionally designed hang tags added a more finished look to our products, gave us better brand awareness, and helped our sales.” Jim Dooley, executive manager of Forest Concepts, which makes products from urban wood waste, credits LinkUp assistance for up to 20 percent of the increased use of recycled materials last year. And for Don and Maryjean Freas, co-owners of TriVitro Corp., “LinkUp adds a layer of credibility to our business.”
In a coming issue of BioCycle, Kris Beatty, program manager of the LinkUp activities in King County, will provide readers with an overview of how companies are partnering to use more recyclables and sell more products.

Salem, Oregon
CLOPYRALID LEVELS IN COMPOST DECREASE FOLLOWING STATE
RESTRICTIONS ON USE
A recently concluded study of the herbicid clopyralid in Oregon compost facilities shows a dramatic drop in clopyralid levels - the lowest recorded since the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) placed restrictions on its use in lawn and turf applications in July 2003. Samples taken from 11 of 12 compost facilities permitted by the State's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in 2004 show an average drop of 80 percent in clopyralid residual levels since the rule went into effect. “We feel comfortable that the restriction has significantly reduced clopyralid residuals in compost,” says Dale Mitchell, assistant administrator of the ODA Pesticides Division. The agency plans to continue the rule that restricts clopyralid use on many lawn and turf applications.
During the three-year DEQ study, the highest level of clopyralid reported during 2002 tests was 94 parts per billion (ppb). That facility's clopyralid level dropped to only 2.3 ppb in the 2004 test. DEQ tested compost at facilities four times between June 2002 and October 2004. “The significant drop in clopyralid in Oregon compost is a good example of government and industry working together,” adds Matt Stern, manager of the NW Greenlands, Inc. compost facility. “The state acted quickly to study the problem when it first surfaced and to restrict its use on lawns. The compost industry fully participated by volunteering to be tested for three years and diligently restricted contaminated feedstock.”
When DEQ began permitting compost facilities in 1999, Oregon had 24 facilities composting nearly 314,000 tons annually. In 2003, facilities processed nearly 536,000 tons of organic materials. Today, there are 44 DEQ-permitted compost facilities. For details of the clopyralid study, visit: http://www.deq.state or contact Marti Roberts-Pillon of the DEQ Solid Waste Program, Portland, at (503) 229-6738.

Topeka, Kansas
KANSAS RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING CONFERENCE

The 11th annual Kansas Works! Conference on Recycling, Composting and Household Hazardous Waste will be held in Newton, Kansas on March 29-31, 2005 on the Bethel College Campus. Sponsored by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the theme of this year's conference is “Looking toward the future: taking recycling, composting and household hazardous waste management to the next level.” Environmental advocate Chad Pregracke - founder of Living Lands and Waters - is the keynote speaker who will describe how he transformed a single-person effort to clean up the Mississippi River into a coordinated organization, with a staff, barges and thousands of volunteer workers. For more information on Works! 2005, contact Jim Rudeen at (785)296-1603 or e-mail: jrudeen@kdhe.
state.ks.us.

Santa Cruz County, California
UTILITIES AGREE TO BUY ELECTRICITY FROM NEW LANDFILL GAS PROJECTS
“Beneficial use of landfill methane obtained from our community's waste stream has been a very high resource conservation priority,” declares Patrick Mathews, waste recycling manager for Santa Cruz County. The landfill is presently flaring gas at the site, which by December 2005, will be generating 3.2 megawatts of electricity - enough to power 3,000 homes. Both Alameda Power & Telecom and the City of Palo Alto Utilities plan to purchase half of the facility's electrical generation. Ameresco Inc. is developing the landfill gas conversion system at the county-owned Buena Vista landfill in Watsonville.

Columbus, Ohio
STATEWIDE STUDY SHOWS THAT 60 PERCENT OF OHIO NONINDUSTRIAL WASTE IS RECYCLABLE

More than 60 percent of Ohio's residential and commercial discards can be recycled, according to a study by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The “What's In Our Garbage? Waste Characterization Study” revealed that Ohio “generates and disposes of more cardboard, office paper, newsprint and mixed paper each year than any other item .” The study was conducted at 14 landfills and transfer stations, where 460 loads were examined during spring/fall of 2003. Paper made up 41 percent of the waste stream by weight, while recyclable plastics comprised another 16 percent. “The information generated will help us to better focus our recycling education, awareness and grants programs to benefit all of Ohio,” notes Ron Kolbash, chief of the ODNR Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention.
Other study findings included: Approximately 75 percent of all loads contained loose wood, such as wood scraps and 2x4s; Carpet was evident in 62 percent of the loads; C&D debris was seen in 52 percent of the loads, such as drywall and insulation.

