Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Carolina in the New

We've got a lot of articles this week, not to mention an A- earned for UNC in its efforts to be green!!!
Check out the recent media coverage of sustainability-related programs and practices at UNC:

Carolina moving ahead on wind
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
Virginia officials have long discussed placing wind turbines off the coast, but the first towers in the region are likely to appear farther south - in North Carolina's Pamlico Sound. Duke Energy and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently signed a contract to install one to three turbines in the sound west of Buxton and Avon as early as next year.
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/10/carolina-moving-ahead-wind

NC Botanical Garden’s New Education Center Opens
WNCN-TV (NBC/Raleigh)
Frank Harmon Architect PA of Raleigh, NC, has completed the North Carolina Botanical Garden’s new and thoroughly “green” 29,656-square-foot Education Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Governor Beverly Perdue attended the dedication ceremony and praised the project for being slated as the first LEED Platinum certified building in the state.
http://orange.mync.com/site/orange/news|Sports|Lifestyles/story/43063/NC_Botanical_Garden_s_New_Education_Center_Opens

Related Link:

http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=12057

UNC Release:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2849/138/

Coastal wind power (Editorial)
The Winston-Salem Journal
North Carolina is wisely dipping only its big toe into coastal wind power. The state, UNC and Duke Energy are planning to build as many as three enormous wind turbines in Pamlico Sound, between the mainland and the Outer Banks. If all goes well, the $36 million project could begin sending power into the electrical grid by this time next year.
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/oct/13/122215/coastal-wind-power/opinion/

UNC Recognized For Green Initiatives
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
The Sustainable Endowments Institute has ranked UNC as one of the best colleges in the United States and Canada for their green initiatives. Cindy Shea, director of the Sustainability Office at UNC, says they have several programs that helped them earn this accolade.
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=12051


Warming is fact; denial is harmful (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The earth is cooling!" Actually it isn't, but we have all heard that so many times recently, we're starting to wonder. Globally, the last few years have indeed been cooler than 1998 and 2005. But this has no relevance for whether the planet's climate is changing or whether people are the cause. (John Bruno is an associate professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill. Mark Sorensen is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columnists_blogs/story/134115.html

Geographer gets fellowship
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC geographer Martin Doyle has been named the inaugural recipient of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Institute for Water Resources' Frederick J. Clarke Fellowship. The institute created the fellowship to provide scholars with the opportunity to help advise the corps on policy issues related to its environmental mission.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-UNC+BRIEFS%20&id=3936459-UNC+BRIEFS&instance=main_article

UNC Release:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2965/74/

Reclaimed water system honored
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC recently received a national award for the reclaimed water system that began serving the main campus in April and for its innovative reuse of rainwater in a second project. The WateReuse Association gave the university its 2009 Institution of the Year award at the association's annual symposium in Seattle. The awards recognize projects and individuals that advance the beneficial and efficient use of water resources.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-UNC+BRIEFS%20&id=3936459-UNC+BRIEFS&instance=main_article

UNC Release:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2968/68/

UNC system aims for carbon neutrality (Blog)
The News & Record (Greensboro)
It's official: The 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system will pursue sustainability in eight categories, with the most ambitious goal being achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The Board of Governors approved the sustainability policy on Friday.
http://www.news-record.com/blog/52580/entry/72453

UNC and Duke Energy sign contract to develop coastal wind pilot project
In a pilot project designed to harness the power of the ocean breezes along North Carolina’s coast, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke Energy announced they have signed a contract to place up to three demonstration wind turbines in the Pamlico Sound.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2946/68/

Awarding-winning journalists to share reports on threats to global food supply Oct. 15
Three award-winning journalists will discuss mounting threats to the global food supply and the challenges of reporting them on Thursday, Oct. 15, at UNC-Chapel Hill. “Hungry? Frontline on the Threats to the Global Food Supply” will also feature new documentary footage reporting on the global food crisis from Africa, Asia and Central America.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2958/68/

University Day: Perdue speaks at convocation; garden dedicates center; Thorp gives online address
Monday (Oct. 12) is University Day (http://www.unc.edu/universityday/) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, marking the 216th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of Old East and the start of public higher education in the United States. The University will hold a traditional University Day convocation at 11 a.m. in Memorial Hall. Gov. Bev Perdue is the featured speaker, and Distinguished Alumna and Alumnus Awards will be presented. Later in the day, the North Carolina Botanical Garden will dedicate its new Education Center.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2960/68/

