This blog was first a newspaper article that several organizations were hoping would end up in a recycling bin.

Sodexo, the Butler County Recycling and Solid Waste department, and Keep Middletown Beautiful are taking steps to increase recycling throughout the school district, and eventually in the community.

The earlier the recycling habit is taught, the more likely it will become a lifestyle. A member of Keep Middletown Beautiful  said, “If we can get it built into the students for life, they will patrol their parents.”

Recycling bins are being added at all of the district’s 11 schools. Recycling bins will be located in all the cafeterias and they will be emptied daily by the custodians.

Blue plastic recycling bins also will be placed in every classroom in the district. The hope is that every school will create a Green Team that will empty the paper recyclables once a week.

The bins will be located in most of the schools sometime this week, then after potential issues are addressed, the remaining recycle bins will be placed in all the other schools, probably within two weeks.

The Butler County Recycling and Solid Waste department is providing the district literature to be placed throughout the schools, encouraging students to participate in the recycling program.

For more information on recycling containers for your schools, contact The Fibrex Group.

journal-news.com

It seems everywhere you look these days, hip urban designers are breaking down the formality of permanent structures and reclaiming public streets to create playful parks, plazas, cafés and playgrounds. The concept grew out of the pavement-to-parks movement in San Francisco, a city where public rights-of-way make up 25% of the city's land area; more space than all the public parks combined. Here are 5 of our favorite ‘Pop Up Parks’ from near and far, starting with the one that inspired the trend; a simple, temporary park installed by San Francisco's Rebar Art & Design Studio.

PARK(ing) Space by Rebar
San Francisco, California

According to Rebar Art & Design Studio, one of the more critical issues facing urban human habitats is the dearth of outdoor space for people to rest, relax, play or just do nothing. For example, more than 70% of San Francisco’s downtown outdoor space is dedicated to private vehicular parking, while only a fraction of that space is allocated to the public realm.

PARK(ing) is an experiment in reprogramming a typical unit of private vehicular space by leasing a metered parking spot for public recreational activity. On November 16, 2005, Rebar identified a public parking space situated in an area of downtown San Francisco that was underserved by public outdoor space, and located in an ideal, sunny location between the hours of noon and 2 p.m. They installed a small, temporary public park that provided nature, seating, and shade, temporarily expanding the public realm and improving the quality of urban human habitat – or at least until the meter ran out!

This simple two hour intervention has blossomed into an international event called Park(ing) Day where artists, designers and citizens around the globe reclaim the streets for recreation, for fun, and for play.

This simple pop-up park above by San Francisco architects Rebar included sod, a bench, and a tree.

What better way to enhance your pop-up or permanent park than with recycling containers or recycled plastic benches? The Fibrex Group can provide you with a large variety of sustainable models to choose from. Check out our website at www.fibrexgroup.com or give us a ring at 1.800.346.4458.

Portions written by Stephanie Norton at ‘CAD Details’

Using pre-season results of The Associated Press' Top 25 NCAA Football poll as a base, SaveOnEnergy.com compared five metrics to identify the top-ranking eco-friendly football colleges. For a full explanation of SaveOnEnergy.com's methodology and the full ranking, view their full slideshow of the results, but here's a cheat sheet:

Ranking criteria:

1. Stadium sustainability efforts
2. Number of active green organizations
3. Waste diversion rate
4. Percentage of budget spent on locally grown or organic foods
5. Level of Environmental Studies degrees offered

The Top 10 Eco-Friendly Football Colleges and Universities:

1. University of Washington
AP Top 25 Pre-Season Rank: #25
Active Green Organizations: 45
Waste Diversion Rate: 58%
Share of budget spent on locally grown/organic foods: 59%

2. Stanford University
AP Top 25 Pre-Season Rank: #11
Active Green Organizations: 12
Waste Diversion Rate: 65%
Share of budget spent on locally grown/organic foods: 44%

3. The Ohio State University
AP Top 25 Pre-Season Rank: #5
Active Green Organizations: 84
Waste Diversion Rate: 42.8%
Share of budget spent on locally grown/organic foods: 26.9%

4. Texas A&M
AP Top 25 Pre-Season Rank: #21
Active Green Organizations: 18
Waste Diversion Rate: 66%
Share of budget spent on locally grown/organic foods: 24%

5. UCLA
AP Top 25 Pre-Season Rank: #7
Active Green Organizations: 38
Waste Diversion Rate: 69%
Share of budget spent on locally grown/organic foods: 14%

6. North Carolina
AP Top 25 Pre-Season Rank: #23
Active Green Organizations: 30
Waste Diversion Rate: 46%
Share of budget spent on locally grown/organic foods: 22.4%

7. Clemson
AP Top 25 Pre-Season Rank: #16
Active Green Organizations: 11
Waste Diversion Rate: 42.5%
Share of budget spent on locally grown/organic foods: 35%

8. Florida State University
AP Top 25 Pre-Season Rank: #1
Active Green Organizations: 4
Waste Diversion Rate: 40%
Share of budget spent on locally grown/organic foods: 45%

9. Nebraska
AP Top 25 Pre-Season Rank: #22
Active Green Organizations: 6
Waste Diversion Rate: 53%
Share of budget spent on locally grown/organic foods: 12.85%

10. Wisconsin
AP Top 25 Pre-Season Rank: #14
Active Green Organizations: 26
Waste Diversion Rate: 14%
Share of budget spent on locally grown/organic foods: 40%

The Fibrex Group has sold recycling containers to many of these schools for placement in their dormatories, stadiums & common areas. To find out what we can do for you, please check out www.fibrexgroup.com or give us a call at 1-800-346-4458. Work. Play. Recycle.

By Charlotte O'Malley at EcoBuilding.com

The Green Parking Council has launched the Green Garage certification program. The program is the parking industry equivalent of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification and recognizes high standards in sustainable parking facility design, technology, operations, and management. Green Garage Certification is a consensus-driven program developed over several years and honed by external reviewers and a beta phase that included more than 40 facilities in the United States and Canada.

Garage Juice Bar LLC based out of Connecticut is an honored Fibrex Group customer who has already placed numerous Mobius DS recycling stations throughout various facilities within the United States. Designed with BMW Group DesignworksUSA, and aesthetically appealing, the Juice Bar charging stations are more than just pieces of equipment, they’re a charging experience and a billboard of sustainability.

To assist you in achieving your Green Garage and LEED certifications visit www.fibrexgroup.com or call 1-800-346-4458 to see what we can do for you. Work. Play. Recycle.

**Some info provided by FacilitiesNet