Green-News: Wednesday 5.6.09
- Bad news for plastic army men, the United States military is switching compostable bio-plastic. In Iraq, the 135,000 U.S. troops leave behind 446 million pounds of plastic waste each year. Bio-plastic decomposes and can be made from weeds, sugar and even cow poop, and can be used for MRE’s and other food packaging; via CleanTechnica.
- Colleges are ditching plastic too. Many universities are taking plastic food trays out of cafeterias and officials claim it helps reduce waste, saving schools 10% on food spending and with no trays to wash, cutting water bills too. And some colleges have started using biodegradable containers and planting community gardens; The New York Times reports.
- Disney is also going green, in a big way! The house that Mickey built pledged to plant one tree for every ticket sold for its eco-documentary “Earth” during the first week of release. Last week, the movie took in $16.1 million, with 2.7 million viewers, meaning 2.7 new trees are headed to the Brazilian rainforest; from Green Inc.
- FedEx has announced its aiming to run on 30% biofuel by 2030, calling it the 30 by 30 plan. The delivery company wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cutback air-transportation costs, focusing on biodiesel made from shrubs and ethanol and moving away from existing petroleum-based fuels; SustainableBusiness.com News explains.
- Speaking of alternative fuel, New York City is getting 40 brand new Nissan Altima Hybrid patrol cars, to further Manhattan’s bid to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2017. Currently there are 3,300 hybrid vehicles in service throughout New York, but most are designated for sanitation, buildings, parks and transportation; from Red Green and Blue.
- Now, despite New York’s seedy reputation, it’s actually quite clean. According to the American Lung Association, New York City is not among the worst air-polluters in the country, with Los Angeles, California, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and Bakersfield, California having the worst air quality. New York didn’t even make the top ten; via The Daily Green.
Image credit: John J Page