UNC receives Institution of the Year award for its reclaimed water system, rainwater reuse
UNC recently received a national award for the reclaimed water system that began serving the main campus in April and for its innovative reuse of rainwater in a second project. The WateReuse Association gave the University its 2009 Institution of the Year award at the association’s annual symposium in Sept. 14 in Seattle. The awards recognize projects and individuals that advance the beneficial and efficient use of water resources.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2968/68/

America's Greenest Colleges
Forbes
Everything under the sun is being sold as green nowadays, and colleges are no different. ... Twenty-six schools received the highest grade, an A-. Among them: Arizona State University, Middlebury College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Pennsylvania and Pomona College. The schools were graded on a variety of categories, including green building initiatives, transportation, climate-change policy, investment priorities and the administration's efforts on sustainability (a buzz word for green policies).
http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/07/greenest-colleges-harvard-business-energy-evergreen.html

$100,000 to go toward economic development in Franklin
The Macon County News (Franklin)
The Town of Franklin is set to proceed with plans to improve area economics and aesthetics. Available to the town is $100,000 in grant funding to implement a plan for economic development. ...Assistant Town Manager Mike Decker made a presentation to the board on suggested rules of procedure, adapted from rules outlined by the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
http://www.maconnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5650&Itemid=34

Duke Energy to fund offshore North Carolina wind project
Reuters (Wire Service)
Duke Energy Corp has agreed to fund a pilot study of commercial wind turbines in the waters offshore of North Carolina, the utility holding company said on Tuesday. The company had contracted with the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill to place up to three wind turbines in Pamlico Sound. ...The pilot study would focus on Pamlico Sound, between North Carolina's Outer Banks and the mainland, rather than areas with more wind further offshore, because waters in the sound were under state control, University of North Carolina Vice Chancellor Carolyn Elfland said. She is project manager for the UNC Coastal Wind Study which was presented to the state legislature in June.
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE5956SL20091006
UNC Release:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2946/68/

Duke Plans Offshore Wind Pilot Project
GreenTechMedia (Wire Service)
...Charlotte-based Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is funding a pilot project to erect up to three wind turbines in Pamlico Sound, the company said Tuesday. The project is taking shape as a result of a nine-month, 378-page study recently completed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ..."There aren't wind turbines installed elsewhere that could have endured conditions from a tropical storm - we want to know what will it do to the turbine blades or the foundation," said Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for campus services at the university.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/duke-plans-offshore-wind-pilot/
UNC Release:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2946/68/

Group sues to force greenhouse gas regulation
The Houston Chronicle
An environmental group is suing the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to force the agency to regulate emissions of gases blamed for global warming. ...Victor Flatt, a professor of environmental law at the University of North Carolina, said TCEQ has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide, but the question is whether the agency is required to act. Once the EPA finalizes its finding that carbon dioxide endangers public health and welfare, then TCEQ would be forced to regulate it, Flatt said.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6654829.html

Despite Hard Times, Colleges Are Still Going Green (Blog)
The New York Times
Times may be tough, but colleges are not abandoning their efforts to be green, according to the 2010 College Sustainability Report Card, released Wednesday morning by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. ...Twenty-six schools were recognized as Overall College Sustainability Leaders, having achieved grades of A-. They ranged from elite institutions like Brown, Harvard, Stanford, Wesleyan and Yale to public universities like Arizona State and the Universities of Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Vermont.
http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/despite-hard-times-colleges-are-still-going-green/?scp=1&sq=%22university%20of%20north%20carolina%22&st=cse

Wind turbines to be installed in water
The State (Columbia, S.C.)
Duke Energy and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill said Tuesday they have signed a contract to place one to three wind turbines in Pamlico Sound, possibly paving the way for utility-scale wind farms on the N.C. coast. The demonstration project may be the first wind turbines placed in water in the United States.
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/973933.html
UNC Release:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2946/68/

Duke Energy, UNC join forces to launch wind turbine pilot project
The Triangle Business Journal
Duke Energy and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are partnering on a pilot project to install up to three wind turbines in Pamlico Sound that could become the first turbines placed in water in the country. The project follows a nine-month UNC study completed in June for the general assembly that concluded the state has the potential to develop utility-scale wind energy production. Duke will pay for the turbines and their installation. UNC will continue its wind energy research throughout the project.
http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2009/10/05/daily21.html
Related Links:

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/10/05/daily19.html
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091006/ARTICLES/910069948?Title=UNC-Duke-Energy-will-team-up-to-construct-first-offshore-turbines
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/987770.html
http://www.ncnn.com/content/view/5021/123/
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=12013
UNC Release:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2946/68/


