September | 2018 | YPGG - Why Green?

Aqua Bio Technologies to Showcase Complete Line of Its Revolutionary Water Recycling Solutions at Northeast Regional Carwash Convention

September 30, 2018 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

DARIEN, ILL. - Aqua Bio Technologies, LLC, a leading manufacturer of biologic water restoration, water reclaim, rain harvest, odor control, and reverse osmosis systems, today announced it will be showcasing its complete line of pioneering water recycling solutions at the Northeast Regional Carwash Convention at the Atlantic City Convention Center in New Jersey on October 2 and 3, 2018. The company’s best-of-breed solutions are a game-changer for the carwash industry. None of its water recycling systems use ozone, UV or chemicals of any kind to control odor. They provide vehicle wash owners with exceptionally clean water with the added benefits of dramatically reducing water and sewer costs.

The Aqua Bio Technologies team will be at Booth 228 to answer all questions about their Bio Complete and Pro-Limited water restoration systems; Pro-Rain water harvesting system; Pro-Air odor control system; the first-of-kind closed-loop biologic water restoration system, Bio Softreat; and its Reverse Osmosis systems.

A brief overview of each system’s benefits are as follows:

Bio Complete: no other treatment system available can match the benefits of this water restoration system. The system removes the used chemicals out of the water, therefore the water can be used in 90 to 95% of the wash.
Pro-Limited: designed for a vehicle wash that doesn’t need complete water restoration, this entry-level system removes solids down to 5 micron (the size of a single human blood cell). The system uses aeration, not potentially dangerous ozone, to provide a no odor guarantee. It occupies minimum floor space and has low maintenance costs.
Pro-Rain: this water harvesting system collects rainwater that falls on a roof and/or paved lot and uses a vortex separation unit to remove gravel, sticks, leave and other solids. Rainwater is then sent to an underground storage tank and aerated to eliminate odor. The clean water is pumped back into the wash facility when needed.
Pro-Air: Naturally eliminates odor without using any chlorine bleach, air spargers, bubblers or ozone. Changes the microbial environment from anaerobic to aerobic resulting in no odor.
Bio Softreat: a revolutionary system – the first-ever vehicle wash industry closed-loop biologic water restoration system that produces spot-free rinse water. When used in combination with the Bio Complete System, its filtration results have the same qualities and clarity of distilled water.
Reverse Osmosis: a first-of-kind new expandable design that is engineered for capacities ranging from 500 to 36,000 gallons per day. Provides superior performance, high recovery rates, minimal energy consumption and exceptional savings with low maintenance and operation costs.

For more information on any of the Aqua Bio Technologies solutions, visit http://www.aquabio.co/ or call 877-881-9141.

About Aqua Bio Technologies, LLC
Founded in 2010, Darien, Illinois-based Aqua Bio Technologies is a leading manufacturer of innovative biologic restoration, water reclaim, rain harvest, odor control and reverse osmosis (RO) systems. None of its solutions use ozone, UV, or chemicals of any kind to control odor – only nature. As the manufacturer of the first vehicle wash industry closed-loop water treatment system, the company is able to deliver a substantial savings in time and money to its customers with dramatic reductions is water and sewer costs.

Media Contact
RPR Public Relations, Inc.
Tel. 786-290-6413

New Report Identifies 30 Solutions for Reducing Greenhouse Gasses Through Behavior Change

September 30, 2018 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

ARLINGTON, VA. - A new report from Rare’s Center for Behavior & the Environment quantifies the contribution individual behavior change can make toward curbing greenhouse gas emissions. The Center’s analysis of 80 climate solutions outlined in Project Drawdown, a comprehensive plan to mitigate global warming, found that individual behavior plays a significant role in 30 of them. Further analysis of those 30 solutions, based on the emissions reduction potential estimates in Drawdown, found that greater adoption could help reduce about one-third of the projected global emissions between 2020 to 2050. The report also offers practitioners behavioral science tools to promote the adoption of the solutions.

“Undoubtedly, this list does demonstrate the massive potential that individuals and communities can have in terms of contributing to efforts to reduce emissions,” reads the report. “Solving the global climate change crisis is going to rely on, in one way or another, changing human behavior.”

