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Toward Brazilian Environmental Norms for Electro-Electronics
Saturday, August 15th, 2009Several jurisdictions in Brazil — most notably the States of São Paulo (SP) and Mato Grosso (MT), and the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro (MRJ) — have recently adopted e-waste laws, and several states look interested in following suit (here, here and here). There’s rumors that the National Environment Council (CONAMA) will soon decide [...]
Toward an ISO Energy Management Standard
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009Last week in Rio de Janeiro and yesterday in São Paulo, Eletrobrás and the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT) co-hosted workshops to try to get Brazilian business more actively involved in the process now underway in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to develop an international standard for energy management, ISO 50001. One of [...]
Recycling Ozone-Depleting Substances
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009This week the Regeneration and Recycling Center of the Northeast (Centro de Regeneração e Reciclagem do Nordeste – CRN) will be inaugurated in the capital of Pernambuco state, Recife. The principal purpose of the CRN is to collect, purify and recycle chlorofluorocarbon 12 (CFC-12), primarily taken from old refrigerators. The Center can also regenerate other [...]
Computer Take-Back in Rio de Janeiro / A Lei Sobre E-lixo do Municipio de Rio de Janeiro
Monday, June 22nd, 2009Last week the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro (MRJ) (population 6 million) became the first major Brazilian city to adopt an e-waste law. The law is rather short and simple. It requires manufacturers and suppliers of computers to receive in their offices, branches or headquarters in the City “obsolete” computers discarded by consumers. The Law defines [...]
São Paulo’s Car Emissions Inspection Regime Unconstitutional?
Sunday, June 14th, 2009Stuck in a hotel lobby in the City of São Paulo, waiting since dawn to be allowed to check in my room, I have been catching up on my reading on Latin America environment, health and consumer affairs, in both electronic and print formats. One of the electronic tidbits I found involves this very city: [...]
Brazil Invests in International Research Cooperation on Second Generation Biofuels
Friday, May 29th, 2009Brazil will invest R$11.6 million (about US$ million at current exchange rates) in international research cooperation regarding second-generation biofuels with the 27 member states and the many associate states of the European Union (EU). A request for proposals from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) calls for projects that develop new production [...]
World No Tobacco Day 09: Brazilian Research Shows Pictorial Warnings Work
Thursday, May 28th, 2009The World Health Organization (WHO) chose the theme for the 2009 celebration of World No-Tobacco Day on 31 May as “Show the Truth. Picture Warnings Save Lives.” How is Brazil celebrating the day? The National Cancer Institute (INCA) released the preliminary results of a study they say shows that picture warnings on cigarette packs are [...]
New Movement on Recycling Used Motor Oil Packaging in Brazil?
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009Last year I posted about (slow-building) momentum in Brazil to collect and recycle the packaging that the new motor oil comes in, starting originally in 2003 in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) as a preemptive move by an industry group* and then expanded to Rio Grande do Sul (RS) in 2005, Paraná (PR) in 2007 and [...]
Trash Photos XVI: Furniture Made with PET Bottles
Sunday, April 26th, 2009Back in January I posted about making furniture made from scrap tires that serves not only to “upcycle” (as my friend Leila insists I call it!) waste but also to help unemployed or low-income Brazilians earn income. At the time I intended to post a week or two later about similar projects involving furniture made [...]
Rio Adopts Environmental Registry and Inspection Tax
Sunday, April 19th, 2009Rio de Janeiro just became the latest Brazilian state to adopt a state-level version of the Federal Technical Registry (CTF) and Environmental Control and Inspection Tax (TCFA).
The CTF was created by law in 2000 as a federal registry of industries and activities that the national environment authority, IBAMA, deems likely to produce pollution, and therefore [...]