Professional Documents
Culture Documents
com
Catherine
Jackson
moves piles
of recyclable
material to a
sorting area.
From 100 to
150 tons of
paper is
recycled per
day at the
Memphis
plant.
the facility themselves, Evenson said. recycling a ton of paper can save up to
“It’s on a case-by-case basis,” he said. 17 trees and uses 50 percent less water,
The American Forest & Paper so the recycling efforts at IP save
Association keeps track of the country’s thousands of trees per day.
recycling efforts, and Catherine Foley, Although the AF&PA tracks recycling
group vice president of paper, said efforts of its members, it’s member
results show goals are being exceeded. organizations themselves, like IP, that
“That initial goal set years ago was 40 are responsible for making the goal of
percent, and the industry association recycling a reality.
has continued to ratchet up the number In fall 2010, IP moved its recycling
once the goal was met,” she said. facility from Saturn Avenue to North
Recent figures show 63.4 percent of Third Street, which provided more space.
paper recovered was recycled, Foley said. “Recently, when we made the move
“It’s been a real success story for the into the new facility two or three drivers
industry and one that we are very proud or opportunities came from that,”
of,” Foley said. Evenson said.
The forest industry in America “We’re going to be able to service our
produces more renewable energy than customers more efficiently — that’s not
all the wind, solar and geothermal only outbound and bring it back to the
energy combined, according to the plant, but also the customers who bring
organization’s website. the material to the facility, because we
“Compared to some of our competitors, have a better facility and obviously from
we are way ahead of them,” she said. our standpoint efficiencies will be
Information from the U.S. Energy improved quite a bit because it’s a much
Information Administration shows that larger facility.”
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, December 12, 2010 | GOING GREEN 7
IP aims to demonstrate
green side of paper use
New campaign touts protection of forests
By Toby Sells One-third of the U.S. is
sells@commercialappeal.com forested, according to the
campaign; of that, 750
A new push by million acres are
International Paper privately owned and
stresses the idea that most of those owners are
using paper is good for tree farmers. These The Commercial Appeal file photo
trees and forests. farmers plant about 4 International Paper’s
The Memphis-based million trees per day, 100% recycled, 100%
papermaker’s new “Go about “three to four biodegradable Ecotainer.
Paper. Go Trees.” times more than they
campaign is intended to harvest,” Shanahan said, to bank online or we’ll
refute the notion that to replenish their stock. give you $10 to bank
“going paperless” is a According to the online, that’s fine,”
pathway to green campaign, tree farmers Shanahan said. “They
salvation. have a financial incentive should not be making the
Teri Shanahan, IP’s to be good stewards of the claims that this will
vice president of forests, which could somehow help the
commercial printing, said otherwise be leveled for environment if you bank
she knows the idea development. online.”
seems counterintuitive. Shanahan said A separate push is under
She also readily admitted electronic payments and way by the American
that the paper industry communication are not Forest and Paper
hasn’t done a good job of “environmentally free” Association to toughen
helping consumers and that many companies laws on “greenwashing,”
connect the dots. that are pushing paperless falsely marketing a product
“People think that if you payments are looking to as environmentally
use less paper, you’ll save get their money faster, not friendly. In October, the
a tree,” Shanahan said. necessarily trying to be Federal Trade Commission
“While one particular tree environmentally friendly. posted proposed rules for
might not be harvested “I understand why its Guides for the Use of
under that scenario, the they want to do it and I Environmental Marketing
whole forest might not don’t blame them for Claims.
have an opportunity to trying, but if they just — Toby Sells: 529-2742
stay as a forest.” say it’s more convenient
8 GOING GREEN | Sunday, December 12, 2010 commercialappeal.com
for free to residents for three certificates and even gift cards at
months — October, November and grocery stores, restaurants, national
December. chains and several local businesses.
The city asked residents to decide In September, the city delivered
whether they wanted to opt in or 16,000, 96-gallon wheeled recycling
opt out of the program by Dec. 1. carts to households throughout the
That date was set as a deadline to city.
decide whether to participate in The city is the first in Mississippi
order to simplify the billing process, and the first in the Mid-South to
said Bradley Wallace, Southaven’s implement a rewards-recycling
director of operations. The city will program.
charge each household Mayor Greg Davis
$6.25 per month for RecycleBank allows said he was happy
curbside recycling. residents to earn with the participation
The fee, added to rate to date.
monthly water bills, is reward points by “This is a good
charged a month in start,” he said. “I’ve
advance for the
tossing recyclable heard from some
service. So, the material, including senior adults, who
January bill for the said they were opting
curbside recycling newspapers and out of the program
program is reflected aluminum cans, into (only) because they
on this month’s water didn’t generate a lot of
bills. a single recycling trash, and didn’t have
“Residents can opt bin rather than in anything to recycle.”
out of the program by Davis said since
the end of this with the trash. since the program
month,” Wallace said. started in October,
“After that time, if the city has kept 50 to
they have not opted out by Jan. 1, 70 tons of trash per week out of the
they will be billed for the program.” landfill.
