By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 20th,2010% Because I approach this blog as a form of non-traditional education,I follow the industry closely through twitter,linkedin and other social networking outlets. When I come across a question,I search the web,scientific journals and printed literature for answers. Tonight I want to share some of the sites I have used as resources in my quest for understanding of sustainability,greener plastics and current issues. This is only a partial list of the many sites I could recommend (and will write up in a future post). Please feel free to add sites that I have not included . . . →Read More:Some Bioplastics and “Green”Links By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 19th,2010%  I remember a time when facebook was to connect with friends not to play “social”games. The latest game I have heard of,is a recycling game created by Greenopolis,a company founded to reward the population for recycling. In the game,called oceanopolis,the user is trapped on an island paradise and must collect and turn in recyclables on the island. As they collect items the user is educated about recycling,earns points and can purchase items. I tried the game for a few minutes and found it even less appealing than most regular games . . . →Read More:A Facebook Recycling Game By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 12th,2010% Workplaces are starting to pay attention to sustainability and want to develop a “green”workplace. While many are addressing this by reducing paper output and encouraging reuse of coffee mugs,many are putting recycling programs in place. How do we increase the rate at which employees actually use these office recycling bins? Here are a few ideas I have,comment below if you have any ideas I have missed. Label recycling bins clearly with what may be placed in the bin. Many office recycling programs accept different materials than the surrounding communities curbside pickups. Eliminate confusion, . . . →Read More:Increase the Success of Your Office Recycling Program By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 7th,2010% Microstructures made from designer proteinsBASF –The Chemical Company An important family of bioplastics and one that is often unfortunately synonymous in the mind of the general public is biodegradable plastic. But what is meant by biodegradable? Merriam Webster dictionary defines biodegradable as follows capable of being broken down especially into innocuous products by the action of living things (as microorganisms) But being biodegradable means much more than simply being broken down. A plastic can be degraded to pieces smaller than grains of sand and still be polymer chains. . . . →Read More:Terminology – Biodegradation By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 3rd,2010% Have an interest in making a non-petroleum based plastic for fun? Have a pre-teen looking for a science fair project? Perhaps you are a science teacher and want to wow the few students who care in your classroom? There are several recipes online to make bioplastic in your own home. Source:Kabelfresser,on Flickr Before we begin,please realize that there is a reason companies spend millions on material research. You are not going to be making patio furniture out of what comes off your stove. In fact you probably wont get much else than a . . . →Read More:Do It Yourself Bioplastics Experiment By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 2nd,2010%  Recycling bins are available in more and more locations. However there is no standard signs for recycling. Every time an individual encounters a recycling bin they must first recognize that it is a location for recycling and then determine what can be recycled at that location. This may cause confusion that leads to a reduced recycling rate. As reported on Treehugger yesterday,Recycle Across America is trying to encourage standardized labeling for recycling. They hope that by providing standard labels an increase in consistency will be seen in schools,malls,workplaces,public buildings and homes. Free PDFs are . . . →Read More:Standardized Recycling Signs to Reduce Confusion By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 1st,2010% Bioplastics are often used to describe plastics that are biodegradable,but there are other requirements. The book Green Plastics by E.S. Stevens defines bioplastics as follows: “Bioplastics is a concise –and suitable –name for biodegradable plastics whose components are derived entirely or almost entirely from renewable raw materials. A bioplastic contains one or more biopolymeric substances as an essential substance. -E.S. Stevens 2002 Bioplastics may include a combination of biopolymer(s),plastizer(s) and other additive(s). Since this book was written 8 years has elapsed and the definition of bioplastic has evolved and shifted slightly. . . . →Read More:Terminology –Bioplastics By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on September 25th,2010%  From time to time a structure is built to illustrate a point about the wastefulness of our society. The building is made of hundred to hundreds of thousands of objects that would be found in our society’s waste stream. Often the objects are part of packaging. Here are a couple recent examples Beer Crate Pavilion Currently located in Brussels,from a distance the building looks like it is constructed of giant yellow Lego blocks. It was constructed in 2008 by Belgian and UK architecture firm SHSH to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Expo 1958. These “Lego”blocks are . . . →Read More:Plastic Structures By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on September 24th,2010% When I first started learning about medical and sustainable plastics I found some of the terminology a little confusing. And I often find that people get mixed up when they use plastic terminology as well. Words that are confusing because they are relatively new to the general public are bioplastics,biomaterials,biodegradable plastics,oxo-degradable plastic,bio-feedstock plastics,resorbable and so on. My blog posts are often full of red spell check underlines because my computer is unsure if I am making up words. I hope to clear up a bit of the terminology used in this blog as well . . . →Read More:Terminology –Biomaterials By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on September 23rd,2010%  In order to reduce the waste in our landfills we have to start reusing more in our homes. Aladdin,a reusable container company,has started a challenge for everyday American households to Do the Reuse. I actually found out about the challenge from a frugal living blogger I follow. As part of the Do the Reuse Challenge,9 families will be blogging about their experiences eliminating disposables from their lives. The website is full of statistics about the impact of reuse,both environmental and economical. Seven million barrels of oil are used to produce the disposable bottles Americans go . . . →Read More:Do the Reuse Challenge | CreditsBlog design elements by Kate HadfieldUsed as non-profit generating blog TOU |