The report divides the 30 solutions into four categories (food; agriculture and land management; transportation; and energy and materials) and identifies significant potential for mitigation. The total emissions reduction potential of these solutions is between 393 and 729 gigatons of carbon dioxide-equivalent greenhouse gases. Based on Drawdown’s modeling estimates, the projected total greenhouse gas emissions from 2020-2050 is 1,979 gigatons. Therefore, large-scale adoption of these 30 behavioral solutions could mitigate up to 36.8 percent of emissions between 2020 and 2050, increasing the chances for achieving the necessary milestones to keep global temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

"Tackling climate change can seem overwhelming, and people often feel like they can’t possibly make a difference. This report proves otherwise,” said Brett Jenks, President & CEO of Rare. “Our findings should offer hope to everyone looking for what they can do on a personal level to help address the climate crisis.”

The final chapter of the report outlines ways that behavior change tools can be applied to conservation and climate action.

“Compiling this list of solutions is just one step. Now we need people to adopt them,” said Kevin Green, Senior Director at the Center for Behavior & the Environment at Rare. “The Center for Behavior & the Environment is dedicated to connecting the growing body of knowledge about human behavior and decision making with many inspiring efforts all over the world to promote the adoption of sustainable, climate-smart behaviors.”

To encourage adoption, Rare will look to proven solutions. Earlier this year, Rare was joined by Conservation International, National Geographic, The Nature Conservancy, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Wildlife Fund in launching Solution Search, a global competition to identify, reward, and spotlight innovative, promising solutions to helping consumers adopt more climate-smart behaviors. The competition is currently in the judging phase, with finalists set to be announced later this Fall.

The report’s authors include Katie Williamson, Katie Velasco, and Kevin Green of the Center for Behavior & the Environment; and Aven Satre-Meloy, a doctoral student and Rhodes Scholar in the School of Geography and the Environment at Oxford University.

A copy of the report can be downloaded at Rare.org/Center.

The report is the first produced by the Center for Behavior & the Environment, which Rare established in 2017 to apply the latest insights from behavioral research to the world’s biggest conservation challenges. By closing the loop between the science of human motivation and decision-making and the practice of environmental stewardship, Rare hopes the Center will serve as a catalyst for promoting widespread adoption of more sustainable behaviors.

EPA Announces $74 Million Cleanup Plan for American Cyanamid Superfund Site in Bridgewater Township, N.J.

September 29, 2018 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

NEW YORK, NY - On September 28, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $74 million final plan to clean up acid tars, benzene, and other chemicals at the American Cyanamid Superfund site in Bridgewater Township, N.J.

“The remedy selected in this Record of Decision will clean up the two most contaminated impoundments in a manner that is protective of the Bridgewater community and the workers at the site,” said Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “This final cleanup plan reflects our commitment to prioritize the Superfund Program and ensure these sites are cleaned up as quickly and safely as possible.”

“More than 44,000 tons of hazardous waste will be removed from the Bridgewater community and permanently destroyed. Approximately 2.3 million gallons of contaminated liquid will be collected and treated.” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “This action safeguards people’s health and arrests a threat to the Raritan River.”

“Bridgewater is counting on the EPA to remove these 44,000 tons of waste. These hazards need to be out of our community as soon as possible,” said Congressman Leonard Lance, federal lawmaker for Bridgewater and member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “I am pleased the EPA is implementing a final plan and moving forward in getting this job done. I believe the final plan to be responsible and the disposal of the approximately 2.3 million gallons of contaminated liquid will result in the contaminants’ safe removal and permanent destruction.”

Bridgewater Township Mayor Daniel J. Hayes, Jr. said, “I am happy to see that the EPA has come to a community based resolution on the two most contaminated impoundments. Public safety remains our priority. We look forward to working with our partners EPA and Pfizer on cleaning up this site.”

The final cleanup plan, called a Record of Decision (ROD), includes excavation and dewatering of contaminated material within two waste disposal areas (impoundments), followed by shipment out of the area to a facility, for treatment and disposal. Soil impacted by the impoundment contaminants will also be treated, using on-site stabilization or solidification. Surrounding “berm materials” that do not require treatment will be used as backfill, and a protective cover will be placed over the cleanup area. Measures will be taken to assure that the cleanup is undertaken in a way that is protective of workers at the site and the surrounding community.

Under the Trump Administration, the Superfund program has reemerged as a priority to fulfill and strengthen EPA’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment.

