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ISRI Rebrands as The Recycled Materials Association

Identity Change Emphasizes Sustainable, Resilient, and Essential Nature of Recycling

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 18, 2024 – After 35 years as the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, ISRI today announced it is now the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA). The new name and logo were unveiled during the closing general session of ISRI2024 Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas, an event that saw record attendance from the US and more than 70 countries for the organization’s major annual meeting.

“From everyday items to our essential infrastructure, recycled materials power the manufacturing supply chain that makes our economy stronger, our planet more sustainable, and our lives better,” said Robin Wiener, President of the Recycled Materials Association. “Our new name, the Recycled Materials Association, clearly and accurately describes who we are as an organization and who we represent. I am excited to unveil our dynamic new name and logo to stakeholders around the world.”

ISRI Outgoing Chair Brian Henesey said, “The Recycled Materials Association is the culmination of years of work in refining how we present our industry to the world. It has been an honor to Chair this organization through this endeavor and a privilege to be one of the ongoing chain of leaders working to make us more successful tomorrow than we are today.”

Recycled Materials Association Incoming Chair Colin Kelly remarked, “With the introduction of this new brand identity, we embark on an exciting future for our organization that reflects our evolution, our values, and our vision. This new name represents our dedication to rethinking how we approach recycling, pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and striving for a world where recycling is at the heart of sustainable development.”

The organization’s new identity includes a new tagline – Sustainable. Resilient. Essential. – which emphasizes the industry’s core benefits to society and attributes. The recycled materials industry is Sustainable – helping protect the environment. It is Resilient – providing materials that strengthen the economy. It is also Essential – by ensuring the things we need are there to make everyday life better.

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The U.S. just changed how it manages a tenth of its land

The Interior Department puts conservation and clean energy development on par with drilling, mining, and resource extraction

By Maxine Joselow, Washington Post, Updated April 18, 2024 at 1:57 p.m.

For decades, the federal government has prioritized oil and gas drilling, hard rock mining, and livestock grazing on public lands. That could soon change under a far-reaching Interior Department rule that puts conservation, recreation, and renewable energy development on equal footing with resource extraction.

The final rule released Thursday represents a seismic shift in the management of roughly 245 million acres of public property — about one-tenth of the nation’s land mass. It is expected to draw praise from conservationists and legal challenges from fossil fuel industry groups and Republican officials, some of whom have lambasted the move as a “land grab.”

Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, known as the nation’s largest landlord, has long offered leases to oil and gas companies, mining firms, and ranchers. For the first time, the nearly 80-year-old agency will auction off “restoration leases” and “mitigation leases” to entities with plans to restore or conserve public lands.

“Today’s final rule helps restore balance to our public lands as we continue using the best-available science to restore habitats, guide strategic and responsible development, and sustain our public lands for generations to come,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.

Under President Biden, the BLM has put a greater emphasis on protecting public lands from the twin threats of climate change and development. Tracy Stone-Manning, the bureau’s director, has warned that hotter, drier climates are driving longer and more intense wildfires and droughts across the American West. At the same time, development has fragmented and destroyed wildlife habitat and migratory corridors.

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NJ reverses course, grants approval to a raft of solar projects

By Tom Johnson, NJ Spotlight News

The state Board of Public Utilities Wednesday approved more than 300 megawatts of solar projects across the state, a big step boosting one of New Jersey’s most important sources of renewable energy and a key component of Gov. Phil Murphy’s clean-energy agenda.

In a solicitation overseen by the BPU, commissioners quickly approved eight projects across seven counties. That outcome marks a complete reversal of a similar proceeding last summer when the agency rejected all bids that had been submitted because they were deemed too expensive.

In Wednesday’s meeting, the board approved eight of 14 bids submitted by developers as well as a project to build 80 megawatts of energy storage capacity, believed to be the largest project of its kind to move forward in New Jersey.

Welcome news for developers, advocates

There was little comment by the board on its vote, but solar developers and clean-energy advocates were thrilled with the decision.

“Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised,’’ said Fred DeSanti, executive director of the New Jersey Solar Energy Coalition. “This is a signal that the New Jersey grid-supply market is very strong.’’

Most of the approvals were for grid supply projects, which are solar systems that are much more cost-effective because of their scale and thus are less expensive to utility customers who wind up supporting the projects on their monthly bills through incentives to the developers.

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Report: 2023 was a record year for wind installations world wide

ASSOCIATED PRESS / April 16, 2024

(AP) — The world installed 117 gigawatts of new wind power capacity in 2023, a 50% increase from the year before, making it the best year for new wind projects on record, according to a new report by the industry’s trade association.

