Policies to Promote Composting
Presented at the US Composting Council Conference in Santa Clara, California
Presented at the US Composting Council Conference in Santa Clara, California
Presented at POWER meeting Santa Clara, California US Composting Council Conference & Trade Show January 24, 2011 This presentation outlines the benefits of composting and the role of compostable biobased products in helping to recover food scraps and move toward zero waste economies.
Ontario’s bold renewable energy program contains excellent examples of policy that marries economic and environmental goals. Unique among programs that set a guaranteed price for electricity from renewable energy projects, Ontario’s program also boasts a domestic content requirement that has already resulted in the promise of 43,000 jobs and dozens of new manufacturing plants to support the 5,000 MW of new clean energy.
The title of the link won’t give it away, but I was interviewed on Stephen Lacey’s most recent REW podcast on superconducting technology for transmission. He generously provided me some time to contrast the lead topic (centralized renewable energy reliant on transmission) with the economics of distributed renewable energy sources.
The Bio Specs for Food Service Ware outline sustainability criteria and recognition levels for food service ware made from compostable biobased materials. They provide a framework that enables buyers to assess the sustainability of these products during three stages of their life cycle: (1) biomass production, (2) manufacturing, and (3) end of product life. “Sustainability” encompasses … Read More
These graphs illustrate the shifting market share of chain and independent retailers between 1982 and 2007, as well as the growing share of spending captured by Walmart.… Read More
Stacy Mitchell is interviewed on the Craig Fahle Show on WDET in Detroit on the issues around big box retail and independent businesses. The show aired on December 1, 2010.
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North Carolina aims to be a hotbed for innovation and technology, but the General Assembly has recently considered bills that would preempt local authority to build broadband infrastructure. Such preemption would cripple the most advanced broadband networks in the state. This new analysis shows that community owned networks are faster and cheaper than incumbent cable and telephone networks in North Carolina.
Past broadband discussions in the General Assembly focused on a bill to prevent communities from building their own networks — but communities are the only ones building citywide next-generation fiber-to-the-home networks in North Carolina. The best connections in the state are in the towns of Salisbury and Wilson because both built community fiber networks that offer much faster connections to residents and businesses at more affordable prices.
If you live in the Twin Cities, your internet connection is slower and more expensive than small town Monticello due to a reliance on big national phone and cable companies. Over the past several years, communities in the Twin Cities have considered building a community owned broadband network to increase competition, lower prices, and ensure everyone has access to the connections required for success in the digital economy. The failure to do so is costing consumers millions and communities untold amounts in lost business opportunity.… Read More