American Cyanamid Superfund site was included on the first-ever Administrator’s Emphasis List. The Administrator’s Emphasis List is composed of sites that will benefit from the Acting Administrator’s immediate and intense action. Specifically, the site was added to expedite the release of the Proposed Plan with EPA’s Preferred Alternative, which was released for public comment on May 28, 2018.

EPA held a public meeting in Bridgewater in June 2018 to explain the cleanup proposal and other options that were considered, and take public comment. The ROD officially selects the final remedy and responds directly to comments received during that comment period.

To read the EPA’s final decision, outlined in the ROD, please visit: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/02/550185.pdf or www.epa.gov/superfund/american-cyanamid

Background
The American Cyanamid Superfund Site has a history of industrial pollution dating back to 1915. For nearly 100 years, prior owners used the location for manufacturing chemicals. Several impoundments were constructed and used for waste storage and disposal throughout this period of time, which eventually resulted in the contamination of soil and groundwater with chemicals and heavy metals. The site was placed on the federal Superfund list in 1983.

In 1999, EPA removed a portion of the Superfund site from the 1983 Superfund listing, freeing it up for redevelopment and reuse. In 2012, the EPA selected a cleanup plan to address contaminated soil, groundwater and six waste disposal areas (called impoundments 3, 4, 5, 13, 17 and 24) at the site. That phase of cleanup, which is currently ongoing and being performed by Wyeth Holdings LLC, involves collecting and treating contaminated groundwater. The groundwater pump and treat system will prevent contaminated water from seeping into the nearby Raritan River, Cuckels Brook and Middle Brook.

The Superfund program has been providing important health benefits to communities across the country for more than 35 years. Superfund cleanups also strengthen local economies. Data collected through 2017 shows that at 487 Superfund sites in reuse, approximately 6,600 businesses are generating $43.6 billion in sales and employ 156,000 people who earned a combined income of $11.2 billion.

On the one-year anniversary of the EPA’s Superfund Task Force Report, EPA announced significant progress in carrying out the report’s recommendations. These achievements will provide certainty to communities, state partners, and developers that the nation’s most hazardous sites will be cleaned up as quickly and safely as possible.

EPA’s “Superfund Task Force Recommendations 2018 Update” is available at: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations-2018-update
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2.

Yellow Pages Goes Green® Announces Four New Online Petitions for Ban on Print Phone Directories

September 27, 2018 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

Publisher continues push for more legislative action against phone companies printing and delivering unwanted phone books in the United States.

COMMACK, NY, -- YellowPagesGoesGreen.org is helping municipalities and local governments around the country establish ordinances to mandate Yellow Pages and White Pages only be delivered to home and offices that ask for them. Municipalities and local government that provide trash services are concerned about the landfill cost and why they must absorb the cost of handling telephone directories. YPPG supports this mission.

An innovator in digital telephone directory services delivers over 28.5 million Yellow Page listings and over 200 million White page listings throughout the United States. In addition, YPGG’s “Paperless Petition” was a pioneer in the phone book “opt-out” movement which helped abolish obsolete print telephone directories by prompting awareness in both creating an official opt-out process and continues to push for a national ‘opt-in’ model for printed phone books.

To participate in the online petitions visit these links:

"Cities and Towns can use their litter laws as tools to enforce these efforts." said YPGG CEO Michael Keegan.

YellowPagesGoesGreen.org asks the question "Why do we get three to four pounds of paper dropped on out front door multiple times per year by various telephone directory companies and we are supposed to dispose of them?" Stop the nonsense and the cost placed on the consumer. If we want a book we will request one. If we do not want a book delivered, stop delivering them. YellowPagesGoesGreen.org had spent years contacting local telephone companies to provide them with consumer’s names and addresses telling them to stop the nonsense. This did not cost users anything.

YellowPagesGoesGreen.org has developed its own eco-friendly alternative to the Yellow Pages which is free for consumers to use to find local business listings. Our service is continually changed and kept current so you are not potentially looking at several months or even year old information.

Robocall Study Ranks Wireless Carriers’ Performance Detecting, Managing Unwanted Calls

September 27, 2018 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

SEATTLE - A newly released study by Mind Commerce of leading wireless carriers’ robocall detection and unwanted call management solutions finds that Verizon’s “Enhanced Caller Name ID” solution has the highest overall accuracy, followed by T-Mobile and AT&T.

