Nov 27th, 2008 · President-elect Barack Obama says he's blending "experience with fresh thinking" in his Cabinet and White House. Wednesday, he named members of his Economic Recovery Advisory Board. NPR News Analyst Juan Williams talks with Steve Inskeep about whether Obama is just recycling officials from previous administrations.
Oct 6th, 2008 · As commodity prices rise, metal thieves are moving to more meaningful and lucrative sources like grave markers and memorials to find "scrap" metal to steal and resell. Officials and public advocates are asking for increased regulation in the scrap metal recycling industry.
Sep 30th, 2008 · The city has started a pilot program, offering residents in a targeted area kitchen pails to separate food waste from regular garbage. The plan is to divert 600 tons of food that go to the landfills every day. The food would be recycled into compost.
Sep 22nd, 2008 · San Francisco recycles or diverts 69 percent of its trash, but sends 1,800 tons of garbage to the landfill each day. One way the city makes a dent in its landfill load is through an unusual program — sponsoring artists who turn garbage into art.
Aug 21st, 2008 · Takoma Park, Md.-based Appliance Distributors Unlimited is one of the largest dealers of home appliances in the metropolitan Washington area. It has taken steps to permanently reduce its energy use. It's moving to energy-efficient lighting, recycling and other steps.
Aug 19th, 2008 · An Iowa college town is protecting itself from the effects of drinking. People in Ames — home of Iowa State University — noticed a concrete sidewalk cracking in the area where beer distributors unload hundreds of beer kegs for local bars. Some of the kegs get dropped. The city installed a sidewalk made of recycled rubber. Now the kegs will bounce — and with any luck, so will students stumbling back to the dorm.
Aug 7th, 2008 · Schools and coaches love artificial turf because it's easy to maintain, and the field stays in great shape all year. But the air around synthetic turf can reach 160 degrees on a 90-degree day. New York City has canceled contracts for turf that contains recycled tires, due to concerns that the rubber adds to the heat-absorbing effect.
Jul 19th, 2008 · In Northern California, organized crews of poachers are raiding residential recycling bins, sometimes threatening homeowners who get in the way. San Francisco alone estimates it is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to recycling bandits.