Edmonton, Alberta
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION WORKSHOP AT WASTE - THE SOCIAL CONTEXT CONFERENCE
“While the solutions to our waste problems are often focused on technology, the environmental and social aspects have been widely neglected. Waste - The Social Context provides a forum for discussion on the broader implications of waste.” This quote aptly describes the conference, Waste - The Social Context, May 11-14, 2005 in Edmonton, Alberta, sponsored by the Edmonton Waste Management Center for Excellence. On May 11th, the conference will kick off with a half-day workshop, “Building Productive Public Relationships.” Led by Nora Goldstein (BioCycle) and Ned Beecher (New England Biosolids & Residuals Association), workshop participants will learn and practice concepts of public participation and risk communication in order to develop “thinking habits” and strategies that help their waste management programs reduce public concerns and outrage, replace one-way communications with two-way dialogue that enhances public relationships; and understand how to listen to and learn from stakeholders and work together to find acceptable solutions.

On May 12th, the main conference begins with a keynote address by Dr. William Rees, who will discuss his “ecological footprint analysis,” research that reveals the fundamental incompatibility between continued material economic growth and ecological security. The two days of sessions will address a full range of topics for developed and developing countries, ranging from environmental ethics and stakeholder participation to economic analysis and recycling behavior. Waste - The Social Context will end with a tour of the Edmonton Waste Management Center, which includes North America's largest cocomposting facility. The full conference agenda and registration details can be viewed at: www.ualberta.ca/ERSC/ Waste/index.htm. Registration for the workshop, “Building Productive Public Relationships,” is $100 (Canadian) and can be processed via the same website address.

Jefferson City, Missouri
MODIFICATIONS TO COMPOSTING PERMITS
“Operating a composting facility in Missouri just became a bit easier,” notes Curtis Gateley, with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). The Department recently completed modifications to its three general Missouri State Operating Permits (under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) for composting facilities. Several changes to the general permits will cut costs and simplify the permitting process for composting facilities, says Gateley. Some of the changes include increasing the size limitation from 5 to 20 acres, and reducing some monitoring requirements. The modifications are aimed at making the requirements in these permits comparable to the relatively low environmental risk posed by composting facilities.
Overall, the restrictions are designed to keep pace with, and more closely match, the level of environmental risk, primarily based on the feedstocks being processed. For example, a permit for a yard waste-only facility will not be as rigorous as a second tiered permit for a facility that composts food scraps and other organics but not biosolids. The third level permit allows nearly any appropriate material to be included in the feedstocks, but it also has the most monitoring requirements. By having three general permits, the MDNR is able to provide a tiered approach for controlling storm water runoff from the facilities. The general permits are available statewide, cost $150/year, and do not require a 30-day public notice. If a facility does not qualify for a general permit then they must obtain a site specific permit, which must be placed on public notice and costs from $1,350 to $2,350/year depending upon size. For more information contact the MDNR Water Protection Program, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102, or by telephone at (573) 751-1300.

Raleigh, North Carolina
NORTH CAROLINA LEGISLATORS SEE WATER REUSE LIGHT
Late last year, state legislators in North Carolina approved a plan to build a cistern to collect thousands of gallons of rainwater, which currently washes off the roofs of the Legislative Building into Raleigh's storm sewers and, eventually, the Neuse River. Along the way, the storm water picks up lawn fertilizers and pesticides, petroleum and other contaminants. According to an article in the Raleigh News and Observer, “the $120,000 system of underground tanks and filters will serve as a demonstration project for conserving water and controlling storm water runoff, increasingly the concerns among North Carolina communities.” The collection system was expected to be operational in February. In addition to capturing rainwater, it will receive water from the air conditioning system. Both will drain through filters into three 18,000-gallon concrete tanks buried underground. The water will be pumped to a holding tank that will be connected to the landscaping irrigation system. “ About 2.3 million gallons of water runs off the legislative roof each year,” Bill Davis, an architect with Innovative Design, Inc., a Raleigh firm that is working on the project., told the News and Observer. He said the cistern will collect about 80 percent of that. In the winter, when less irrigation is needed and the tanks fill up, excess rainwater will still flow into storm sewers. The cistern is expected to eliminate the annual $2,500 in irrigation expenses and reduce the annual $3,000 city of Raleigh storm water fee.