Time is right for Duke wind power project (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill have concluded what many North Carolinians have long surmised: Strong winds in the coastal region mean there's a potential for large-scale wind energy generators -- offshore and perhaps in part of eastern Pamlico Sound.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Researchers+at+UNC+Chapel+Hill+have+concluded+what+many+North+Carolinians+have+long+surmised-+Strong+winds+in+the+coastal+region+mean+there-s+a+potential+for+large-scale+wind+energy+generators+-+offshore+and+perhaps+in+part+of+eastern+Pamlico+Sound%20&id=3847345-Researchers+at+UNC+Chapel+Hill+have+concluded+what+many+North+Carolinians+have+long+surmised-+Strong+winds+in+the+coastal+region+mean+there-s+a+potential+for+large-scale+wind+energy+generators+-+offshore+and+perhaps+in+part+of+eastern+Pamlico+Sound
Related Links:

http://www.theherald-nc.com/opinion/story/11615.html
http://www.dailyadvance.com/opinion/wind-farms-better-than-offshore-rigs-880056.html

Study examining health issues in workplace
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A wellness study focusing on tobacco use cessation, healthy eating, increased physical activity and stress management is moving into a new phase by examining the issues in the workplace. ...Laura Linnan, a national expert on worksite wellness, and Michael Bowling, an expert in public health statistics and evaluation design, from the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, are joining the study.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Study+examining+health+issues+in+workplace%20&id=3831113-Study+examining+health+issues+in+workplace

-Thanks to UNC News Services for finding these great stories AND compiling the summaries! You can find more UNC media coverage and stories online at:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/category/8/34/103/

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Alternative Fall Break: Become a Certified Interpretive Guide!

What are you doing for Fall Break this year?
-Communicate more effectively to give better presentations and tours!
-Earn nationally-recognized certification!
-Learn about sustainable practices and programs at UNC!

Interested?
October 21-25, UNC will be hosting an CIG Workshop for students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It is co-sponsored by UNC’s Sustainability Office and American Studies Department, so the cost is significantly reduced. Enrollment is limited to 15 participants.

What is a CIG?
CIG stands for “Certified Interpretive Guide” – the entry-level professional certification for those who communicate with diverse audiences as educators, tour guides, and communications specialists. Successful interpretation incorporates elements of public speaking, storytelling, and psychology to communicate specific information and messages on a subject. Effective interpreters play an invaluable role at schools, parks, museums, nature centers, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums, and commercial tour companies worldwide. For information on CIG, visit http://www.interpnet.com/certification/index.shtml

What is the workshop?
This 32-hour intensive workshop introduces participants to the basic principles of interpretation, and coaches them in the application of those principles. Examples will be drawn from UNC campus sustainability features and initiatives, though the principles are applicable to any subject. Upon completion of this workshop, participants will have satisfied all requirements for the national recognition as a Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) by the National Association for Interpretation (NAI). This includes completion of an open book exam, preparation of a program outline, and delivery of a 10-minute interpretive presentation on the final day.

Learn more and enroll by reading the Program Details at:
http://tinyurl.com/ybsnchk

Please direct any questions or comments to:
Brian Cain, C.I.T., C.I.P.
Research & Outreach Manager
Sustainability Office
Email: Brian.Cain [at] fac.unc.edu
Web: http://sustainability.unc.edu

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media coverage of sustainability-related programs and practices at UNC:

Time right for Duke wind power project (Editorial)
The Charlotte Observer
Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill have concluded what many North Carolinians have long surmised: Strong winds in the coastal region mean there's a potential for large-scale wind energy generators - offshore and perhaps in part of eastern Pamlico Sound. That's what researchers at Duke Energy think, too. The company is proposing a test project of one to three tall wind turbines in Pamlico Sound perhaps as early as next year.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/story/974274.html

Shoe Recycling Program Hits Stride
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Fair-Trade store Ten Thousand Villages is partnering with the UNC Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling for the Nike shoe recycling program. Amy Preble, recycling and outreach coordinator for the UNC Recycling Office, says UNC became one of 10 campuses across the nation chosen by Nike for the pilot program last year. These bins were placed in residence halls as well as three gyms throughout campus.
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=11936

Three UNC-CH researchers snag big NIH awards (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Three UNC Chapel Hill scientists have received prestigious National Institutes of Health awards that target high-risk research and innovation. They are Joseph DeSimone, Klaus Hahn and Mark Zylka. DeSimone received one of 18 Pioneer awards, which honors a scientist's creative in proposing pioneering biomedical and behavioral research. The award is worth up to $500,000 a year for five years. ...Hahn and Zylka received the T-RO1, or "Transformative" awards, which free scientists from budget restraints and allow them to propose new, bold ideas that may require significant resources.
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/three-unc-ch-researchers-snag-big-nih-awards
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2898/71/

