Read the full story at e360.
With the Trump administration spurning efforts to combat global warming, the French government has invited U.S. scientists to bring their climate research to France. In an interview with Yale e360, scientist Ben Sanderson talks about why he is taking France up on its offer.
The Pollution Prevention Grant Program is announcing the availability to fund grants and/or cooperative agreements to:
Proposals are due Thursday, April 26, 2018, 11:59 pm, (EDT). If Congress appropriates Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 and 2019 funds for the P2 Program at levels comparable to FY 2017 funding levels, the EPA may award a total of approximately $9.38 million in federal P2 grant funding for these two-year assistance agreements (approximately $4.69 million in FY 2018 funds and approximately $4.69 million in FY 2019 funds). P2 awards are expected to be performed in each EPA region and will be funded in the form of grants or cooperative agreements. Please note that notwithstanding the potential amounts stated above, these amounts are estimates only and the amount of grant funding awarded will be dependent on Congressional appropriations, funding availability, the quality of proposals received, satisfactory performance and other applicable considerations.
Eligible applicants for these grants are: States, state entities, colleges and universities (recognized as instrumentalities of the state), federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia. Please refer to the request for proposals for further information.
Read the full story from Southern Illinois University.
Old tree limbs are usually seen as a nuisance and hassle. But for sculptor and professor Jerry Monteith, they provide the beginnings of a masterpiece.
When Monteith, professor of art and design and head of the Southern Illinois University Carbondale sculpture program, first started working with wood, he only chose the pieces that were smooth and clean to work with. Now, over 20 years after starting his career, he sees the value in the imperfect, thrown out pieces. And his work is getting noticed by others across the nation.
Read the full story in Fortune.
From the resurgence of craft cocktails to drinks devised purely for sharing on Instagram, there always seems to be a new beverage fad sweeping through urban cafés, restaurants, and bars. But a new movement might have some stronger roots.
Meet sustainable cocktails, the next wave of mixed drinks that could save money, time, and resources for bartenders and restaurant managers while also—in small part—help save the planet from added waste.
Read the full story in Environmental Factor.
The third annual NIEHS Global Environmental Health (GEH) Day June 6 highlighted research and projects from around the world that translate research into action. Christine McEntee, executive director of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), delivered the keynote address.
Read the full story in Biocycle.
The cannabis industry’s rapid growth has created a vexing challenge to producers — what to do with all the organic waste?
Read the full story at Waste360.
Waste360 has rounded up some companies that are utilizing blockchain technology in the waste and recycling industry.
Download the document. Read a summary at Environmental Leader.
As a new generation of sustainability practitioners and advocates identifies the possibilities for systemic change through agriculture, this paper is intended to help build bridges and suggest how diverse actors in the agricultural supply chain might be motivated to serve common goals:
- To minimize negative impacts and maximize the regenerative potential of agricultural systems
- To increase consumer confidence in agricultural producers committed to continuous improvement
- To create greater financial benefit and farm resiliency
Kelly M. Kibler, Debra Reinhart, Christopher Hawkins, Amir Mohaghegh Motlagh, James Wright (2018). “Food waste and the food-energy-water nexus: A review of food waste management alternatives.” Waste Management 74, 52-62. Online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2018.01.014.
Highlights: Little is known about food-energy-water (FEW) impacts of managing food waste after it has been disposed.
Food waste management options have variable FEW impacts and opportunities. Preventable and unpreventable food waste have different mechanisms of FEW impact.
A “food-waste-FEW systems” approach may maximize benefits across FEW sectors. Characterizing FEW nexus impacts of wasted food is a priority for future work.
Abstract: Throughout the world, much food produced is wasted. The resource impact of producing wasted food is substantial; however, little is known about the energy and water consumed in managing food waste after it has been disposed. Herein, we characterize food waste within the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus and parse the differential FEW effects of producing uneaten food and managing food loss and waste. We find that various food waste management options, such as waste prevention, landfilling, composting, anaerobic digestion, and incineration, present variable pathways for FEW impacts and opportunities. Furthermore, comprehensive sustainable management of food waste will involve varied mechanisms and actors at multiple levels of governance and at the level of individual consumers. To address the complex food waste problem, we therefore propose a “food-waste-systems” approach to optimize resources within the FEW nexus. Such a framework may be applied to devise strategies that, for instance, minimize the amount of edible food that is wasted, foster efficient use of energy and water in the food production process, and simultaneously reduce pollution externalities and create opportunities from recycled energy and nutrients. Characterization of FEW nexus impacts of wasted food, including descriptions of dynamic feedback behaviors, presents a significant research gap and a priority for future work. Large-scale decision making requires more complete understanding of food waste and its management within the FEW nexus, particularly regarding post-disposal impacts related to water.
Recent research by NRDC explored the potential to expand food rescue from consumer-facing businesses (such as institutional foodservice, restaurants, caterers, convenience stores and retail grocery) located in Nashville, Denver and New York City. The analysis for Nashville found that the equivalent of 9.3 million additional meals could, hypothetically, be rescued from these business sectors per year under optimal conditions. This includes the potential for an additional 2.4 million meals from restaurants, 1.8 million meals from institutions including hospitality (mainly hotels), healthcare, colleges, universities and K-12 and an estimated 200,000 meals from caterers. Much of the potential from these foodservice sectors would likely be in the form of prepared foods. If the potential from institutions, restaurants and caterers could be realized, it would meet an additional 23% of the meal gap in Davidson County. The possibility of expanding donation of high quality prepared food thus resents a significant opportunity in Nashville.
Environmental News Bits 