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View this email in your browser Event: The Sustainable Research Lab Building the Business Case: Health, Wellbeing, and Productivity in Green Offices What Walmart is Doing to Increase the Recyclability and Sustainability of Product Packaging Walmart Sustainable Packaging Playbook UD study suggests people prefer conservation as way to protect drinking water America's super polluters Event: Recycling Collection Programs: A Bigger Pinch Point Than We Thought Conference: 9th Annual Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference Researchers find problems in tracking North American e-scrap exports Conference: 26th Annual Sustainability & EHS Symposium Researchers invent 'perfect' soap molecule Community Solutions for Stormwater Management: A Guide for Voluntary Long-Term Planning Event: Best Practices: State and Community Approaches to Hazardous Materials Source Reduction Event: The Sustainable Research Lab When developing sustainable techniques for the design, construction and operation of a research laboratory, those involved must consider reducing waste products, resources and cost. Join our expert panel where we will discuss: Methods for achieving sustainability in labs. The considerations and questions that may arise during the process. View more information on this Event: The Sustainable Research Lab Read in browser » Building the Business Case: Health, Wellbeing, and Productivity in Green Offices This report, and the case studies and spotlights presented within it, further strengthens the business case for firms to take action to create green working environments that enhance the health, wellbeing and productivity of their employees, and which result in clear and tangible benefits to their bottom line. View more information on this resource Read in browser » What Walmart is Doing to Increase the Recyclability and Sustainability of Product Packaging Source: Waste360, 11/1/16. Walmart is looking to help make packaging more sustainable, while continuing to keep product prices low. Read in browser » Walmart Sustainable Packaging Playbook This playbook provides an overview of sustainable packaging best practices for suppliers interested in improving and innovating packaging. While the focus is on consumer facing packaging, practices may impact or also be applied across the entire packaging system. View more information on this resource Read in browser » UD study suggests people prefer conservation as way to protect drinking water Source: University of Delaware, 10/27/16. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan put the need to protect and invest in clean drinking water front and center in the minds of many Americans. But how to go about investing, as well as how to get the public on board with such spending, is a difficult challenge that faces policymakers. A new study from the University of Delaware has found that when given the choice, people prefer to invest their money in conservation, such as protecting key areas of a watershed -- also referred to as green infrastructure -- than traditional water treatment plants-- also referred to as gray infrastructure. Read in browser » America's super polluters Source: Center for Public Integrity, 9/29/16. Industrial air pollution -- bad for people's health, bad for the planet -- is strikingly concentrated in America among a small number of facilities like those in southwest Indiana, according to a nine-month Center for Public Integrity investigation. Read in browser » Event: Recycling Collection Programs: A Bigger Pinch Point Than We Thought Marketing departments are largely to thank for the latest national study on recycling. For years, industry has substantiated claims of package recyclability with "access to recycling rates" -- the percentage of consumers with a recycling program accepting the package. If the rate is high, then the package may be considered recyclable, and a number of studies have been produced to gather these important figures. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition, a broad industry working group led by the sustainability non-profit GreenBlue, has centralized industry efforts and released findings from a new study collectively funded by thirteen packaging trade associations and non-profit organizations. The SPC Centralized Study on Availability of Recycling went beyond its driver of "access to recycling rates" and gathered new information on the prevalence of residential recycling programs across the U.S. and the key characteristics of those programs. The study findings shed new light on the diversity of recycling collection programs and the prevalence of quality, convenient collection programs that are likely to be used. The top-level finding that 94% of Americans have a recycling program available is encouraging, but a deeper dive into the characteristics of those programs suggests all is not well. On this webinar Adam Gendell, Associate Director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, will give an overview of the study findings and paint a new national portrait of the types of recycling programs made available to Americans and the types of packaging accepted by those programs. Kelly Cramer, Senior Manager of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, will give an overview of How2Recycle, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition's labeling system for package recyclability. . Learn