Roses and Raspberries (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News
Raspberries to UNC students and bicyclists who cross campus roads outside of crosswalks and against the light. ...So today UNC will again work to remind pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers about the importance of visibility and attentiveness as part of the Yield to Heels education campaign. Volunteers and the Department of Public Safety officers will distribute educational fliers, retro-reflective items and T-shirts to pedestrians at crosswalks across campus between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the following crosswalks...
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/opinion/story/52569.html
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2908/68/

Partnership works to preserve living laboratory of Galapagos
The Galapagos Islands are undoubtedly among the most famous places on Earth, thanks to Charles Darwin, giant tortoises and the archipelago’s dramatic land- and seascapes.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2921/75/

UNC wins $8.6 million NIH award for new psychiatric disorders, genomics center of excellence
Autism, depression, anxiety. Antipsychotic drug side effects. What are the genetic and environmental factors that underlie and contribute to these complex problems? And how do genes and environment interact to shape them?
http://www.unchealthcare.org/site/newsroom/news/2009/September/cisgen

UNC gets award for diversity
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC was one of 53 colleges and universities nationwide that were honored recently for commitment to diversity. Minority Access Inc., a nonprofit education organization that supports academic institutions, government agencies and private businesses in improving the recruitment, retention and enhancement of minorities, presents the award. Archie Ervin, UNC's associate provost for diversity and multicultural affairs, accepted the award for the university.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-UNC+BRIEFS%20&id=3786377-UNC+BRIEFS
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2894/68/

UNC Climate Action Plan: Netting out at zero by 2050
The Carrboro Citizen
Last month, UNC released its first Climate Action Plan, which sketched a roadmap to climate neutrality by mid-century. The plan is comprehensive and multi-faceted, but foremost among its objectives is improving energy efficiency in campus buildings. The impetus for the plan came in 2006, when then-Chancellor James Moeser signed onto the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging the university to achieve climate neutrality – meaning zero net greenhouse gas emissions – by 2050.
http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2009/10/02/unc-climate-action-plan-netting-out-at-zero-by-2050/
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2865/107/

The Senate Bill Tinkers With Touchy Issue -- Carbon Offsets
The New York Times
Major climate legislation introduced yesterday in the Senate makes significant changes from a House version of the bill on offsets, or clean-energy initiatives that businesses can use to meet emission cuts outside their own facilities. ...Victor Flatt, a University of North Carolina law professor who wrote a blog posting on the new offset language yesterday, noted in an interview that preliminary versions of the Senate bill emphasized the role of EPA, rather than the Agriculture Department. The "punt to the president" language popped up later.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/10/01/01climatewire-the-senate-bill-tinkers-with-touchy-issue----6788.html

Farming the wind (Letter to the Editor)

The News & Observer (Raleigh)
I was excited to read that Duke Energy and UNC-Chapel Hill are moving forward with placing a few wind turbines in Pamlico Sound. ...If we continue to use large amounts of electricity for our daily comforts, we need to actively pursue clean alternative energy sources. We are fortunate in North Carolina to have sufficient natural resources and dedicated researchers to explore and act on wind as an option to help meet our energy demands. (George Thompson, Durham)
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/story/123448.html
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/story/123450.html

Money Headed to Wind Power
North Carolina News Network
A report from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says the best place to build a wind power farm would be 40 miles off the North Carolina coast.
http://www.ncnn.com/content/view/5011/26/


-Thanks to UNC News Services for finding these great stories AND compiling the summaries! You can find more UNC media coverage and stories online at:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/category/8/34/103/

Friday, October 2, 2009

Coal on campus?

A couple good articles appeared today in the Daily Tar Heel that directly relate to two climate issues on campus - transportation and coal power. Check them out:

Coal-powered campus
The UNC Cogeneration Facility has been getting a lot more attention than usual.

Recent protests on campus against the use of coal have caused the public to turn its focus to the industrial site, which is on West Cameron Avenue.

Activists have been encouraging the University to reduce coal consumption at the facility, which produced 63 percent of campus greenhouse emissions in 2008. Plant managers said plans are already in place to do so.
Continue reading at: http://www.dailytarheel.com/content/coal-powered-campus


UNC grad hopes to offer affordable bike rentals
Hasan Abdullah’s bicycle was stolen on campus two years ago.

