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Baby Steps to ELECTRONIC WASTE Take-back in the U.S.

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On the heels of SONY and IBM’s electronic products take-back, Best Buy announced that people will, for a small fee, be able to return their unwanted electronic products to selected pilot stores. Starting this summer, the program will be available at 10 stores nationwide. Best Buy is an electronics retailer with 400 retail stores throughout the U.S. Its headquarters are in Minnesota, where SONY’s take-back program is also being piloted. Individuals will be able to drop off televisions, computer monitors and printers, central processing units, and peripherals, VCRs, telephones, cellular phones, and camcorders. Best Buy is testing the price for handling fees, but they will likely be $10-$25, depending on the item returned. That was the amount Best Buy set during last fall’s pilot program conducted at one store in Minnesota. 22 metric tons of old equipment were returned during the two-day event. Best Buy plans to hold collection days at least once a year. The company views the program as a way to help build its brand and drive traffic to its stores, in addition to providing a responsible way to deal with the problem of electronic waste.Meanwhile, state and local government agencies are opening up a “national electronics […]

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Hypercar Makes its Move: Driving for a Prototype

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Rocky Mountain Institute's Hypercar concept is behind many of the hybrid-electric designs entering the marketplace today. Their for-profit spinoff, Hypercar Inc.'s first concept car is a midsized SUV replacement, rated at the equivalent of 99 mpg.

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Mercury is On the Way Out, PVC is Next

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In March, the Maine Hospital Association signed an historic agreement for the 39 hospitals in the state. Not only will they discontinue the use of mercury-containing products, but they are the first in the nation to call for a reduction in the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic medical supplies. The agreement also encourages reduction of PVC use in building materials: “Consider longer term replacement of PVC in durable medical products, construction materials, and furniture when opportunities present themselves.” The Maine agreement builds on the national “Hospitals for a Healthy Environment” (H2E) agreement signed in 1998 by the American Hospital Association and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In the agreement, hospitals pledge to go “mercury free.” The H2E agreement also asks hospitals to address persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals — those that are long-lived and build up in the food chain. Maine’s agreement focuses on one major PBT chemical — dioxin, a toxic byproduct of incinerating hospital waste that contains PVC plastic. The Maine agreement commits hospitals to “continuously reduce the use and disposal of PVC plastic in hospitals” through a series of specific action steps with annual reporting on progress achieved. It calls for phasing out all products […]

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