Paper Life Cycle

Can world’s ‘most threatened’ tribe be saved?

Theron — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:54:46 +0000

From Yahoo news: “When the forest is destroyed, they either flee or they simply die,” said Survival’s field director Fiona Watson, who has worked with and interviewed many of the 360 surviving Awá who are in contact with society. On her last visit, she told LiveScience, “They were saying to me, ‘We’re suffering from hunger now.’”

http://news.yahoo.com/worlds-most-threatened-tribe-saved-132402571.html

Kimberly-Clark to Launch Bamboo Toilet Paper

Theron — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:50:35 +0000

From the Environmental Leader: Kimberly-Clark’s U.K. line of Andrex toilet tissue will launch Andrex Eco, made with 90 percent recycled fiber and 10 percent bamboo, the company said.

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/28/kimberly-clark-to-launch-bamboo-toilet-paper/

Energy Use in Manufacturing Down 10% in Four Years

Theron — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:48:43 +0000

From the Environmental Leader: Energy consumption in the U.S. manufacturing sector fell from 21,098 trillion Btu (tBtu) in 2006 to 19,062 tBtu in 2010, a decline of almost 10 percent, based on preliminary estimates released from the 2010 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS), a quadrennial report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/30/energy-use-in-manufacturing-down-10-in-four-years/?graph=full&id=1

New Research Can Save Tropical Forests

Theron — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:43:26 +0000

From Science Daily: Scientists from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have investigated how much carbon the natural forests of Sri Lanka contain. The results are important for work to reduce deforestation of tropical countries, and for international negotiations in climate policy relating to a new climate agreement.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120325102603.htm

Brazil tries to balance farming and forests

Theron — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:40:10 +0000

From CNN: The battle for land here has pitched environmentalists against ranchers and farmers. A new Forest Code being debated in Congress has further heightened tensions.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/18/world/americas/eco-brazil-forest-code/index.html?iref=allsearch

BioMass Packaging Launches Compostable Cup Range

Theron — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:12:07 +0000

From Environmental Leader:BioMass Packaging has added modular, single-serve cups and lids to its line of compostable food service products.

Greenware cups (pictured) and lids are made entirely from NatureWorks Ingeo biopolymer, a polylactic acid-based material. The range consists of a basic cup, an insert with a secure lid, and either a flat or domed lid that snaps on tight. Cups and inserts are sold in cases of 1,000 units and are available for immediate delivery.

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/01/biomass-packaging-launches-compostable-cup-range/

Floor of Oldest Fossilized Forest Discovered: 385 Million Years Old

Theron — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:01:25 +0000

From Science Daily: Scientists from Binghamton University and Cardiff University, and New York State Museum researchers, and have reported the discovery of the floor of the world’s oldest forest in a cover article in the March 1 issue of Nature.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120301102716.htm

The Brazilian Rainforest : Caught Between Biodiversity and Business

Theron — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:59:43 +0000

From Science Daily: Brazil is exporting more and more agricultural produce: soya beans and beef in particular, but also corn, rice and sugar. Taken together, these exports represent half of Brazil’s total today. The increase in the export of commodities brings both a higher degree of economic dependency and a threat to the Amazon rainforest, as outlined by an IRD geographer and his Brazilian counterparts (1). Agricultural produce is actually the cause of almost all deforestation in Brazil, where 750,000 km² of forest have disappeared — and 80% of that was converted into grazing land for cattle. Recently, the increase of single-crop farming, especially of soya beans, has pushed herds further and further into forested areas, and so accelerated the process of deforestation.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120228123849.htm

Communities help pay for ecosystem services provided by forests

Theron — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:14:59 +0000

From High Country News: Strontia Springs Reservoir, 30 miles south of Denver, Colo., looks like water you’d want to scoop up in your dipper. Sunshine and pine reflect off its aqua-blue surface. But 16 years ago, it looked more like a latte clogged with cinnamon bark. In 1996 and 2002, major forest fires scorched the Upper South Platte River watershed. In the aftermath, heavy rains washed debris, burned logs and more than 750,000 cubic yards of sediment into the reservoir, which supplies over 7,000 acre-feet of drinking water annually to Denver.

http://www.hcn.org/issues/44.3/communities-help-pay-for-ecosystem-services-provided-by-forests

US Recycling Rate Inches Up: 34.1% in 2010

Theron — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:04:56 +0000

From Sustainable Business News: For 2010, the US recycling rate inched up to 34.1%, reports the US EPA.

That’s a slight rise from the 33.8% recycling rate in 2009, but still nothing to get excited about. The amount of garbage Americans produce is also inching down, from a high of 4.57 pounds per person a day in 1990 to 4.43 pounds today.

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/23420?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SBGeneralNews+%28SustainableBusiness.com+General+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader