On Saturday Sept. 15th, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will host its annual Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) in several locations along the southeast shoreline. The public is invited to participate in the event. The event has attracted more than 8,000 volunteers who have donated their time to help cleanup Lake Erie’s shoreline. Read More…

Recycling efforts in the U.S., and worldwide for that matter, are increasing year after year; however, plastics still remain a question mark when it comes to recycling. According to 2010 statistics provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans recycled or composted about 85 million tons of waste, or about 34-percent of all municipal solid waste. However, the EPA states that the recycling rate of plastics is “negligible” at best. Read More…

Scientists believe greenhouse gases play a major role in climate change, affecting the Earth’s land and ocean ecosystems. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. produced about 6,822 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2010. A recent report released by Reuters stated the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions rose 3.2 percent in 2011 to 31.6 billion metric tons. So, what are the ramifications and solutions to the problem? Read More…

Garbage is a viable source of energy. In fact, some waste-to-energy plants are capable of converting trash into enough electricity to power 20,000 homes and businesses each year. Experts estimate that each bag of trash you throw out can produce enough electricity to power an energy efficient light bulb for three days straight. Read More…

The so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, sometimes called the Pacific Trash Vortex, is an area of the Pacific Ocean west of California that is home to millions upon millions pieces of plastic floating in the upper column of the open ocean. The plastic trash isn’t biodegradable, so it’s suspended in a circular ocean current known as the North Pacific Gyre. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of the most alarming examples of irresponsible waste removal in the world. Read More…