Carolina Recycling Association and Rowan County Present:
This program is based on biblical references and teachings that prove our need to protect the environment. It is a call to action for the religious community to take the necessary steps to create a better world. This workshop will be presented in the “Train the Trainer” style.
Cost: $25.00 per person– includes a DVD with both programs- the hour version and the 20-minute version. Lunch is included.
Date: Thursday, July 30, 2009, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Place: Rowan County Processing Center 1102 North Long Street East Spencer, NC 28138
RSVP by July 24 to: Phone: 704-216-8606 Fax: 704-216-8969 E-mail: Lori.Swaim@rowancountync.gov
Guest Blogger – Wambui, Summer Intern According to an article in Campus Echo, N.C. Central University, in conjunction with Orange Recycling Services, started a recycling program in November of 2008. But will the momentum catch on?
This past semester I remember seeing the big blue bins in the narrow school corridors. The bins were annoying as students had to share the narrow corridor. At the back of my mind, I had always known that recycling was important, but I did not understand how the process worked.
This summer, I am interning with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. I have learned a lot which has changed my recycling habits. I look forward to spreading this helpful information to my fellow students.
Our office initiated a program with the NCCU gym during the Pro-Am Basketball Tournament. We will be helping spread the recycling message to the whole community. NCCU has come a long way since the 2004 Campus Echo article by Marcus Roundtree. In his article, Roundtree calls attention to the fact that NCCU is not recycling as much as it should. I believe these efforts will sensitize the students to participate fully in the program that has already been put in place. Let us all be the change that we want to see!
Excerpts from the article below (published in the Daily Advance) are a good summary of the bill that did ultimately pass and get signed by the Governor last week. Full legislation can be found here.
Senate to look at bag ban By Jennifer Preyss, Staff Writer Monday, June 22, 2009
North Carolina senators will take a final glance at a revised piece of environmental legislation today that aims to rid three Outer Banks counties of plastic bag pollution by banning them from use in large retailers.
The revised version of the bill would prevent shoppers in Hyde, Dare, and Currituck counties from obtaining plastic bags in large retailers such as Food Lion and Wal-Mart located within the three Outer Banks counties. Retailers on the mainland side of these counties however, would not be affected by the law.
The ban applies to plastic bags less than 2.25 mils in thickness and comprised of non-biodegradable material. A mil is a unit of measure equal to one-thousandth of an inch.
Introduced by Sen. Josh Stein, D-Wake, and backed by Senate leader Marc Basnight, D, Dare, the legislation has modified greatly since it was first considered last March. Local officials and citizens vocalized opposition to the bag tax at the start, and Basnight decided to partner with Stein where they recalculated both of their legislative drafts to include a plastic bag ban specific to the Outer Banks.
Two primary modifications included removing the ban for the mainland side of the counties, and offering several incentives for customers shopping with reusable tote bags.
The previous version of the legislation offered a refund for customers who bring in reusable tote bags to the store, which would have been added on to the shopper’s total bill at checkout.
The new provision allows customers to receive a cash refund, store coupon, or store credit that is equal to the retailer’s expenditures for providing one recycled paper bag multiplied by the total number of reusable totes brought in by the customer and filled with merchant goods.
Johnson said members of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association seemed to favor the new modification.
This past spring semester, N.C. State Pack Promotions (Communications and Marketing Student Group) administered a 25-question survey that received 237 responses. The survey was sent to acquaintances of Pack Promotions members through Survey Monkey (an online tool) and through a hard copy form.
Demographic information: 59% = female and 38% = male, (3% did not answer this question) 68% of participants were 18 to 29-years-old, 14% were 30 to 39-years-old, 6% were 40 to 49-years-old and 9% responded were 50 or older. (3% did not answer).
Focus group results and open ended survey results: - Text messaging and other reminders - Use the Internet to communicate - “Recycling is inconvenient” - “I’m unsure of which items can be recycled”
Q: Did you know that there are three items (oyster shells, plastic bottles, wooden pallets) that will no longer be accepted in the landfill beginning October, 2009? 93% said no. We have our work cut out for us!
Q: Do you consider yourself an active recycler? 64% said yes.
Q: Have you heard of the Recycle Guys before? 72% said yes.
When asked “Which outlets do you rely on for recycling information? Please check all that apply,” the majority of respondents (36%) said that television was their main form of communication. Other main categories included: 33% indicated friends, 29% from newspapers, 26% said family and 25% said they got their information from the Internet.
So Bianca posed the question – Why is TV number one in this survey as the main form of recycling communication, when over the past few years RE3.org surveys show the Internet as the main avenue for information and communication?
I’m not sure, exactly, but it could be that the question was phrased slightly different, that ~30% of the survey respondents were more than 30 years old and/or 60% were female. We often get data that shows 35 to 55-year-olds watch more TV and that females get information more from TV than males.
What do you think? What is the best mode of communication in your town?
Guest Blogger – Michigan Mary This is Michigan Mary’s final blog post. We wish her the best of luck in all future endeavors.
A lot of times China gets a bad rap for its current environmental standards. The present degradation paired with the intense population within this country has lead to some serious environmental issues. Recently, however, China has disclosed that it plans to utilize 20 percent renewable energy by 2020.
That is a pretty impressive goal, and an effort that should be applauded. Here in the United States we currently get about 15 percent of our energy from renewable sources, while around the world approximately 18 percent of energy is provided from renewable sources. As one of the most densely population regions in the world, China’s shift in energy policy is crucial to global progress on this issue.
China is known for being aggressive with its short- and long-term goals. This aggressive stance will increase the likelihood that the goal of increased alternative energy use will be reached. However, China is also notorious for using empty rhetoric to try and find its way on the world scene. What do you think – will China hold true on its promise? What are the implications of this goal for the region and for the world?
Disposal bans for oil filters, wooden pallets, and plastic bottles will be effective in North Carolina on October 1, 2009. The bans will affect local government recycling programs and local governments will in turn play a key role in the success of the bans. The Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance is presenting a FREE Webinar from 10:00 to 12:00 on Thursday, July 9th to help educate and train municipalities and counties on the disposal bans. The Webinar will cover the history and reasons why the bans were passed, the market conditions underlying the legislation, the ways local governments can be active on the bans, and the availability of Web-based resources to assist in implementation of the legislation.
Agenda: - Overview of Disposal Ban Legislation - Markets, Recycling Services, and Material Demand Supporting the Bans - Guidance for Local Governments Regarding the Bans - Resources Available for Ban Implementation - Question and Answers
Registration is limited. To allow broadest possible access to this Webinar, we strongly recommend that if you have more than one person from your jurisdiction who wants to attend, please share one phone and computer.
Please direct any questions to: Scott Mouw scott.mouw@ncdenr.gov or 919-715-6512 Rachel Eckert rachel.eckert@ncdenr.gov or 919-715-6505 Kelley Dennings kelley.dennings@ncdenr.gov or 919-715-6507
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
Please answer the questions below in the comment section. Which of the following describes your general reaction to this graphic:- I really like it - It’s OK - Don’t like it muchIs it attention-getting? - Very much - A little - Not at all Is it interesting? - Very much - A little - Not at all Is it direct/to the point? - Very much - A little - Not at allWhat about this graphic do you like?What about this graphic don’t you like?
Carolina Recycling Association and Rowan County Present:
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