The Federal Trade Commission reported that consumers filed more than 4.5 million robocall complaints in 2017, up from 3.4 million the prior year. To determine how wireless carriers’ robocall solutions for consumer and business customers are performing, the Mind Commerce robocall study examined AT&T Wireless’s “Call Protect”, T-Mobile’s “SCAM ID in combination with Name ID”, and Verizon Wireless’s “Enhanced Caller Name ID”. Sprint and US Cellular have also launched solutions but they were not evaluated as part this study since they use the same or similar systems as the one deployed by Verizon.

Key study results:

Verizon most accurate – The Verizon solution was found to have the highest overall accuracy as their solution correctly identified potential problem phone numbers approximately1 93.6% of the time. This is in comparison to the T-Mobile and AT&T solutions, which demonstrated an overall accuracy of approximately 90.1% and 86.9% respectively. Overall accuracy in this study is defined as a solution’s ability to successfully identify a call associated with a problematic number, which could be a known or probable spammer, scammer, or otherwise “problematic” telephone number.
Verizon also tops ‘call spoofing’ category – Verizon also performed best in accurately identifying the growing tactic of call spoofing, correctly identifying spoofed numbers 98% of the time during testing2. T-Mobile and AT&T correctly identified spoofed numbers 64% and 60% of the time respectively. A spoofed number is one in which the robocaller falsely represents the calling party number as different than the actual number originating the call.

For more information about the study, see http://RobocallResearch.com/

“While there is much work to be done in terms of combatting the robocall challenge, our study has found that leading carriers are generally effective in terms of identifying robocalls and presenting their customers with options for dealing with the challenge of unwanted calls,” said Gerry Christensen, Founder and CEO of Mind Commerce.

Surprisingly, informal sampling of carrier customers by Mind Commerce indicates a relatively high number of users are unaware of the solutions at their disposal to combat unwanted calls. Mind Commerce is considering more formal polling to identify the magnitude of this issue.

“One of the potential areas for concern identified in this study is that the solutions tested varied considerably in terms of nomenclature and graphics used to display problematic call alerts to end-users,” said Christensen. Additional studies may be merited to identify optimal messaging to alert callers in terms of problematic situations. Mind Commerce found that some solutions presented many different alert messaging categories, which made interpreting test results cumbersome.

As part of its commitment to robocall detection and unwanted call management, Mind Commerce will continue to monitor developments in this area such as the FCC’s notice soliciting input regarding status of industry initiatives to combat the robocalling challenge. The world of Information and Communications Technology is rapidly evolving and so are technologies employed for placing robocalls as well as those used for call spoofing.

Thankfully, leading vendors are also constantly upgrading their solutions with the latest technologies including advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence. Accordingly, Mind Commerce is making plans for quarterly testing of leading vendor solutions.

Footnotes:

1.    The margin of error for this study is +/- 3 percent with a 95% confidence level (similar studies would find similar results 95% of the time).
2.    For the purposes of this study, spoofed calls from invalid or unallocated numbers were placed to test phones using generally available call spoofing systems.
3.    To limit the amount of effort involved in verification, only telephone numbers associated with non-conforming test results were verified. Test results that indicated conformance across all carriers (all three solutions identified as either problematic or non-problematic) were not verified.

Robocall Research from Mind Commerce

The inaugural edition of the Mind Commerce report, Robocall Research, First Edition, is available August 2018. The first edition of this technology and solution focused research will cover the first half of 2018. Subsequent editions will be issued on a quarterly basis.

This report assesses the current status of the robocall issue, evaluates technologies and vendor solutions, and provides a look into the future of robocall detection including evolution of telecom data analytics, network-based authentication (such as STIR/SHAKEN) and network-based intelligence (such as call origination identification).

Mind Commerce is also planning to release a market-focused report entitled Robocall and Unwanted Call Management: Solution Assessment and Market Outlook 2018 – 2023 later in 2018. Additional information may be found at: http://robocallresearch.com/reports/

About Mind Commerce

Mind Commerce is an information services company that provides research and strategic analysis focused on the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry. Our ICT reports provide key trends, projections, and in-depth analysis for infrastructure, platforms, devices, applications, services, emerging business models and opportunities.

We focus on key emerging and disintermediating technology areas for service providers, technology providers, developers (communications, applications, content, and commerce), systems integrators and consultants, government organizations and NGOs, and the financial community. Visit us at https://mindcommerce.com/

MEDIA: We welcome discussions about our research in support of your news article, blog, or professional industry portal.

Month: September 2018 (page 2 of 17)