Green Thinker Network and The Project Lifeline

 

Posted by Green Thinker Network Team

Green Thinker Network is partnering with The Project Lifeline. The purpose of the project is to raise awareness of the need for a greener world as well as what is being done about it.

On 9th September 2009 the Lifeline Global Initiative launched from London, New York and Sydney. The mission is to send 3 teams of 3 film-makers on an epic 18,000 mile 12 month journey to arrive Autumn 2010 in Cape Town, Buenos Aires and Tokyo. Green Thinker Network combines efforts with The Lifeline to raise funds for this mutual quest.

We will be selling green products such as t-shirts and grocery bags on our web site to serve this cause. We would be delighted if you join us in supporting The Project Lifeline and buy a t-shirt through our website. We will be ready in the next few weeks with our green t-shirt designs.

Please, send us an e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for any questions or concerns.

They announced this in their website as quoted below:

"You trust us when it's time to buy the latest electronics. You can also trust us to help you safely dispose of your old ones.

In fact, many of your broken, obsolete, or unwanted gadgets are just waiting to be e-incarnated. So bring them to us. And we'll make sure they're properly and safely recycled, so they have the chance to perhaps come back as something even cooler in the future. It's all part of our Greener TogetherTM program.

And we'll take just about anything electronic, including TVs, DVD players, computer monitors, cell phones and more. You can bring in up to two items a day, per household, and most things are absolutely free. However, there is a $10 charge for TVs 32" and under, CRTs, monitors and laptops - but we'll give you a $10 Best Buy gift card to offset that cost. It's just a little e-incarnation appreciation.

So do it for the Earth. Do it to get rid of some old junk. Or just do it for some good Karma.

Best Buy® + You. We're Greener Together."

Remember the "funny" guy with the British humor that was talking to his bin? Well the story continues and this time we can understand more about the recycling campaign that mayor Boris Johnson is promoting for London.

"Despite recent reports of a downturn in the market for recycled materials the Mayor is confident that the recycling market will recover. Over 60 per cent of the rubbish we throw away can actually be recycled and yet Londoners on average are recycling 20 per cent of their waste. Now everyone in London can recycle paper, glass and cans at the very least and the message from the Recycle for London campaign is to reassure people and encourage them to recycle more."

There is something we can do, right?

 

Envion opens plastics-to-oil recycling unit

near Washington

By Frank Esposito | PLASTICS NEWS STAFF
Posted September 17, 2009

Envion Inc. has developed a method to convert plastic waste into a synthetic oil.

DERWOOD, MD. (Updated Sept. 18, 4:05 p.m. ET) -- Envion Inc. has launched itself into the plastics recycling world by opening a plastic-to-oil conversion unit just outside of Washington.

Washington-based Envion unveiled the unit Sept. 16 in Derwood, Md. It is described as the Envion Oil Generator, a unit that melts down most grades of commodity plastics and converts them into a synthetic oil that can be used to make gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel and kerosene.

The unit "provides a revolutionary solution to the problem of plastic waste by transforming it from an environmental hazard into a sustainable, renewable energy source," Envion Chairman and CEO Michael Han said in a Sept. 16 news release.

Han's uncle - Korean businessman Myung Duck Ma - developed the technology about 15 years ago, Han said in a Sept. 17 phone interview.

"My uncle had the intellectual property and wanted to develop the technology," he said. "But he needed capital and seed money."

Envion "is expected to have multiple EOGs in full operation within months, with orders coming in from the United States and internationally," officials said. They estimate that 50 million tons of plastic waste are generated in the U.S. each year, most of which ends up in landfills.

Han now expects that, a year from now, between 75 and 100 EOG units will be in operation around the world, including between 20 and 30 in the U.S.

Each unit carries a $7 million construction and installation cost, along with a $200,000 annual service fee, officials said.

The unit in Derwood represents a $5 million investment. It's supplied with plastic waste by Montgomery County, which includes Derwood.

Using the Envion technology, 1 ton of waste plastic can be converted into four 42-gallon barrels of synthetic oil, according to the company.

The energy used to melt the plastic consists of infrared rays powered by electricity, so the unit doesn't have to burn petroleum-based fuels in order to function, officials said.

"Given the shortage of sustainable plastic waste disposal alternatives, Envion is uniquely poised to capitalize" on the technology, Han said in the release.

Han is majority owner of Envion, which also has several angel investors [individuals who provided startup capital]. He has experience in investment banking, including mergers and acquisitions work in the telecommunications and internet markets.

Converting plastic to oil through a method known as pyrolysis isn't a new approach, but it's one that's been gaining attention in recent years.

Polyflow Corp. - a recycling technology firm based in Akron, Ohio - has been working to commercialize technology that's somewhat similar to that used by Envion. Polyflow has supply agreements in place with the city of Stow, Ohio, and with Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio.

Polymer Energy LLC - a joint venture between materials science firm Northern Technologies and inventor Zbigniew Tokarz - currently has three pyrolysis units operating in Asia.

Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pa., also has developed a method by which waste plastics are melted down into a material that can be used as an additive in burning coal.

Polyflow CEO Joseph Hensel said that he was encouraged by the Envion announcement.

"The more activity in this area, the better off everybody is in making the technology go forward, and the sooner we'll be in finding a solution to polymer waste," he said in a Sept. 18 telephone interview.