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Enviro-Events Calendar – Updated September 29, 2021
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What to do with outdated, non-biodegradable wind-turbine blades? Ask the Danes
By designboom
Nowadays, wind power is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy technologies, with its usage increasing rapidly year by year, on a worldwide level. in Denmark, wind power is so commonly used that wind turbines are now really part of the local landscape. in fact, wind energy already provides 40% of the energy in Denmark, while the Danes hope to reach 70% by 2030.
Since the world of renewable sources —and wind energy specifically— is all about sustainability, it makes sense why the question of recycling wind turbines has been actively discussed these last few years. given the 20-year lifespan of non-biodegradable blades in current wind turbines, many will need to be disposed of in the near future.
The Danish government has assigned the recycling task to several companies, many of which have come up with ingenious plans for repurposing the gigantic metal structures. the re-wind project is one of the teams selected and aims to transform wind turbines into bicycle garages or footbridges.
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Hartz Mountain Exec VP and General Counsel, Irwin A. Horowitz, 85
From Hartz Mountain Industries
It is with the deepest sadness that we announce that Irwin Alan Horowitz, passed away on Monday, September 6, 2021, peacefully in his bed at home in Essex Fells, at the age of 85 wonderful years, surrounded by his loving family and close friends.
Irwin was born on March 20th, 1936, to Ann D. and Joseph Horowitz in Newark, New Jersey. He graduated from Weequahic High School in 1954 and attended Rutgers University, where he played Varsity Basketball. Subsequent to that he attended Rutgers Law School where he was a Member of the Law Review and graduated with honors in 1961.
He immediately passed the Bar and clerked for Federal District Court Judges Hartshorne and Coolihan until he started his own law practice in Newark with lifelong friend Shep Bross, which grew into Horowitz, Bross, Sinins, and Imperial.
He joined Hartz Mountain Industries in 1987, where he was Executive Vice President and General Counsel until his death. His professional accomplishments include a “Lifetime Achievement Award,” “Professional Lawyer of the Year Award”, “General Counsel of the Year Award” and was designated as one of “New Jersey’s Most Prominent Real Estate Attorneys.” Irwin has mentored many attorneys throughout his distinguished career and has always made time for family and community.
Irwin is survived by his wife Toni Horowitz, his children, Sheri (Rabbi Michael Jay) Horowitz-Jay, Lisa (Adam Spector) Horowitz, David (Debra) Horowitz, Rachel (Fiancé Chris Schimminger) Horowitz; Grandchildren, Samantha (Fiancé Reid Title) Jay, Laurence and Andie Horowitz, and Erica Wang, and he leaves behind nieces, nephews and cousins, as well as hundreds of life-long friends.
Irwin was a wise, good-humored, kind-hearted, and generous anchor of the Horowitz family. He was the “go-to” for all friends and extended family for any important legal or medical decisions, as his calm and logical manner always made him the best advisor. He loved rooting for the Knicks, Yankees, and Giants, and was always prepared with a witty remark in every situation to make us laugh.
A graveside funeral and interment will be held for close family and friends. Donations can be made in Irwin’s name to the Jewish Community Center of Long Beach Island, NJ or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tn.
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EPA launches new training on lead exposure in underserved communities
EPA News Release
In accordance with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advancing environmental justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a new training initiative, Enhancing Lead-Safe Work Practices through Education and Outreach (ELSWPEO), to raise awareness about childhood lead exposure and protect environmentally overburdened and underserved communities across the United States from lead exposure.
Many homes, apartments and child-care facilities built before 1978 contain lead-based paint. When disturbed, lead-based paint can release toxic lead dust and cause lead exposure, which is particularly harmful to children. While lead is dangerous to all children, lead exposure disproportionately impacts low-income families and their communities, making the free training offered by ELSWPEO an important step toward achieving environmental justice.
“Unfortunately, underserved communities are still dealing with the hazards of lead exposure,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “These trainings have a dual purpose of increasing economic opportunities and expanding the understanding of lead’s potential impacts on children’s health. Both are critical in giving communities the tools they need to protect themselves.”
ELSWPEO aims to serve local communities and advance environmental justice by increasing both the number of renovation, repair and painting (RRP) certified firms and consumer demand for lead-safe work practices. This two-pronged approach to reducing lead exposure includes the following initiatives:
- Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) training for contractors: EPA will provide free trainings, in both English and Spanish depending on the location, for contractors working in selected communities, offering an opportunity for them to become RRP certified. Anyone who is paid to perform work that disturbs paint in housing and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 per the Lead RRP Rule must be certified, and this training is designed to equip contractors and firms with the tools they need to serve their communities and adhere to the Lead RRP Rule.
