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Recyclables for Electricity Program Catches On
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008When the 10 winners for 2008 of the biennial World Business and Development Awards were announced a few weeks back, the Spanish energy conglomerate Endesa was one of the recipients for a program its subsidiaries run in two Brazilian states. The program helps people pay for their power bills while promoting recycling. While an interesting [...]
Helping Belize Clean Up Its Act
Monday, November 24th, 2008From the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB):
Belize will improve Solid Waste Management with IDB Support
Program will build new waste disposal facilities in the country’s Western Corridor
Belize will receive a US$11,150,000 loan from the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) to improve solid waste management practices, reduce environmental pollution and enhance the image of Belize in the eco-tourism [...]
Brasil vai elaborar cenário nacional de emissões de gases de efeito estufa em 2030 / Brazil to Prepare National Scenario for Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2030
Thursday, November 6th, 2008Synopsis in English: The World Bank is funding the preparation of a national scenario for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for Brazil for the year 2030, which Brazil hopes to have ready to forward in 2009 to the secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Brazilian team includes the Science and Technology [...]
Not Always Easy Buying Recycled
Monday, October 6th, 2008The basic idea was straightforward: stimulate recycling by requiring all state agencies, entities and offices to buy only paper products with high recycled content (50%).
That was the requirement set by a new law adopted by the southern Brazilian state of Paraná in November 2007. The Law said that it must apply to all paper products [...]
An E-Waste/RoHS Bill For Uruguay
Monday, September 29th, 2008Earlier this month a bill was introduced in the Uruguayan legislature to “create a management system for waste from electrical and electronic apparatuses.” Uruguay, it seems, is joining Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Costa Rica among the Latin American nations finally moving to tackle the WEEE issue.
The bill is relatively short (2 pages) and simple, apparently [...]
Paraná Takes Aim on New Beer Packaging
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008First aseptic cartons, then long-necked beer bottles, now one-liter glass beer bottles. Hmmm, do you think maybe Paraná environment officials are focused on packaging waste issues?
Earlier this month Paraná’s Environment Secretary, Rasca Rodrigues, again used the press to get a company to the negotiating table. He publicly attacked the new one-liter beer bottle — dubbed [...]
Brazil Adopts New Battery Rules
Friday, September 12th, 2008Brazil’s National Environment Council (CONAMA) just replaced the country’s groundbreaking 1999 rules on the environmental management of batteries and piles (pilhas) with even tougher ones.
Manufacturers should take note, since legislators and regulators in other Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) nations will. The original rules served as a reference point for many LAC policymakers, particularly since [...]
From Banners to Reusable Shopping Bags
Saturday, September 6th, 2008Synopsis in English: The more I find out about the work of Paraná’s Zero Waste (Desperdício Zero) Program — particularly its creativity in finding new and different ways to promote and spark interest in recycling — the more I like and admire their work.
Remember the solar water heater made of used PET bottles and [...]
Inspecting the World’s Largest Open Pit Coal Mine
Saturday, September 6th, 2008Recently Colombia’s Vice Minister for the Environment, Claudia Mora Pineda, the Ministry’s director of licenses and permits, and the head of the National Natural Parks Unit (UPNN) paid an “inspection” visit to El Cerrejón, Colombia’s largest coal mine and probably the largest open pit coal mine in the world. They also visited the mining firm’s [...]
The Green Protocol
Saturday, September 6th, 2008A few weeks ago a press release from Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES) came across my desk trumpeting its signing with the Environment Minister of an agreement on supporting sustainable development dubbed “The Green Protocol.” I confess that I didn’t even scan it properly. Instead I filed it away to examine later, guessing (wrongly) that [...]
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