how How2Recycle leverages the study findings and provides recyclability messaging to hundreds of packages from a number of leading brands. View more information on this Event: Recycling Collection Programs: A Bigger Pinch Point Than We Thought Read in browser » Conference: 9th Annual Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference Each December, the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council welcomes the Wisconsin business community for a direct business-to-business exchange of sustainability experiences, challenges, tools, solutions and ideas. The annual conference brings outstanding speakers together in a design that maximizes interaction with the audience. View more information on this Conference: 9th Annual Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference Read in browser » Researchers find problems in tracking North American e-scrap exports Source: Resource Recycling, 10/27/16. A recent study estimated the volume of used computers and display devices traded among and exported from North American countries to the rest of the world. But the researchers encountered a lack of solid data, and they suggested ways to improve e-scrap export numbers. Many might expect the often-discussed hotspots for North American e-scrap exports, including places in East Asia, Latin America and Africa, to be listed as top destinations in this exports study. Instead, researchers found many of the countries listed as top destinations are likely waypoints for electronics headed elsewhere. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) took the lead in conducting the study on behalf of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, a joint U.S.-Canada-Mexico body set up as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Researchers explored the quantities of used desktops, laptops, CRT monitors and flat-panel monitors traveling between the three countries and being exported by them to the rest of the world. It was based on 2010 data. Researchers found that data limitations made it impossible to pin down exact numbers on e-scrap exports. For example, they were able to determine that the U.S. exported between 1.1 million and 7 million used computers, and 779,000 and 5.7 million used monitors in 2010. Read in browser » Conference: 26th Annual Sustainability & EHS Symposium View more information on this Conference: 26th Annual Sustainability & EHS Symposium Read in browser » Researchers invent 'perfect' soap molecule Source: University of Minnesota, 10/26/16. A team of researchers, led by the University of Minnesota, has invented a new soap molecule made from renewable sources that could dramatically reduce the number of chemicals in cleaning products and their impact on the environment. Read in browser » Community Solutions for Stormwater Management: A Guide for Voluntary Long-Term Planning The purpose of this draft guide is to assist EPA, states and local governments in developing new or improving existing long-term stormwater plans that inform stormwater management implemented by communities on the ground. The document describes how to develop a comprehensive long-term community stormwater plan that integrates stormwater management with communities' broader plans for economic development, infrastructure investment and environmental compliance. Through this approach, communities can prioritize actions related to stormwater management as part of capital improvement plans, integrated plans, master plans or other planning efforts. Early and effective stormwater planning and management by communities as they develop will provide significant long-term cost savings while supporting resilience, economic growth and quality of life. View more information on this resource Read in browser » Event: Best Practices: State and Community Approaches to Hazardous Materials Source Reduction EPA would like to invite you to our first quarterly webinar for the National Emphasis Area (NEA) Working Groups. The EPA National Pollution Prevention Program has established three national emphasis areas (NEAs) to give the program a more centralized focus and direction that will result in more impactful, measurable results. Through these webinars, we are hoping to share best practices among the states and regions in order to amplify all the great work we are doing in this country to support the goals of the NEAs. These grants are part of the State and Community Approaches to Hazardous Materials Source Reduction NEA, but we are inviting all grantees to the call in case you would like more information on the other NEA workgroups. View more information on this Event: Best Practices: State and Community Approaches to Hazardous Materials Source Reduction Read in browser »   Recent Articles: 2016 Control Techniques Guidelines for the Oil and Natural Gas Industry How Ford, Pepsico Plan to Slash Manufacturing Water Use Funding Opportunity: Guidance on Implementing an Effective Water Loss Control Plan Funding Opportunity: Forging Powerful and Sustainable Relationships Between Clean Water Agencies and the Community Funding Opportunity: DOE Small Business Vouchers Program Copyright © 2016 Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable, All rights reserved. You are receiving this e-mail because you opted in at our web site. Our mailing address is: Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable Illinois Sustainable Technology Center One Hazelwood Dr. Champaign, IL 61820