Aluminum Can Facts

Thought that this was pretty interesting about recycling aluminum. thanks to professorshouse.com

• It takes energy to make aluminum from scratch. The energy you save by recycling a single aluminum can will run a TV for three hours.
• In fact, it takes 95% less energy to make aluminum from bauxite ore than to recycle old aluminum into new.
• Aluminum beverage cans are getting lighter. Twenty years ago, a pound of aluminum made about twenty cans. Today, the same amount of aluminum makes approximately thirty cans. The thickness of the side of an aluminum can is about the same as that of a human hair.
• It takes about 400 years for aluminum to break down naturally. That Coke can you just drank from will probably still look about the same in another century or two.
• With all the industries that use aluminum—in manufacturing, in packaging, in cars and airplanes—the industry that uses the most aluminum is the beverage industry.
• In 2004, Americans recycled enough aluminum to build thirteen aircraft carriers.
• Every three months, Americans discard enough aluminum to completely rebuild every single commercial airplane in America.
• Approximately 350,000 aluminum cans are made in a minute.
• Aluminum can be recycled over and over without breaking down. In theory, we have an inexhaustible supply of it in circulation right now. If we recycled all our aluminum, we’d never have to make more.
• The average American discarded fourteen and a half pounds of aluminum just from packaging last year—and almost three pounds of aluminum foil. That’s not even counting aluminum cans.
• Most people don’t realize how strong a metal aluminum is. Four six packs can support the weight of a 4,000-lb. aluminum car.
• Aluminum has a phenomenally high melting point—1,220ºF, to be exact.
• A long time ago, aluminum was a much more valuable metal than gold or silver.
• The aluminum in one single soda can is worth about a cent. Americans threw away millions of cans last year. The American government could pay off a significant portion of its debt with a few years’ worth of aluminum cans.
• Four pounds of raw bauxite ore is saved for every pound of aluminum that is reclaimed in the recycling process.
• The aluminum Americans throw away each year is enough to provide the auto industry with all the raw material it needs to build a year’s worth of new cars.
• Because our landfills are so full of aluminum cans, some landfills incinerate extra aluminum. This isn’t just a huge waste; it also pours toxic metals and gases into the atmosphere.
• Aluminum is valuable. It’s still very much in demand, and recycled aluminum is just as useful and desirable as new. In fact, aluminum is the only recyclable material that depots can recoup their recycling costs with.
• Making aluminum from bauxite ore is a dirty process—and burning it is even worse. By doubling our aluminum recycling rate, we could cut a million tons of pollutants per year out of the atmosphere.
• Recycling aluminum isn’t just about collecting cans. You can also recycle old siding, aluminum foil, and even the gutters on your roof. Most recycling depots that take cans will also take these materials.
• Every part of the can is reusable—you don’t have to prepare it in any way, other than to rinse it out.
• In 1996, aluminum manufacturers saved enough energy by recycling aluminum instead of creating it from bauxite ore to power a city the size of Pittsburg for six years or so.
• Aluminum recycles in no time at all. When you send a can to a recycling depot, it’s processed, recycled, and back on the shelf again in about a month.

Aluminum Recycling Facts - [www.professorshouse.com]

PGP's Thoughts and Prayers go out to the Virginia Tech Community.

This is horrible. If you haven't heard the news, at least 31 people have been killed and 29 have been wounded in a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Project Green Planet sends its love to Virginia Tech, the victims of the shootings, as well as their friends and families.

Gunman Dead after bloody campus rampage - [CNN.com]

What IKEA is doing for the environment in Europe.

Project Green Planet isn't just about what America is doing or can do to help the environment, its about what people and companies all over the world can do to make the world a better place. IKEA in the United Kingdom has made a plan to cut back on their plastic bag consumption by 20 million bags.

In their campaign, they have made three major changes to cut bag on the use of plastic bags. The first step is to stop offering free plastic carrier bags to customers, and instead charge them to use the bags in an attempt to get people to use reusable bags. Their second step is to switch over to all biodegradable bags while the third step in their campaign is to lower the price of IKEA's reusable Big Blue Bag.

IKEA's Environment Manager Charlie Browne (ha!) said, “The UK is addicted to plastic bags, and we are paying a high price for this in environmental terms. IKEA UK will reduce the cost of the famous reusable Big Blue Bag at the same time as starting to introduce a charge for carrier bags.This is because we want to discourage customers from one-off use of carrier bags, and help customers make an environmentally friendly choice."

Plastic bags are one of the biggest problems on earth when it comes to littering as well as waste. It's estimated that nearly 12 million barrels of oil are required to make the estimated 100 billion plastic shopping bags Americans go through annually. These 100 billion plastic bags cost retailers an estimated $4 Billion annually.

A quick fact according to reusablebags.com is that in 2001, Ireland consumed 1.2 billion plastic bags, or 316 per person. An extremely successful plastic bag consumption tax, or PlasTax, introduced in 2002 reduced consumption by 90%. Approximately 18,000,000 liters of oil have been saved due to this reduced production.

IKEA to Reduce Plastic Bag Consumption by 20 Million. - [IKEA]
Facts and figures regarding the true cost of plastic bags - [Reusablebags.com]

What you can do with recycled pop bottles.

I have been researching and have found that the things you can do by recycling pop bottles are amazing.

