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NERC Blog

Is Ignorance Bliss when it comes to RCRA?

Significantly, RCRA established a fundamental shift in how we look at our waste. The law set into motion goals for conserving energy and natural resources and reducing the amount of waste the nation generated. For example, the law requires all Federal procurement agencies to purchase items composed of the maximum allowable percentage of recycled materials. As with other environmental laws set by EPA, the law is built on a partnership with the states. Congress has amended RCRA several times since its enactment, and can certainly do so again. Mr. Pruitt’s claim of not knowing about the specifics of RCRA may or may not bode well for the future of the sustainable materials management path that EPA is currently embarked upon. Since RCRA’s fate may lie in the hands of Congress, and EPA will be under the whims of its Administrator, let’s hope that any forthcoming actions take into consideration the pivotal founding of both EPA and RCRA. Such actions may have profound implications for our country and the future of our planet.

Sustainable Materials Management and the Power of Recycling

With the booming human population, the needs of the people also increase. There is one crucial question we need to ask ourselves – what if all the resources are exhausted, till there’s none left? The answer to this raises a question on our survival. It is precisely why we need to work on recycling better while also preserving our natural resources.Sustainable Materials Management presents a viable path.

The Value of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The year 1970 was a turning point for our nation’s environment. Beginning on January 2, 1970, when President Richard Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act into law and culminating on December 2, when his administration created the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Electronics: The Next Frontier in Sustainability

Today’s Guest Blog is by Mathy Stanislaus. It is courtesy of the US Environmental Protection Agency Blog and was first posted on January 6, 2017.

Safety – It’s Everyone’s Responsibility (Part 2)

Today’s article continues from Part 1 of Safety – It’s Everyone’s Responsibility.

Safety – It’s Everyone’s Responsibility (Part 1)

Refuse and recyclable material collection is the fifth most dangerous profession, with a fatal injury rate of 38.8 per 100,000 workers.

Environmental Investment, Part 2

Today’s Blog continues where Environmental Investment, Part 1 left off.

Environmental Investment, Part 1

True confession…I know next to nothing about investments. I’ve more or less ignored what’s happening with my retirement plan, other than to pick a “conservative option”; I’m definitely risk averse. That being said, I do try to otherwise live my life in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Not paying attention to my investments is probably not smart, and not only for the financial implications. I also think that in today’s political reality, socially responsible (SRI) or sustainable investing is one way to positively act to protect the environment.

Troubling Donations

I knew of the struggles of food recovery organizations in accessing the proper transportation vehicles and refrigeration storage; however, I didn’t realize that labor was also an issue. So, while those of us in materials management are trying to promote food recovery, there seems to be a growing disconnect as to how increases in food donations can be effectively managed by food recovery organizations.

The Bottle Project: What are Youth doing to Reduce Litter?

Today’s Blog is a repost of an US Environmental Protection Agency Blog, written by Gloria Li, an environmental science and philosophy major at the University of Florida.