The latest Global Wind Report, published Tuesday by the Global Wind Energy Council, explores the state of the global wind industry and the challenges it’s facing in its expansion.

The increase in wind installations “shows that the world is moving in the right direction in combating climate change,” the report said.

But the authors warned that the wind industry must increase its annual growth to at least 320 gigawatts by 2030 in order to meet the COP28 pledge to triple the world’s installed renewable energy generation capacity by 2030, as well as to meet the Paris Agreement’s ambition of capping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit).

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Has Tesla turned the wrong corner?

By David Gelles, New York Times Climate Forward

Tesla is in a bad spot.

On Monday, the world’s largest electric carmaker told employees it would lay off more than 10 percent of its workforce, and two senior executives said they were leaving.

Earlier this month Tesla announced a stunning drop in sales, delivering 387,000 cars worldwide in the first quarter, down 8.5 percent from the same time last year. The company’s stock has fallen more than 35 percent this year, including a 5.5 percent drop on Monday. Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, appears strangely disengaged with the company’s stumbles and preoccupied with other pursuits.

Tesla is still the biggest electric vehicle manufacturer, credited with almost single-handedly creating the E.V. sector. As Tesla went, so went the industry.

But in a remarkably short period, the electric vehicle business appears to have untethered itself from Tesla.

American, Korean, Chinese, and European carmakers all have big, durable E.V. product lines with growing sales. Ford sold 20,223 electric vehicles in the first quarter of the year, an increase of 86 percent from the previous year, making it the second best-selling E.V. brand in the U.S.

BMW said it delivered 82,700 all-electric cars worldwide in the first three months of the year, up sharply from a year earlier. And in China, where Musk helped establish the market for electric vehicles, and the expertise to produce them, Tesla is losing its edge over Chinese competitors.

In recent months, total E.V. sales have softened a bit. But analysts expect long-term sales to keep rising. Phasing out gas-powered cars is an effective, and relatively easy, way to bring down planet-warming emissions. And policy developments around the globe make it a near certainty that most big carmakers will be going all-in on EVs in the years ahead.

“The challenges with any particular company, Tesla or otherwise, doesn’t mean doom and gloom for the E.V. industry at large,” said Pete Slowik of the International Council on Clean Transportation. “We are at a place where this transition is real and we have significant momentum from every global automaker.”

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ACUA’s 32nd Earth Day Festival will be held Sunday, April 28, 2024

Egg Harbor Township, NJ – April 15, 2024 – The Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) invites the community to its 32nd Annual Earth Day Festival on Sunday, April 28, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at its Environmental Park located at 6700 Delilah Road in Egg Harbor Township, NJ.

ACUA’s festival is the largest and longest-running Earth Day Festival in South Jersey and offers a range of activities for all ages. The festival will include more than 150 local vendors, crafters, exhibitors, nonprofits, interactive activities, workshops, tours, and more.

The festival lets the community see ACUA’s environmental services up close. Guests can take a hayride to the top of the landfill and tour the wastewater treatment facility and Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm on an Atlantic City Jitney.

The Atlantic County Utilities' Authority will hold its 32nd Earth Day Festival, rain or shins, on Sunday, April 28, 2024

Other activities include Touch-A-Truck, ‘bouncies’, games, interactive performances, a “Dinosaurs Rock” show, a nature walk, live animals, and a petting zoo. Free workshops are scheduled throughout the day covering topics like how to build a rain barrel, houseplants 101, making a sourdough starter, and creating recycled artwork.

“ACUA’s Annual Earth Day Festival provides an opportunity for the community to learn about the essential services that keep our community clean while having fun,” said ACUA President Matthew DeNafo. “It has become a staple event in the community because of the many wonderful vendors and exhibitors joining us in celebrating our environment.”

Guests may park at ACUA’s facility at 6700 Delilah Road or at the Airport Commerce Center, with a shuttle service from 6550 Delilah Road. The Earth Day Festival will be held rain or shine.

ACUA acknowledges the many community partners and sponsors, including its platinum sponsors Atlantic City Electric, New Jersey American Water, and South Jersey Gas for their generous contributions.

Visit www.acua.com/earthday for a detailed list of vendors and a schedule of activities, and to learn about the event’s volunteer opportunities for local youth, environmental or service organizations.

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ISRI Rebrands as The Recycled Materials Association

The U.S. just changed how it manages a tenth of its land

NJ reverses course, grants approval to a raft of solar projects

Welcome news for developers, advocates

Report: 2023 was a record year for wind installations world wide

Has Tesla turned the wrong corner?

ACUA’s 32nd Earth Day Festival will be held Sunday, April 28, 2024

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