Innovative Design has worked with school districts in the region to install similar rain-catching systems. A sample worksheet on its website (www.innovativedesign.net) developed for a school with a total roof area of 150,000 square feet, notes that a 105,000 gallon cistern can be installed for around $160,000. The school has an irrigation area of 3,000 acres; the irrigation season runs from May 1 through September 30. With the cistern, Innovative Design estimates the yearly water volume drawn from the city well on an average year would be about 227,000 gallons, with zero gallons discharged to the storm water system. Without the cistern, yearly volume from the city well is just over 2 million gallons in an average year, with 1.8 million gallons discharged annually to the storm water system. The net return on investment after 15 years is close to $20,000. The nitrogen reduction from capturing storm water is calculated at about 39 lbs/year.

Toronto, Ontario
GREEN ROOFS PROJECTS AND RESEARCH ACCELERATE
THROUGHOUT NORTH AMERICA
From Jennifer Philp of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities based in Toronto, Canada comes information about a new green roof research facility in Vancouver, British Columbia; a Greening Rooftops Conference in Washington, D.C. in May 2005; and new projects in North American cities. Last October, the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) received $600,000 from the federal government to support a Green Roof Research Facility that has three roofs: one conventional and two green at different depths. The controlled access building monitors the thermal performance of green roofs, temperature profiles throughout and above the roofs, heat flux and energy consumption. Rainwater is monitored for reduction and delay of runoff and research on runoff quality. Results will provide data for BCIT faculty and students as well as help expand retrofit projects.
The May 4-6 Third Annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center will bring together diverse experts, provide data on latest designs, implementation techniques and green roof products. For registration details and agenda, contact J. Sprout, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, 177 Danforth Ave., Toronto, Ontario M4K lN2, Canada, (416) 971-4494, ext. 229.
Recent project illustrating green roof benefits described in the organization's newsletter include: Washington, D.C.'s collaboration of DC Greenworks, Casey Trees and Blake Real Estate - 3,500 sq ft roof at 1425 K Street (visit www.
dcgreenworks.org); a 17,000 sq ft ecoroof at Portland State University; green roof on the Chicago Center for Green Technology which also serves as a green building resource center; the Stantec green roof in Edmonton that features Hydrotech - lightweight garden roof assembly, and Hydromat - a multipurpose green roof system with barrier, capillary mat and irrigation system; and New York City's work at Earth Pledge that also involves Columbia University's Earth Institute and Hunter College; and the planned 18,000 sq ft green roof on the Minneapolis Downtown Central Library. And the Guinness World Records names the 454,000 sq ft green roof atop Ford's truck assembly plant the largest in the world.

University Park, Pennsylvania
PENN STATE RESEARCHERS USE WASTE PLASTICS AS FUEL
With help from an $87,000 grant from the state Department of Agriculture, a research team at Penn State University is pursuing its mission to solve the problems of waste plastics, “especially on the farm,” says James Garthe, an agricultural engineering instructor. “We want to get energy from waste products, and plastics have energy we can recover. Properly done, plastics can supplement coal in coal fired boilers. Why should we continue to throw energy into landfills?” As explained in Resource (Jan.-Feb, 2005), what makes this team's approach to making nuggets from waste plastic so novel is the low-energy process they have developed that results in what Garthe has dubbed “Plastofuel” - a rigid, waste-plastic “sausage” about 1.5 inches in diameter. Only the outside skin is melted and fused to hold the unmelted, tightly compressed, sometimes dirty waste plastics inside.
Although the researchers have concentrated much of their work on collecting, “nuggetizing,” and burning agricultural waste products such as silage wrap, mulch film, landscape pots and flats, and pesticide and fertilizer containers, they have included household and business waste plastics in their research. For more information Garthe can be e-mailed at jwg10@psu.edu.

Copyright 2005, The JG Press, Inc.