In one week, Atlantic City is going to look a whole lot different as casinos that have been closed for more than three months open their doors on July 2. A lot of work is being done to prepare for customers, even at 25% capacity.
Raven Santana of NJTV News toured the Ocean Resort Casino with CEO Terry Glebocki while workers finalized the changes being made to keep customers safe. Glebocki, who said, “Social distancing is the key,” noted they are still awaiting final state protocols for reopening but have already arranged machines and tables to allow for safe social distancing; face masks will be mandatory for staff members and customers. And more than 200 hand sanitizer stations have been installed.
How about you? Do you plan to return to the casinos when they reopen? How long might you wait after the July 2 reopening date? Why. Click the comment link under the headline above and tell us what you think.
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None of the 50 companies evaluated by shareholder advocacy group As You Sow earned higher than a B- on recycling, reusability or compostability goals. Multiple companies pushed back on the report.
Many major consumer product companies are failing to address widespread plastic pollution despite their recycling goals, according to nonprofit corporate responsibility and shareholder advocacy group As You Sow.
Alongside its plastics focus, the report centers around U.S. recycling issues and emphasizes the need for more funding. Research and analysis by The Recycling Partnership (TRP) on U.S. recycling rates and the cost of overhauling national infrastructure also factor heavily into the findings. As You Sow cites TRP’s research finding around $12 billion needed “to fix the system” and address issues in the sector.
The research looks at the 50 largest consumer-facing companies in sectors including quick-serve restaurants, beverages, retail and consumer packaged goods. Twelve companies received C grades, while 22 received D grades and 15 received F grades. Of those, Walmart, Kroger, PepsiCo, Tyson Foods, Kraft Heinz, and Mondelēz International were the six lowest-ranked companies by size of revenue. The highest grade was a B-, given to Unilever.
As You Sow’s report measured company progress using six different metrics: packaging design; reusable packaging; recycled content; packaging data transparency; support for recycling; and producer responsibility. In those areas, As You Sow said company progress was most evident in pledges and goals set around redesigning products to be more sustainable along the established metrics, with most earning A or B grades.
In other areas, As You Sow ranked those companies lower, finding “notably less leadership in the areas of reusable packaging innovation, data transparency and producer responsibility.” Overall, companies performed lowest when ranked on their commitment to extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations.
Permission granted by As You Sow
Multiple companies that earned F grades in the report told Waste Dive they disagreed with As You Sow’s findings or pointed to the steps they have taken to incorporate recyclability and waste reduction into their businesses.
In response to the report, a Whole Food Market spokesperson said the company was the first nationally to ban plastic straws and plastic checkout bags, while National Beverage Corp. said 80% of its products come in aluminum cans that “generally contain approximately 73% recycled material.”
Hormel Foods said via email the company “will work with As You Sow to help them better understand the sustainable and innovative work we have done surrounding packaging.” The email said the majority of the company’s packaging does not contain plastic and is recyclable.
A spokesperson for Smithfield Foods said the company has “significantly increased recycling of waste packaging material at our facilities” as part of “zero-waste-to-landfill efforts,” with 30% of its U.S. facilities certified as such.
Other companies given a failing grade did not respond to a request for comment as of publishing time.
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The feds will invest over $2.4M in a project led by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA)
By DERICK LILA, pvbuzz
Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources announced an investment of over $2,445,000 toward the construction of energy-efficient residential buildings across Canada.
The funding will support a project led by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) that will enable seven housing builders to construct net-zero energy and net-zero energy ready residential buildings in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.
The project is looking to demonstrate it is possible to construct net-zero energy ready housing with reduced cost and construction time, which will in turn inspire energy-efficient changes throughout Canada’s construction industry.
The investment is part of the government’s commitment to fight climate change, advance our clean energy future, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Buildings and homes contribute approximately 17 percent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. Net-zero energy buildings are designed and constructed to produce at least as much energy as they consume on an annual basis.
Today, diesel engines are known to be heavy-duty, hardworking engines, most commonly found in heavy machinery. But their reputation for being fuel efficient made them a once popular choice for cars across parts of the world. Then the case for diesel seemed to crash in the 90s, when global health authorities determined diesel to be carcinogenic.
Coronavirus infections sweeping across the southern United States on Wednesday reawakened investor alarm that the stubborn disease might derail an economic recovery and slammed the breaks on stock market momentum.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 709 points, or 2.7 percent, settling at 25,447 on the day after falling as low as 859. The blue-chip index is still poised to post one of its best quarters in history, but remains down around 10 percent for 2020.
“Wishful thinking has given way to practical reality when it comes to Covid-19,” said Daniel P. Wiener, chairman of Adviser Investments. “Warm weather and a reduction in the rate of deaths does not give people the right to go out and party. They partied, the market partied and the hangover begins.”
The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 81 points, or 2.6 percent, to close at 3,050. The broad index, like the Dow and Nasdaq composite, is on track for one of its best quarters in decades. The S&P is down 5 percent in 2020.
The Nasdaq, whose technology stocks have powered markets out of their spring depths, snapped an eight-day winning streak on Wednesday, falling from its all-time high. The Nasdaq slid 222 points, or 2.2 percent., to close at 9,909.
The sell-off was wide and deep, marking the steepest drop since June 11. Crude oil fell 6 percent. European indexes closed down 3 percent. Even high-flying mega-tech stocks like Microsoft, Apple and Alphabet finished negative.
Energy, industrials, real estate and financials — industries tied to a reviving economy — led all 11 stock market sectors into the red as Florida, Texas and Arizona reported spikes in virus outbreaks. Airline stocks dove after officials in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey announced 14-day quarantines on incoming travelers from virus hot spots.
Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday gave the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) a six-week extension to develop a proposed rulemaking to allow Pennsylvania to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Initially, the governor through executive action instructed DEP to develop a plan to present to the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB) by July 31. Under the amended executive order, the deadline has been extended to Sept. 15, according to a press release.
Wolf said Monday that “amending this order will provide DEP with more time to develop a strong plan without impacting our over goals for implementing the regulation.”