Called RecycleBank, the program Resident Dexter Varnell said he and
allows residents to earn reward his wife, JuneRose, like the program.
points by tossing recyclable material, “We have a lot of newspaper, and it
including newspapers and aluminum makes sense to recycle them,” he said.
cans, into a single recycling bin Wallace said if residents want to
rather than in with the trash. opt out of the program or have
The material is weighed and questions, they can call the city’s
residents receive points, which can utility department at (662) 796-2490.
be redeemed for discount coupons, — Yolanda Jones:
2-for-1 purchase options, cash-value (901) 333-2014
10 GOING GREEN | Sunday, December 12, 2010 commercialappeal.com
Broad smiles
By Wayne Risher
Annex risher@commercialappeal.com
Cleaning
To prevent the spread of bacteria and Always wash hands before and after
food-borne illnesses like E.coli and handling raw meat.
salmonella poisoning, always wash Also wash cutting boards, knives,
hands in hot soapy water before utensils and countertops in hot soapy
preparing food and after using the water after every use, taking extra care to
bathroom, changing diapers, blowing keep meats, eggs and vegetables separated
your nose, sneezing and coughing, and while you work to avoid cross-
after handling pets. contamination.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, December 12, 2010 | GOING GREEN 19
Ideally, separate cutting (allow 24 hours for every Ham: Ham is often
boards should be used for five pounds of turkey). It labeled “fully cooked,” and
raw meats and for breads can also be defrosted in its these can be eaten right
and produce, and they original wrapper in cold out of the package. All
should be replaced once water, as long as the water ham must be processed to
they develop deep is changed every 30 USDA guidelines to kill
grooves, scratches or cuts minutes. (Allow about 30 trichina, a worm that is
where bacteria can hide. minutes per pound with sometimes present in
Sponges and towels are this method, and cook it hogs. Fresh hams will bear
also breeding grounds for immediately after a safe-handling label and
harmful pathogens and thawing.) must be cooked to an
should be freshly washed When cooking, use a internal temperature of
with soap and hot water. food thermometer to 160 degrees, in an oven
check that the internal set to at least 325 degrees,
Cooking temperature of the inner before eating. Fully
Meat-free options avoid thigh and the thickest part cooked hams may be
many of the health perils of the breast reach 165 reheated to 140 degrees.
presented by undercooked degrees before removing Beef: Roast beef and
poultry, ham or beef. But the turkey from the oven, steaks may be safely
if meat is on the menu, be and let it stand 20 minutes cooked to 145 degrees for
sure to cook it properly. before serving. Always medium rare, 160 degrees
Turkey: Before wash the thermometer in for medium and 170
choosing a turkey, keep in between temperature degrees for well done. Raw
mind that pathogens run checks. Cooking turkey to beef should be refrigerated
rampant in factory farms a temperature of 165 at 40 degrees and cooked
and slaughterhouses and degrees is especially or frozen by the “Use by”
animals raised in these important when serving date. Marinating in the
conditions are more likely children, the elderly, refrigerator is safe for up
to be exposed to food- pregnant women and the to five days, but be sure to
borne bacteria. For a immune compromised. boil any used marinade
safer option, look for The safest way to cook before it comes into
local, pasture-raised stuffing is to prepare it contact with cooked beef.
poultry and labels like separately, but if it is Never reuse uncooked
UDSA Certified Organic, cooked inside the bird it leftover marinade.
Free Farmed or Certified should be moist, and It may be tempting to
Humane. If you plan on packed loosely. Whether rinse meat under the tap
purchasing a fresh turkey, cooked separately or before cooking, but it’s not
bring it home no more inside the bird, stuffing safe. Rinsing raw meat can
than two days in advance. should be cooked to at spread bacteria to areas
When preparing a least 165 degrees. Place around your kitchen, like
frozen turkey, it should be turkey in oven the sink and counter space.
thawed in the refrigerator immediately after stuffing For more on meat safety,
at 40 degrees, never left (avoid fresh pre-stuffed see the USDA’s meat
out at room temperature turkeys altogether). preparation fact sheets.
20 GOING GREEN | Sunday, December 12, 2010 commercialappeal.com
Drinks
Unpasteurized apple cider can carry Homemade eggnog also can be a risk
harmful bacteria, which can be a risk due to salmonella in raw eggs. Again,
to the elderly, young children pasteurized eggnog is safe and
and individuals with weak available in most stores, but if
immune systems. you prefer to whip up a batch
Pasteurized cider is from scratch, use pasteurized
available in most grocery egg products instead of shell
stores, though some find it to eggs, or gradually heat the egg-
be less flavorful. However, milk mixture to 160 degrees,
unpasteurized cider is still safe if it measuring the temperature with a food
is heated to 160 degrees before serving. thermometer.
