Winter Olympic medals made from recycled e-waste

A library colleague sent me this article that I'd like to share about the Winter Olympic medals made from recycled e-waste.

The article is more of a green story, but I did want to send out a reminder that electronic equipment is recyclable....televisions, computers, monitors, fax machines, printers, DVD and CD players, etc.

Here are some bay area recyclers that accept e-waste.

http://www.greenmouse.com/testimonials.html
http://elmars.org/default.aspx
http://www.recycle1234.com

Here's the link to the Winter Olympic medals made from recycled ewaste:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=winter-olympic-medals-made-from-rec-2010-02-12

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Someone let me know a few weeks ago about the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch".

Because of circular ocean currents, there is a large collection of trash that appears to be mostly plastics accumulating in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii.

The patch is about the size of Texas and is not a solid mass, but more like plastic soup that is floating but also occurring at various depths. It also moves seasonally with the ocean currents, sometimes thousands of miles. Some of the plastic is breaking into smaller bits and is being eaten by ocean animals...and there's concern that plastics will end up in our food chain, too.

Scientists are studying it, but are pretty much in agreement that preventing more plastics from entering the ocean is a key strategy.

">http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/08/04/pacific.garbage.patch/

http://www.greatgarbagepatch.org/

Green tip of the week: Consider how you might use less plastics in your daily life.

We're extremely fortunate that most of us are already using refillable water containers here in the library and that San Jose has recycling facilities available for plastics labeled 1 to 7.

Here's a news story that the University of Portland will stop selling plastic water bottles and is encouraging their campus to use reusable containers.

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Disposable-plastic-water-bottles-no-longer-available-at-UP-82710507.html/

Antibiotic Soaps Leading to Resistant Strains of Bacteria

Another library colleague sent me this information about antibacterial soaps leading to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. The chemical in many antibacterials soaps called "triclosan", also known as "Microban", has not shown any more effectiveness than plain soap and water...but we're seeing more harmful effects.

Some of these include increased allergies in children and hormone disruption/cancer in laboratory animals. As we wash antibacterial soap down our drains, it's becoming a common contaminant of streams and rivers killing algae, phytoplankton and other aquatic life. It's also now being found in the blood, urine, and breast milk of people across the globe.

Here's the link:
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/chemical-contaminants/what-is-lurking-in-your-soap/

Superfood Slideshow

The Monterey Bay Aquarium sent a link out through Facebook today highlighting a photo/informational slideshow of superfoods put together by O, the Oprah Magazine.

The slideshow includes environmentally sustainable fish, as well as many fruits, vegetables, grains, and seeds that require less energy units to produce than some other meats.

Here's some examples:

Blueberries: Fresh or frozen, blueberries have sky-high levels of antioxidants, which combat the damage done by inflammation. Anthocyanins, the natural plant compounds that give blueberries their deep color, may have antidiabetic effects as well. And new research suggests blueberries might protect the heart muscle from damage.

Dark Leafy Greens: Dark, leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and swiss chard are an excellent source of iron (especially important for women), vitamin A, and lutein for eye health. Best of all, you know those omega-3s everyone's talking about? They reside in dark greens (including seaweed, which is why they're concentrated in fish).

Here's the link:

http://www.oprah.com/food/25-Superfoods-to-Incorporate-Into-Your-Diet-Now#slide

In Defense of Food

The Silicon Valley Reads Programs sponsored by the Santa Clara County Library, Santa Clara County Office of Education, and the San Jose Public Library Foundation have chosen Michael Pollan's book "In Defense of Food" as their highlighted book for 2010.

His motto, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

His book is mostly educating people about eating whole instead of processed food, but his motto does fall into the green category. It always takes more energy, land, and water units to raise meat than it does to raise plants.

http://www.siliconvalleyreads.org/2010-11/InDefenseOfFood.asp

Nike Recycles Tennis Shoes

A library colleague found an article in 'Better Homes and Gardens' that discussed how Nike is recycling old tennis shoes.

You can take your old tennis shoes to these local Nike stores and they will be recycled into various playground materials or other shoes.

Nike Grind Rubber, made from the shoe's outsole, is used in track surfaces, interlocking gym flooring tiles, playground surfacing and even new Nike products, such as the outsoles of the Nike Pegasus or the Jordan XX3. It’s also used in trim items like buttons and zipper pulls.

Nike Grind Foam, made from the shoe's midsole, is used as a cushion for outdoor basketball and tennis courts, as well as futsal fields.

Nike Grind Fiber, made from the shoe's fabric upper, is used in the creation of cushioning pads for facilities like indoor synthetic courts and wood courts.

Nike Factory Store
447 GREAT MALL DRIVE, SUITE 484
MILPITAS, CA 95035
408.942.6457

Nike Store
6 STANFORD SHOPPING CENTER, SUITE 6-A
PALO ALTO, CA 94304
650.326.6957

Nike Factory Store
8225 ARROYO CIRCLE.STE 21
GILROY, CA 95020
408.847.4300

Nike
5614 BAY ST. SP#5664
EMERYVILLE, CA 94608
510-595-6912

NIKETOWN
278 POST ST
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108
415.392.6453

Here's the link:
http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/

Recycling CDs and DVDs

Did you know that CDs and DVDs are recyclable?

GreenCitizen has offices in San Francisco, Burlingame, and Palo Alto. You can drop off or ship your unwanted CDs and DVDs to them for recycling.

http://www.greencitizen.com/recycling/DVD_recycling_center_CD_recycling_center.php

5 Green Gadgets Unveiled at Consumer Electronics Show

Some of the cool items that were unveiled were a solar bluetooth device, LCD HDTVs (Liquid Crystal Display High Definition Television)using LED (Light Emitting Diodes), laptops made with corn-based cases, intelligent chargers, and silver zinc rechargeable batteries that have a 20-30 percent higher capacity than lithium-ion batteries.

Here's the link:


http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-gadgets-ces-electronics-46010808