- Lead Awareness Curriculum Train-the-Trainer sessions for community leaders: EPA will offer free Lead Awareness Curriculum Train-the-Trainer sessions, in English with simultaneous Spanish interpretation, designed to equip community leaders with tools and resources needed to educate their communities about lead, lead exposure and actions that can be taken to reduce and prevent childhood lead exposure, including hiring RRP certified contractors. The Lead Awareness Curriculum is a series of four modules which include lesson plans, worksheets, key messages, presentation slides, and kids’ activity sheets that community leaders and other instructors can use to improve public awareness of the dangers associated with lead exposure and promote preventative actions.
EPA is proud to facilitate both RRP trainings and Lead Awareness Curriculum Train-the-Trainer sessions in the following communities: Albuquerque, NM; the Bismarck-Mandan, ND area; Hartford, Conn.; Los Angeles County, Calif.; Miami, Fla; Peoria, Ill.; Reading, Pa.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; San Diego County, Calif.; Boise, Idaho; and Trenton, NJ. These communities reflect the diversity of the United States, have known lead exposure issues and demonstrated a need for RRP certified contractors.
The RRP trainings and Lead Awareness Curriculum Train-the-Trainer sessions work hand in hand to increase awareness of the potential dangers of lead exposure and actions that can be taken to reduce potential exposure to lead, including the availability of RRP certified contractors in traditionally underserved communities.
More information on ELSWPEO in English
More information on ELSWPEO in Spanish
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Polluters pick up the tab for restoration of threatened New Jersey cedars
Mature Atlantic White Cedar trees are shown in Brendan Byrne State Forest in New Jersey
By The Associated Press
WOODLAND TOWNSHIP, N.J. — New Jersey plans to restore vast tracts of a coastal tree species threatened by climate change and will pay for it with money from polluters of groundwater.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said Thursday its plan to restore 10,000 acres of Atlantic white cedar would be the largest restoration effort involving the species in U.S. history.
The $20 million project will span 10 years and will be paid for from court settlements with manufacturers and distributors of a now-banned gasoline additive that has polluted groundwater throughout the country.
“Through this project, we will reestablish once-dominant stands of Atlantic white cedar, but at higher elevations less vulnerable to rising seas and saltwater intrusion, and provide habitat for globally rare plants and wildlife, while capturing and storing carbon and absorbing floodwaters,” said Shawn LaTourette, New Jersey’s environmental protection commissioner.
An estimated 500,000 acres of Atlantic white cedar forests once stretched from Maine to northern Florida and along parts of the Gulf of Mexico coast, with 115,000 acres in New Jersey alone. Today, fewer than 125,000 acres remain nationally, 25,000 of them in New Jersey, the state environmental department said.
The trees were heavily logged for their desirability as a disease- and pest-resistant wood source.
But they also have been falling prey to saltwater intrusion as sea levels rise and more frequent storms push saltwater into the freshwater areas in which the cedars grow. Superstorm Sandy in 2012 also downed many of the trees.
Stands of dead cedars haunt New Jersey and other spots along the Atlantic coast, where the bleached-white trees have become known as “ghost forests.”
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New York City reveals offshore wind vision
From ReNEWS.biz
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Mayor Bill de Blasio have unveiled a $191m plan to make New York City a leading destination for the offshore wind industry.
The 15-year Offshore Wind Vision (OSW) plan aims to put the city on a path to create over 13,000 jobs and generate $1.3bn in average annual investment.
It also aims to ensure 40% of job and investment benefits are directed toward women, minorities, and environmental justice communities, as well as reduce 34.5 million tons of CO2.
New York City will make commitments focused on three core areas – sites and infrastructure, business and workforce, and research and innovation.
The city will work to develop best-in-class infrastructure that will support the construction and operation of offshore wind farms.
The plan outlines how the city will expand its manufacturing sector to build, stage, and install wind turbines, and ensure they can be serviced and powered locally.
It also commits the city to develop public-private partnerships with communities to create good-paying, green jobs in disadvantaged neighborhoods historically impacted by climate injustice.
The city will focus on targeted investments to develop workforce training and support businesses that seek to create a diverse talent pool in offshore wind.
New York City will also work to promote research and innovation in the offshore wind so new technologies and approaches are created locally.
NYCEDC will work with the offshore wind industry and partners to launch an accelerator that will allow New York-based start-ups to build out the next generation of offshore wind technologies to support worldwide growth and advancement in the field.
New York City reveals offshore wind vision Read More »