GreenClips.24 06.07.95 TWO CANADIAN COMMERCIAL COMPOSTERS CORCAN, an arm of the Correction Service of Canada (CSC), operates a composting facility at its Joyceville medium security prison northeast of Kingston, Ontario. CORCAN composts food scraps, yard trimmings, manure, wood waste, and food processing residuals from ten other CSC institutions, the Department of National Defence, and Kingston residents. The Quick Service Restaurant Council, a sector of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice Association, has organized a three-month pilot project to source-separate organics in 25 fast food restaurants including McDonald's, KFC, Swiss Chalet, Pizza Hut, and Harvey's. -BioCycle, May 1995, p. 78, by Glenda Gies. FIFTY HOUSEHOLDS TEST-WIRED Pacific Gas & Electric, Microsoft, and Tele-Communications in joint venture will test a system to control appliances, lights, and other electrical devices in 50 Walnut Creek, California households. Stella Grimes' home is one the test sites. She says her family is not much into gadgets, but she likes seeing how much juice each appliance uses. Using their cabled television set and a remote control device, consumers will be able to change thermostats and program washers and dryers to operate during low cost off-peak hours. "A lot of people don't realize how much it costs to keep a six-pack cold in that old refrigerator in their garage," Grimes said. "If I find I'm spending $20 a month on it, I could change some things." -San Francisco Chronicle, June 7, 1995, p. 1, by Jonathan Marshall. KANAPAHA CENTER The Sustainable Development and Construction Initiative in Gainesville, Florida is planning and designing the Kanapaha Environmental Resources and Education Center. The Center will serve as a welcome center for the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens and the Hogtown Creek Greenway trailhead. The climate-responsive building will show the benefits of environmentally-friendly building techniques. The Sustainable Development and Construction Initiative is a group of Gainesville-area builders, architects, college professors, and planners. -The Gainesville Sun, May 22, 1995, p.1B, by Bruce Ritchie. CAPITALISM NECESSARY TO SAVE ENVIRONMENT Political scientist James Q. Wilson says, "Capitalism is the necessary, but not sufficient, condition for environmental protection." Capitalism is insufficient because "it's hard to own a gray whale," says Wilson, who taught at Harvard University for 25 years. But capitalism is necessary. Korea, Vietnam, and Germany-countries that have been cut in half in the last century-illustrate which forms of government perform better environmentally. After the Iron Curtain came down, says Wilson, "we discovered a vast toxic waste dump." -The Boston Globe, June 4, 1995, p. 36, by Thomas C. Palmer, Jr. CODE VARIANCE EXCHANGED FOR WATER CONSERVATION The Santa Monica, California City Council allowed a developer to exceed building code height limitations in exchange for mitigating the project's impact on local water supply. The Water Garden, a 1.2 million square foot office park on 17 acres, includes anon-site sewage treatment plant that purifies waste water for landscaping and a fountained lake. The project also includes a grey water system that captures domestic and HVAC system waste water-from evaporation pads and cooling towers-and reuses it for irrigation and lavatories. -Buildings, May 1995, p. 46, by C.C. Sullivan. CERTIFIED FLOORS International Wood Products Inc. is the first company to receive certification from Scientific Certification Systems for 100 percent post-consumer recycled wood content in wood flooring products. The Queen Anne, Maryland company retrieves timber from the beams of 19th century buildings and reclaims federally-protected species such as heart pine. -Recycling Today, May 1995, p. 20. TURNER'S GREEN MISSION Turner Corporation's green mission is to be a recognized leader in sustainable construction. Turner's sustainability director Ian Campbell has the support of the company's senior management to implement construction site recycling practices, encourage sensitivity to construction site environments, and use low toxic and recycled products. At the request of their client, Turner developed a construction waste recycling program for the Rose Garden, the Portland Trailblazers new basketball arena. Turner also incorporated environmentally-sensitive construction methods at the Southern California Gas Company's Energy Resource Center in Downey, California. Turner ranks among the larger construction companies in the US. -In Context, Summer 1995, p. 45, by Alan AtKisson