Get Serious About Recycling
At home, at work and at school, Americans have successfully engaged in recycling programs–and one of the best success stories is paper.
In 2005, a record-high 51.5 percent (51.3 million tons) of all paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling. The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) hopes to increase that number and has set an ambitious goal of 55 percent recovery by 2012.
Every American can do his or her part. Although each community’s recycling programs may be different, you can generally recycle newspapers, corrugated containers (cardboard), direct mail, magazines and catalogs. Check with your local municipality to find out what you can and cannot recycle.
The AF&PA Recycling Awards were created to recognize outstanding individual, business community and school paper recycling efforts. In 2006, the program was expanded to include a category for schools.
This year’s award winners are:
Ed Hurley Memorial Paper Recycling Award (for individual achievement)
• Joel Ostroff, Macon County, North Carolina
AF&PA Business Leadership Recycling Awards
• Small Business: Bluegrass Regional Recycling Corporation, Richmond, Kentucky
• Large Business: Brewer Science, Inc., Rolla, Missouri
AF&PA Community Recycling Awards
• Small Community: North-field, Minnesota
• Large Community: Seattle, Washington
AF&PA School Recycling Awards
• Classroom: Heber Springs High School, Heber Springs, Arkansas
• Schoolwide: Mountain Home High School, Mountain Home, Arkansas
• College & University: tie between the University of Colorado at Boulder in Boulder, Colorado, and the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon
“This year’s Recycling Award winners have exhibited innovation and social responsibility,” said AF&PA President & CEO W. Henson Moore. “Their accomplishments in recycling have set new precedents.”
Air Purifiers and Filters Guide
Have you ever wondered what is floating through the air in your home? Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Millions of particles, pollutants, gases, bacteria, and allergens are roaming your house with no way to get out making the air inside your home up to 100 times dirtier than outside air. Sure, opening a window to let in fresh air may get that stale smell out, but it is only an open door to invite more particles inside your home.
This contaminated air circulates through your home and either settles on flat surfaces in the form of dust or is breathed in by you and your family.
Fortunately, your house does not have to fall victim to these airborne pests. Air purifiers are more common and affordable today than ever before. If you do not have an air purifier, knowing the different types of air filtration devices will help you before you buy your own.
1. HEPA filters: Short for “High Efficiency Particulate Air filters”, these devices use a cloth-like filter which can trap more than 99.97% of particles in your house. The filter lasts a couple of years depending on the condition of the air and can actually trap more pollutants than other filters. The downside is the HEPA filter is noisier than its competitors and does not eliminate gases or odors
2. Ionic Filters: Ionic filters purify the air by sending our ions which oppositely charge the particles so they stick together and collect on magnetic plates inside the filter (much like how your hair sticks to a balloon after it has been rubbed on your head). These devices are often a favorite among customers because of how silent they are. They are even effective enough to clean viruses, gases, allergens and bacteria out of your household air.
3. Carbon air filters: These devices are, by far, the most effective odor removers on the market. They work though a system of highly absorbent pores which trap molecules by forming a strong chemical bond. They don’t, however, trap any airborne allergens or germs.
4. Ultra-Violet Light filter: Ultra violet light haven been proven to sterilize micro-organisms if they are exposed to the right amount of light for a certain length of time. Alone, there is some doubt to the effectiveness of these filters because micro-organisms may not be exposed to the light long enough while they are passing though the air. In order for ultra violet work to be successful, HEPA is used to capture the air long enough to be sterilized by the light. While ultra violet kills microorganisms, HEPA can rid your house of allergens.
5. Hydroxyl Radical filter: Hydroxyl radicals occur naturally in the earth’s atmosphere and are powerful cleansing agents. They are, in fact the most powerful method of sanitizing mold and other harmful bacteria.
These five types of filters are the most popular and dependable on the market. Now that you have a firm understanding of how these filters work and what exactly they clean out of household air, do your homework. There are many great filter providers online which can lead you to the best filter for your budget.
Ever Considered Boarding School?
Most people have probably never considered what life is like for children and teens who attend a boarding school rather than a traditional school.
Basically, a boarding school is one where the students not only go to school on campus but they also live on campus in a dormitory setting. It is sort of like college for younger students. Can you imagine being six or seven years old and living not with a family but instead with several other kids your own age? Each child either has a room of their own or perhaps shares a room with another child around their same age. Every boarding school has house parents or dorm parents that bring supervision to the children and teens and that provide parent-like comfort and safety.
Many young children cannot even handle going away from home for a week of summer camp. Children who attend a boarding school must learn quickly how to adjust to life without parents because they rarely get to go home and see their families throughout the year. Often children begin attending boarding school at the beginning of their schooling and they remain in boarding school until they complete high school. Some may go home for a Christmas holiday or for a visit in the summer months, but rarely do boarding school students have consistent interaction with their families.
Why would parents send their children to a boarding school? That is a legitimate question that has many answers. Some parents that work overseas or that travel frequently choose to put their children in boarding school because they know how inconsistent they will be in parenting or in providing for the needs of their kids. Other parents choose boarding school for their children as a way for them to experience more of the world and to learn how to interact with diverse people from a young age. Still other parents put their children and teens in boarding school if they are having trouble disciplining their kids or keeping them out of trouble. Boarding school can be a great place for kids to learn responsibility and discipline.
Attending a boarding school produces mixed reactions among children and teens. Many enjoy the opportunity to live with their friends and to enjoy the freedoms of not being with their parents all the time. For students who began attending boarding school at a young age, many enjoy their lives because they do not know any different. Of course there are always students who get homesick or who would prefer to live with their parents and attend a regular school.
Regardless of the pros or cons of attending a boarding school, like The University of Obama boarding school really is a world of its own.