Did you know that with 25 recycled 2-liter plastic bottles, you can make a medium fleece pullover. With 85 of those same bottles you have enough to make insulation to line a large sleeping bag while 14 bottles can make one square foot of carpet. I found this out on www.aboutmyplanet.com along with a little bit on the process of recycling these pop bottles.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens to all of those plastic bottles that you faithfully sort and collect in your municipal recycling programs, then wonder no more. More than likely, your municipality sends its recyclable plastic – and other materials – to a Materials Recovery Facility. Here, the plastic is sorted and bundled before being sold to a plastic recycler. From there, it’s a whole new world of opportunity.

Today, recycled PET – which is the material used in plastic pop bottles – is high in demand across North America. That means your municipality will more than likely be able to sell all of the PET it can get. The reason the material is so popular is because there are many well-established end markets. One of the largest of these is fibre for carpets, blankets, upholstery and stuffing for not just sleeping bags but ski jackets, cushions and mattresses. In this case, the recycled plastic is made into flakes, melted and then extruded into hair-like strands. The fibres are then crimped, cut and baled so that they can be spun into yarn and knitted or woven into fabric.

I have heard of some major brands such as Patagonia Inc. using this method to make their fleece, Patagonia was the first major retail company to use this method. In 2001, 35 percent of plastic soft drink bottles were recycled, according to the American Plastics Council. The bulk of that was spun into fibers for carpets, clothing and other textiles. Overall, about 22 percent of the type of plastic bottle that can be converted into polyester is recycled. Manufacturers have the capacity to process about 35 percent more than they do now, if people would recycle their bottles rather than pitching them. Also, because polyester is petroleum-based, making clothing from recycled polyester cuts down on the consumption of raw materials. It is estimated that it has the capacity to save about 500,000 barrels of oil a year by recycling almost 3 billion plastic bottles.

Milk jugs, which are made from a different type of plastic, can be used to make carpet as well as fiber to fill pillows. All of this information really goes to show us how much we can save when we recycle. Everything from cans to glasses to plastics can usually be used again and again and again, in many different ways.

Think of how many of the earths natural resources you can save by recycling. Remember the list time you went camping? If it's been in the past decade you can bet that probably about half of the items you used on the trip were recycled products. Everything from the fleece in your sleeping bag to parts on your engine that got you to your campsite. To find out more about recycling, check your local services in your city or town and they should be able to provide you with the information that you need to recycle.

Wearing Used Pop Bottles - [About My Planet]
Whats the hot new fabric? Old plastic recycled fibers. - [Jobwerx]

Support Product (RED)

Product (RED) is wonderful. Getting some of these big named brands, especially that are popular with young people, to donate this money and fight for the awareness of aids. Apple, Gap, Converse, Emporio Armani, Motorola and American Express so far have been the brands to join Product (RED).

What these companies do is they use the (RED) logo on select products, which has become somewhat of a fashion statement, to promote the awareness of AIDS (especially in Africa). What these companies sell, they donate a portion of the profit from these items to The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

It's so cool the messages you can send and promote through pop-culture. Converse recently announced that they are going to release Red "Ramone Themed" Chuck Taylors in support of Product (RED). Product (RED) is doing something that no charitable organization has ever really done before, they're tapping into these unused resources through pop-culture themes such as the IPod, Chuck Taylor's, The Gap, etc.

Product (RED) is definitely a cause worth promoting.





Product (Red) Blog - [Joinred.blogspot.com]
Product Red - [Joinred.com]
Converse plans Ramones chuck's for Project Red - [Punknews.org]
The Global Fund - [theglobalfund.org]

Old news but it's pretty cool

Back in February when most of the Midwest and Northeast was getting completely slammed with snowstorms Burton Snowboards, based in Vermont, did one of the coolest things I have ever seen a company do. Gave their employees a snow day.

Burton’s CEO Laurent Potdevin sent an email titled ‘Powder Day’ to Burton’s 400-plus Vermont based employees announcing the good news. “It’s dumping so much that we will be closing the office tomorrow (Thursday) all day to allow everyone to get to the mountain and ride,” said Potdevin’s email. “Stowe is getting pounded – grab your board and get to the mountain.”

"Nothing makes me happier than giving the people who work here the opportunity to experience the essence of a sport that they are making accessible and fun for so many others,” says Jake Burton, Founder and Chairman of Burton Snowboards. “Coincidentally, the Burton senior management team spent last night at the top of Stowe Mountain Resort in the 'Stone Hut'. Waking up to a foot of fresh snow (and plenty more coming) might have made for some cancelled meetings and an unproductive day at the office, but we all work pretty hard around here and riding is our best source of energy."

That's awesome. Completely awesome. For such a big company to live within it's brands ideals. It's not like they made work optional or even told people "well we want you to come in but if you cant make it that's fine." They said "Hey, get the hell out of here, hit the slopes." It's so refreshing to see that there is some hope left in corporate America. It's nice to see that not everyone is a stiff in a suit.

Burton is definitely one of the coolest companies out there. They actually have a sign on the front door that says that Burton is closed if there is more than two feet of snow in 24 hours. Looking at their website, it definitely looks like a great company to work for. I've actually thought about moving to Vermont after I graduate, it's a job that I would definitely look into. So Cool.

A Burton Snow Day - [Lat34.com]
Burton Snowboards

Why I love Patagonia

Recycling, Recycling, Recycling.