lighting energy costs. LED’s are extremely durable and require very little maintenance once installed. Although expensive, they also last a very long time

up to 12-25 years depending on use and therefore are considered more cost-effective over the full life cycle of an LED. LED’s have also been touted as superior to CFL’s because they last longer, are more efficient and don’t contain mercury. If a CFL breaks and the mercury is exposed it is considered a hazardous waste issue.

However, LED’s aren’t all good and have waste challenges. They do contain lead, arsenic and a few other s

ubstances known to be dangerous. They are not a health hazard in a home or office encased, but if they do break it is important to treat them like hazardous waste. Currently LED’s can be disposed of in regular landfills and are not considered hazardous waste legally. However, because of the toxic contents it is strongly recommended when disposing of LED’s to treat them similar to hazardous waste. (To learn more visit E-magazine article, Dark Side of LED Light bulbs)

For more information on LED lighting visit these websites;

• LED Lighting Facts: A program of the U.S. Department of Energy that provides information on LED products and performance rating.
• LED’s Magazine: A magazine dedicated to LED lighting information.
• LED Journal: Provides an online resource guide, a buyer’s guide, industry directory and other resources on LED lighting.
• Energy Efficient Lighting: LED reference information provided by EarthEasy, a green product online retailer, which provides basic information for the consumer including an overview of benefits, terminology, and how to choose an LED.

Plastics are not good for us. They have filled up our landfills. The EPA estimates that over 12% of our current waste stream is made up of plastics and of that the largest category of materials is food containers and packaging. Plastics are now in our ocean  and have created their own island called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. And the health studies coming out about plastics, especially those that come into contact with food or beverage, have indicated initially they might be cancer-causing according to a Scientific America article.  Although the plastics industry denies such reports it is understandable given that over 50% of industry’s revenues make up plastic packaging, according to  the report, The Future of Plastics of Packaging.

A new trend is emerging to go plastic free. Essentially that means no product or good purchases that are made from or come in plastic packaging. If it sounds like this might be difficult, it is!

Here are a few resources that provide some tips and tricks on kicking the plastic habit!

• My Plastic Free: A blogger who is blogging about how she is going plastic free. She is in the process of publishing a book called ‘Plastic Free’.

• 11 Ways to Kick the Plastic Habit: An article by Green America on how to reduce your use of plastic.

• How We Tried to be Plastic Free: Rodale publishing did a blog in 2011 on attempts by their staff to be plastic free. A great idea for a company try to educate staff on plastic use.

• Plastic-free Living Guide: Another blogger, Beth Terry, who also writes about her plastic free life.

• Life Without Plastic: A site that provides products that are all plastic free to help those who want to rid plastic from their lives.

• Life Less Plastic: A blogger, Jeanne Haegele who has been plastic free since 2007 and has her own journey described in her blog.

• Plastics production produces 14 percent of toxic air emissions in the U.S., and each plant emits an average of 300-500 gallons of contaminated wastewater per minute. (It’s Easy Being Green book)
• 100 million plastic bottles dumped in US every year. Each bottle will take over 1,000 years to biodegrade.  (SIGG)
• BPA (a plastic hardening agent prevalent in bottles, cups and lined tin cans) is so prevalent in food packaging and other consumer items that prior research has detected its presence in at least 90% of Americans. A group of 20 San Francisco residents had 66% less BPA in their urine after three days on a diet of fresh, organic and unpackaged food, scientists found. (Silent Spring Institute)
• 500 billion plastic bags or wraps are thrown away in America each year and are created with 12 million barrels of oil. (DropthePlasticBag.org)

Find out the facts about plastic for yourself with these resources;

Plastic Disclosure is a great website that offers facts and information about the harmful effects of plastic.

GreenBiz released this article a few weeks ago about the plastic use in corporations.

New York Times released this article on the issue of plastic and waste

If you want a more lighthearted approach, view the movie Bag It, that was released early in 2011. It discusses all the issues with plastic. For a review, go to this blog entry.

Here are some resources and articles to learn more about energy management software:

GreenBiz, 6 Rules to Follow When Shopping for Energy Management Software

CA Emerging Technologies, Operations Energy Management: From Data Center Through Facilities

Environmental Leader, Market for Carbon and Energy Management Software

ZD Net, 10 Best Carbon and Energy Management Software Tools

Sunny Delight laid out its zero waste goals in 2009. The company hoped to reach the goal by 2013, but has already achieved the goal at all six of manufacturing sites.  Overall, the company’s plants delivered 63 percent less waste to landfills generating a net savings of $165,000 in 2009.

A study by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering found that about 93% of the material we buy and consume never end up in salable products at all. There is a lot of waste in manufacturing products which essentially is good money being thrown away.

Take a look at your own company and see how you can reduce waste and save money. Learn more in the  article, Your employees are throwing away cash with both hands; Save big money by reducing waste” by K.J. McCorry.

• Use green cleaning supplies. Make sure cleaning supplies are non-toxic and eco-friendly. Seventh Generation and All Green have a great line of cleaning products.
  
• Turn off lights. Ask your janitorial staff to turn off all lights upon leaving the building. This supports accountability with this simple energy saving action.
• Provide recycling and waste data. In order to improve recycling and waste management it is important to get data from your janitorial staff on the usage of receptacles along with rate of recycling. Make sure your janitorial staff is managing waste responsibly.