Halloween at Air Cycle!

We do occasionally like to have a little fun here at Air Cycle, and Halloween is no exception. For your enjoyment (and our humiliation), here are a couple of photos from around the Air Cycle office on Halloween:

Here we have Francis Ouimet (winner of the 1913 U.S. Open and subject of a fantastic film starring Shia LeBeouf). An odd costume choice, but pulled off well.

Here's Air Cycle's Illinois hometown hero, ex-governor Rod Blagojevich. What a healthy head of hair!

And finally, the former guitar shredder for Guns 'n Roses: Slash! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, both the guitar and the hair are real...

Thanks for visiting! If your company had any great costumes send them our way- we may even post them for all to see!

Frightening Halloween Recycling Facts

Here's some Halloween recycling and environmental facts from Earth911.com that may (or may not) give you nightmares:

1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins were produced in 2008 by major pumpkin-producing states such as Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and New York. Many are used each fall for jack-o’-lanterns and pumpkin pies. Once Halloween is over, you can reuse or recycle your pumpkin.

A 2008 National Retail Foundation survey found that 64.5 percent of people celebrate Halloween in some way. That’s a higher number than the individual recycling rates of aluminum, glass, paper and plastic bottles.

Each Halloween, an estimated $40 per capita is spent on candy, decorations and greeting cards, all of which produce large amounts of waste.

Leaves can account for 75 percent of the solid waste stream in the fall.

Americans consumed 23.8 pounds of candy per capita in 2008. Most of the wrappers are made of mixed materials, making it difficult to recycle them.

An estimated 80,000,000 Hershey’s Kisses are wrapped each day, using enough aluminum foil to cover more than 50 acres of space, the equivalent of almost 40 football fields.

The U.S. spends almost $4 billion annually on electricity lost to “vampire power,” according to the International Energy Agency. Vampire power, also known as “phantom load,” is the electricity that electronics and appliances use while they are turned off or in standby mode.

See the rest of the list at Earth911.com, and be sure to have a happy Halloween!

New Bulb Eater video!

You've probably already noticed the cool new look of AirCycle.com, but did you know that there is also a brand new Bulb Eater video? It gives a good overview of the features of the machine as well as the benefits of putting it to use in your facility. Additionally, you can also see some great shots of the machine in use.

See more helpful videos on the lamp recycling process, EasyPak recycling containers, and some news items on the Bulb Eater at the Air Cycle videos page.

Greening Your Battery Usage

The nice folks over at Earth911.com have published a list of helpful tips for using batteries in a more environmentally friendly way. While the best green tip for batteries is to recycle them (tip #2), there certainly are some other practices that can help you prolong battery life and limit their harmful effects.

Here's the list:

1. Replace One at a Time
So your device stopped working, and it takes four AA batteries. Looks like you’ve got to buy four new batteries and dispose of four as well. Actually, only one of the batteries may be dead. If you invest in a battery-tester, you can find out which batteries have no charge left and only replace those. Some batteries even come with a tester on the cell itself. If they end up needing to be tossed, check out mail-back programs for all your battery recycling needs.

2. Embrace Heavy Metal
In most circumstances, searching for a product with less hazardous materials is more eco-friendly. In the case of batteries, hazardous ingredients increase your chances of finding recycling options. Consider:

• Car batteries contain lead and sulfuric acid and have a recycling rate around 90 percent.

• Single-use dry cell batteries have been gutted of mercury in recent years, and it’s now much more difficult to find locations that recycle them than rechargeables (which contain cadmium).

If your batteries have elements like lead, mercury or lithium, there will be more value to a recycler that can reprocess these metals. Just make sure they are kept out of the reach of children and pets in the meantime.

3. Laptops Aren’t for Laps

You already know that batteries and heat do not get along together. Well, your computer generates a fair amount of heat internally, which is why your notebook computer comes with a fan. Using your laptop on a soft surface (such as your lap) restricts air flow and actually heats up your battery. You can also invest in a cooling pad if you want to use a notebook on soft surfaces. Keeping the battery cool will help extend its lifespan.

4. Keep Your Batteries Cool
You may have heard that putting batteries in the fridge or freezer will make them last longer. While this may be the case, you’ll have to let the batteries thaw before using them to avoid condensation in your devices. Regardless, you should avoid storing batteries in hot places, because they could leak fluid.

5. Wait for Good Reception
“Can you hear me now?” That’s good for more than just your phone manners. When your cell phone has low reception, it uses more battery power to search for stronger signals. Waiting for better reception will allow your cell phone battery to last longer.

6. Insulate Your Car Battery
Think about it: your car experiences more temperature fluctuations than anything else in your life. It deals with hot and cold driving weather, gets heated up and cooled down on every trip and ends up stored in a poorly-insulated garage for the night (if it’s lucky).

You can find insulation blankets to allow car batteries to adjust better to all kinds of temperatures. The next time you’re under the hood, check to see if your battery is insulated or have a qualified professional check for you.

7. Crank Up Your Batteries
The days of hand cranks to generate power went out with draft cards and freedom marches. Or did they? You can actually find hand-cranks to charge up all sorts of devices, such as cell phones and mp3 players. You’ll also get a little exercise. Another option is charging your gadgets with solar power. These are both forms of renewable energy so you won’t have to use non-renewable electricity to power your batteries.

8. Opt for Plugging In
Many devices will come equipped with battery compartments and an A/C power adapter, including some alarm clocks and lamps. You may be saving energy by working off batteries, but you’re also producing waste when the batteries die. Don’t forget you have to spend energy to recharge batteries as well. If you have the option, plugging in will use less resources.

Recycle bulbs with Air Cycle and become famous...

...ok maybe not. But it does happen for some clients of ours. In the "Greenest Big Companies in America" cover story of the September 28 edition of Newsweek magazine, several of Air Cycle's clients made the list. Here's a little info on two of them:

Marriott International (ranked #42) uses Air Cycle products like EasyPak recycling containers and the Bulb Eater in over 500 of their hotels across the country. Paul Hildreth, project director of engineering at Marriott says that “We believe that Air Cycle offers our hotels an easier and more eco-friendly option to dispose of fluorescent bulbs. It’s a great solution for hotels in states where regulations are continuously evolving to meet environmental demands.” Other Marriott green projects include LEED certification for hotels and goals to reduce greenhouse emissions company-wide by 40,000 tons annually.

Real estate company CB Richard Ellis (ranked #45) also has EasyPak and the Bulb Eater in several of their facilities. Additionally, CBRE employees regularly schedule bulk recycling pickups for their buildings when they have large amounts of waste they need to properly dispose of. Melanie Tank, manager of the Patrick Henry Building in Washington, D.C. notes that solutions from Air Cycle have helped their facility stay in line with environmental regulations: "We are a government building," she said, "So it's important for us to follow D.C regulations."

Congratulations to all the companies that made the list. It's great to see corporations that are willing work for environmental progress, particularly by recycling their waste. So, to everyone that wants some coverage next year, give Air Cycle a call and let's get started!