Main

August 22, 2011

Single stream recycling accelerates in Charleston




Charleston County, South Carolina deploys RFID pilot to increase the participation in its program with the ease of single stream recycling.  …

…   “With a solid waste diversion goal of 40 percent, Charleston County is addressing improvements in all facets of its recycling program, including residential single stream recycling, where the RFID solution has proven invaluable in its ability to precisely identify recycling participation and increase collection operations productivity.”   …

Via RFIDa: RFID enabled recycling program.

December 01, 2009

South Carolina Wind Power Opportunity




Energy Secretary Steven Chu addressed a symposium hosted at Clemson and emphasized the role that South Carolina could play in the green economy through advancement of wind power and turbine technology. Clemson will manage an investment project to create a wind power testing facility. ...
... "As part of that initiative, the energy department awarded the Restoration Institute and its partners a $45 million grant Nov. 23 to build and operate a large-scale wind turbine drive train testing facility at the institute’s research campus on the former Navy base in North Charleston. " ...
Via Clemson University: Chu on Green Economy

Continue reading "South Carolina Wind Power Opportunity" »

September 25, 2009

Coke Embraces Recycling in a BIG WAY




Coca Cola logo 

" ... Coca-Cola Company and United Resource Recovery Corporation (URRC) ...  celebrate the grand opening of the world's largest plastic bottle-to-bottle recycling plant in Spartanburg, S.C. ... a key milestone in our goal to recycle and reuse 100 percent of our bottles and cans in the U.S. and ensure the sustainability of our packaging ..."

When fully operational, the plant will produce approximately 100 million pounds of food-grade recycled PET plastic each year -- the equivalent of nearly two billion 20-ounce Coca-Cola bottles. ... Over the next ten years the plant will prevent the release of one million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions -- the equivalent of removing 215,000 cars from the road. ..."

 

 

Via:  Coca Cola  LINK

 

April 01, 2009

Clemson Bio Fuels Research




                                                                                                                                                                 Clemson University and the US DOE Savannah River National Lab are working together on the South Carolina BioEnergy Research Collaborative. The expectation is to advance the development and use of biofuels in agriculturally rich S.C. SRNL logo

Clemson University Restoration Institute

Read on for more info >>>

" ... Clemson University Restoration Institute and the ... Savannah River National Laboratory are founding members of the S.C. BioEnergy Research Collaborative, ... will enhance the exchange of ideas and the development and use of new technologies. ...  the agreement, the Restoration Institute and the laboratory will ... Research crop development and harvesting, including switchgrass, sweet sorghum and pine ... Study emerging energy alternatives, such as algae; and ... Research crop-processing techniques to yield viable energy and chemical products, including ethanol, biodiesel and energy briquettes.







The project has the potential not only to enhance South Carolina's reputation as a leading alternative-energy researcher, but also boost Palmetto State agriculture, said Karl Kelly, director of corporate operations at the Restoration Institute.

The pilot plant will allow researchers to "scale up" new biofuel technologies, a crucial step between small laboratory experiments and full-scale production, he said.

"It's a project that addresses the entire process, from the field to the production of ethanol," Kelly said. "We'll look for gaps in the technology and fill them."

Initial funding was provided by a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The collaborative is actively seeking funding for construction of the plant, which will take about 12 months to build.


 

 

Via:  Clemson University  LINK

Continue reading "Clemson Bio Fuels Research" »

March 22, 2009

Cellulosic Biofuel Research Efforts




Clemson's Restoration Institute will research biofuel crops, such as switchgrass, evaluate algae paths to biofuels, and identify techniques to produce energy products. ...
... "This includes its expertise in microbial and enzyme technologies to break down chemical compounds. The laboratory is playing a lead role in research into the pretreatment of plant matter prior to fermentation and in the discovery of effective new cellulose enzymes. The entire senior class of Clemson chemical engineering professor Charles Gooding is working on a project to design a switchgrass-to-ethanol plant. Thirty-four students are looking at alternatives to the process, which could prove useful to the plant design, Gooding said. " ...
Via Clemson University: Collaboration to develop bioenergy

March 04, 2009

Starbucks Shared Planet




 Starbucks Shared Green Planet

Starbucks Shared Planet is " ...  commitment to doing business in ways that are good to the earth and to each other ... it's using our size for good....committed to minimizing our environmental footprint, tackling climate change, and inspiring others to do the same"Starbucks LEED plant

One shining example of this is their new (Feb 19th - 2009) South Carolina " ... state of the art roasting plant ... an example of the company's global commitment to green design and has been awarded LEED® Silver certification for New Construction by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)."

LEED Logo" ...20 percent – of building materials were from recycled content and over 75 percent of construction waste was recycled. ... drought tolerant landscape and a portion of the power used for operations will be green power supplied by wind energy."


Via:  Starbucks  Link

 

 

Continue reading "Starbucks Shared Planet" »

May 04, 2008

New York's MTA into Recycling in a BIG WAY




 NYC subway cars - becoming artificial reefs

How do you recycle old subway cars?  Many have already been re purposed into artificial reefs off the coasts of NY and NY.

NY City's MTA  " ... made more than 1,200 “retired “Red Bird” subway cars available to Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Delaware and New Jersey.  [for] a new purpose-- to help form artificial reefs and become habitats for marine life. After we stripped the subway cars of components that float (oils, solids, etc.) and decompose, NYC Transit steam cleaned the cars, which were loaded on barges and “buried” at sea."NYC MTA logo

 

Via:  NYC MTA    Link

February 08, 2008

Rice Grower in S.C. Uses Certified Renewable Energy




carolina plantation riceCampbell Coxe

" ... Carolina Plantation Rice ... is the first and only business in South Carolina to be recognized nationally as being Green-e certified as an environmentally friendly user of renewable energy."

" ... purchases renewable energy from Pee Dee Electric Cooperative in the form of “Green Power” to irrigate and process its crops ... Green Power is electricity generated from landfill gas."

“"Our customer base is a very aware group of people who are environmentally concerned,” ...  All our packaging is biodegradable. It’s natural.” "green-e power logo


Via:  Electric Cooperative of South Carolina   Link