Serving
If you’re having a buffet- divide large portions of containers and store them
style feast, make sure hot cooked foods into smaller in the freezer or
foods are kept hot (above portions, serving some refrigerator until they’re
140 degrees) in a warming and storing the rest to served. Any reheated food
tray, chafing dish or slow maintain safe should be brought to 165
cooker. Likewise, cold temperatures. degrees before serving.
foods should be kept cold Hot food can either be As your buffet platters
(below 40 degrees) over kept warm in an oven set empty, clear them away
ice. Perishables, especially to between 200 and 250 and serve fresh food on
dishes containing meats degrees, or it can be fresh dishes with clean
and cheeses, should not be cooled and reheated serving utensils. Desserts
left out for more than two before serving. made with eggs and milk,
hours. To cool foods evenly, like pumpkin pie, must be
It’s a good idea to transfer items to shallow refrigerated after baking.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, December 12, 2010 | GOING GREEN 21
Storage
Poorly stored foods make food
poisoning all too easy. Follow these
recommendations to keep foods fresh.
Boxed wine
Separate leftovers into shallow
containers and cool quickly in the
refrigerator, rather than leaving them
has come a
out on the counter.
All prepared foods should be
covered to prevent cross-
long way
from tacky
contamination.
Be careful not to overload the
fridge, as there must be enough room
for cold air to circulate.
Do not store perishable foods on
By Libby Volgyes
the door of the fridge where the
Cox Newspapers
temperatures fluctuate more often.
Turkey should be carved off the
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — I
bone and stored in smaller portions,
admit it. Perhaps, occasionally, we
separate from stuffing and gravy.
might have turned up our elegant
Try to eat turkey leftovers within
noses at the concept of “boxed wine.”
four days; stuffing and gravy within two.
Maybe it was a bad experience in
When reheating leftovers in the
college or just a general pooh-poohing,
microwave, put them in ovenproof glass
but we’ve never really given boxed
or ceramic containers — even
wine the time of day. Or night. Or in
“microwave-safe” plastic containers may
between.
leach chemicals into food when heated.
All this changed when Octavin
Leftovers can also be covered
brought a whole new kind of boxed
efficiently with freezer-recommended
wine to the table: four bottles of wine
materials and frozen at 0 degrees for
squeezed into one big, value-minded,
two to six months.
eight-sided box with a spout. The
Avoid slowing the freezing
packaging design guarantees freshness
process by stacking packages until
up to six weeks after tapping (turning)
they are frozen throughout.
the box.
Only defrost food in the
They save oodles of money by
refrigerator, in cold water or in the
eliminating cork, glass and closures
microwave, never on the kitchen
and it’s better for the environment.
counter. Any items thawed in the
Their website boasts reducing
microwave should be cooked
packaging waste by 85 percent and
immediately.
carbon emissions by 55 percent.
And once all the work and preparation
I can see this concept being perfect
are out of the way, don’t forget to relax
for two situations: the casual drinker
and have a great holiday meal.
who likes to have just one (or one and
22 GOING GREEN | Sunday, December 12, 2010 commercialappeal.com
Out of the
garden and
onto the
windowsill
By Robin Shreeves
Mother Nature Network
“While the engine is care much about this kind “an electric car 95 percent
running, we found a way of dispute, and they of the time. But when you
to boost range and make shouldn’t. What matters need to go to Vegas or San
the extended-range mode most is whether the Volt Francisco, it turns into a
more efficient,” Parks delivers on its regular car. That’s the key.”
said. “We are actually environmental promises, OK, on the rare
very proud of our system. and is it, in fact, the no- occasions when I take my
If we’d just wanted to compromise planet- Volt over 70 mph, as I
cover our you-know-what, friendly car it claims to watch for Smokies, I’ll hear
we could have lost a few be. I think, for most a tiny mechanical whirring
miles of range and never people, it will deliver that noise as the secondary ring
connected indirectly to because they’re going to gear engages. And it will
the gas engine. The most be traveling within the be the sound of GM lying
important thing is that up-to-50-mile range of the to me. And I’ll get over it.
the car is better because battery pack. Jim Motavalli is the
that system is in place.” Jay Leno agrees with transportation blogger for
As my colleague Jim me. In a phone interview, Mother Nature Network
Henry points out, he told me the Volt is “the (mnn.com/featured-
blogs/jmotavalli).
customers aren’t likely to smart one,” because it’s