And now, he wants to ensure other local bicycle owners don’t suffer the same fate.

With WeCycles, the company he founded, Abdullah hopes to create a bike rental service on campus and around Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

Abdullah said the program, if approved, would use 24-hour electronic kiosks where customers could swipe their One Cards or credit cards to rent bikes at an hourly fee. Yearly memberships would also be available.
Continue reading at: http://www.dailytarheel.com/content/unc-grad-hopes-offer-affordable-bike-rentals

Thursday, October 1, 2009

STATEWIDE PLASTIC BOTTLE BAN TAKES EFFECT OCTOBER 1


Students hold up a sign during a smart flash mob to promote the plastic bottle recycling ban in the Pit on Oct. 1.

Starting Oct. 1, plastic bottles, oil filters and wooden pallets are banned from disposal in North Carolina’s landfills.

North Carolina recovers less than one out of every five plastic bottles generated in the state, despite hosting some of the largest processors of these materials. The new ban is intended to boost the recovery of bottles, in large part to meet the growing demand for these materials.
An example of the appetite for recovered plastic bottles is the Clear Path facility being built in Fayetteville, which will have the capacity to use 280 million pounds of polyethlene terephthalate (PET #1) bottles annually. Envision Plastics, the nation’s second largest recycler of high-density polyethlene (HDPE #2) bottles, also operates a facility in Reidsville. According to the National Association of PET Container Resources, end users of recycled PET in 11 southeastern states have the capacity for 1.439 billion pounds per year. HDPE reclaimers in the United States can use more than 1 billion pounds annually, but due to poor recovery rates are operating at 69 percent capacity.

“Widespread compliance with the plastic bottle disposal ban will ensure a flow of plastic bottles to meet market demand for the materials and will result in additional job creation through the expansion of recycling collection companies,” said Scott Mouw, environmental supervisor for the state Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. “The law represents a major growth opportunity for the state’s recycling businesses and for local government recycling collection programs as well.”

Moreover, such recycling programs are good for the environment. If all the plastic bottles generated in the state were recycled, more than 2.4 billion additional plastic bottles would be kept out of landfills annually.

The law, also known as House Bill 1465, joins other statewide and local bans, such as the statewide ban on disposal of aluminum cans in the landfill, which has been in effect since 1994. Since 2008, all ABC permit holders in North Carolina are required to recycle their beverage containers. Also banned from landfills statewide are: appliances (white goods), used motor oil, antifreeze, lead-acid batteries, scrap tires, oyster shells, and yard waste. Since 1996, it is a requirement to recycle corrugated cardboard in Orange County, and since 2002, under the Regulated Recyclable Materials Ordinance, scrap metal and clean wood waste are also required to be recycled in Orange County.

Orange County has a comprehensive program and claims the top spot in the county-by-county rankings. With a recovery rate of more than 29 pounds of plastic bottles per person, Orange County recycled more than seven times the state average on a per capita basis. The average county per capita recovery is 3.81 pounds per person. UNC-Chapel Hill recycled 224.68 tons of containers in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the vast majority of those being plastic bottles.

How does this new law affect the University? UNC-Chapel Hill has plastic bottle recycling containers available indoors in every building, as well as outdoors. If you are interested in adding additional recycling containers, please call the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling at 962-1442 or email us at recycling@fac.unc.edu. The law does allow for accidental or occasional disposal of small amounts of banned materials, and materials that contain hazardous materials should still be dealt with through Environment, Health and Safety as they have been in the past.

To help publicize the ban, a group of students, organized by Bill Bobbitt, participated in a “smart flash mob” today at lunchtime in the Pit. The idea was sent out to local universities by Kelley Dennings of www.re3.org, a statewide recycling campaign run by the NC Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. Students froze with plastic bottles in their hands, while an a cappella group sang a modified version of the song “Battlefield,” by Jordin Sparks, substituting lyrics about throwing plastic bottles in the landfill. A similar flash mob occurred today in the brickyard at NC State.

The statutory reference for the disposal ban can be found at: http://www.p2pays.org/ref/38/37984.pdf

For information about where recycling bins are located in campus buildings, please visit the website for the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling here: http://portal.facilities.unc.edu/webrequestsystem/RecyclingIndoorPickups.aspx

Please also refer to our Quick Recycling Guide: http://www.fac.unc.edu/wastereduction/signs/New%20Image.JPG

Contact:
Amy Preble, UNC OWRR (919) 962-5169, apreble@fac.unc.edu