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The
5 Rs
Solutions
You Can Use
Teacher's
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Recycle
The "5Rs" are an exploration of the themes Respect, Rethink,
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. These Earth-loving actions allow us to reduce
our impact on our Earth and add deeper meaning and joy to our lives.
Send us yours - circle@circleoflife.org!
Respect
Rethink
Reduce
- Peet's Coffee Reduces Paper Cup Use
- To-Go Ware Poem by Stephanie Bernstein
Reuse
Recycle
Italian Industrial Ecology in Practice
by Milena Fraccari
Every year, the United States produces more than 50 million
tons of waste wood, the equivalent of about 121 million trees
per year! Ninety percent of this waste wood is destined for
the landfill, with severe consequences in terms of greenhouse
gas emissions and loss of natural resources. To recycle this
wood would “save” about 333,000 trees every day.
An Italian particle board maker, Mr. Mauro Saviola, has pioneered
a way to produce a completely ecologically-sound particleboard, “the
Ecological Panel”, using only recycled wood and a sustainable
production process. Thanks to Mr. Savoila’s efforts,
and the commitment of the group of companies working under
the Italian Consorzio Pannello Ecologico banner, over 33 million
trees have been saved since 1996.
Additionally, another 10,000 trees are spared each day while
Mr. Saviola oversees the mass production of recycled wood ecological
panels. These recycled wood panels are then turned into furniture
that is sold all over Europe and China.
The Ecological Panel is the only certified particleboard in
the world made from 100% post-consumer recycled wood, through
an economically and ecologically sustainable process. Every
year the companies that make Ecological Panels recover 1.5
million tons of waste wood in Italy and Europe, thanks to a
network of 30 collection centers. The reclaimed wood travels
mostly by rail to reduce the environmental impact of the transport
process.
“
To use again, to use for something else, to recover, to readapt,
to give a new life, from a viewpoint that gives a new value
to quality.” This is the ethic that moves every day the
entire strategy and the operative choices of Mr. Saviola and
his successful set of companies, known in Italy as Gruppo Mauro
Saviola.
Strict quality controls guarantee that the highest environmental
standards are observed—stricter than those imposed by
European laws. The manufacturers use a closed-loop process.
Pre-selection allows the best wood (90% of the wood collected)
to go to the grinding process for the production of particleboard,
and the secondary wastes (only 10%) is then burned to produce
energy for other processes, completing the materials loop and
saving precious landfill space.
After being ground, the wood is sent to the dryer and then
to the selector, which divides the wood destined for production
from all other materials. The ground wood is pressed and compacted
with the addition of eco-compatible resins developed internally.
The pure, clean wood is then ready to be transformed into the
Ecological Panel, which is also produced in fire-resistant
and waterproof versions.
More than 600 furniture manufacturers all over the world use
the Ecological Panel, including several well-known Italian
designers and some of the largest furniture outlets, such as
IKEA.
Through its commitment to industrial ecology, Gruppo Mauro
Saviola is proving that sustainable manufacturing is possible.
It’s all about having respect and caring for our environment.
Yet what is missing more broadly in our culture is a solid
ethic of recycling such that people consider recycled wood
as desirable as virgin wood. But for manufacturers, it is still
problematic to admit the use of recycled wood, mostly because
consumers think that the material is less “cool.” That’s
the challenge.
Recycling wood helps safeguard our forests, reduce the volume
of wastes destined for the landfill, and cuts down on harmful
global warming emissions. Furniture manufactured using 100%
post-consumer wood can also be recycled creating a recycle-reuse-recycle-reuse
circle. This recycling of wood is a self-supporting process
where the wood can come back in to life in infinite incarnations.
Beyond every piece of wood and every piece of furniture, there
is a tree. If we continue to look for new ways to use recycled
wood, and expand the possibilities for recycling it, there
will be many more forests left standing alive.
TAKE ACTION!
- Learn more about the huge strides our European allies have
made on wood recycling at www.pannelloecologico.com (Click
on the British flag for English)
- Consider using recycled and reclaimed wood products for
furniture and building. Check out our friends at www.heritagesalvage.com
- When buying furniture, always ask about where the wood
came from. If the store doesn’t know, you should assume
it is virgin wood. In the U.S., there are many reputable
businesses that carry beautiful wood furniture made from
recycled and reclaimed woods. Check out www.greenpages.org for
listings.
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