Nov. 21, 2008
U.S House Bans Plastic Bottles
By Craig Hammond
When Nancy Pelosi (D- California 8th) became U.S. Speaker of the House in 2007, she pledged to make the U.S. House of Representatives a leader in providing an environmentally responsible and healthy working environment for House employees and a showcase for sustainability. So far she's been true to her word.
Today, the Capitol is moving closer to the goal of being the World's first carbon neutral legislative body. The U.S. House is just a few years away from reducing its energy consumption by 50 percent, and is even closer in reaching its green goals in waste reduction, transportation, and procurement.
And just a few weeks ago, in an effort to be even more environmentally friendly in its cafeterias, the House has replaced the traditional bottled water, made of oil based plastic, that will sit in a landfill for more than a hundred years, with bottles that biodegrade in less than 12 weeks.
The spring water from Virgina-based Grand Springs will be sold only in biodegradable containers (pictured) made from corn by the Iowa-based company Naturally Iowa.
The new water containers will be thrown into the compost stream of the capitol's food waste resulting in no negative effect on the environment.
When it comes to "Greening the Capitol," here's a promise that the politicians appear to be keeping.
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U.S House Bans Plastic Bottles
By Craig Hammond
When Nancy Pelosi (D- California 8th) became U.S. Speaker of the House in 2007, she pledged to make the U.S. House of Representatives a leader in providing an environmentally responsible and healthy working environment for House employees and a showcase for sustainability. So far she's been true to her word.
Today, the Capitol is moving closer to the goal of being the World's first carbon neutral legislative body. The U.S. House is just a few years away from reducing its energy consumption by 50 percent, and is even closer in reaching its green goals in waste reduction, transportation, and procurement.
And just a few weeks ago, in an effort to be even more environmentally friendly in its cafeterias, the House has replaced the traditional bottled water, made of oil based plastic, that will sit in a landfill for more than a hundred years, with bottles that biodegrade in less than 12 weeks.
The spring water from Virgina-based Grand Springs will be sold only in biodegradable containers (pictured) made from corn by the Iowa-based company Naturally Iowa.
The new water containers will be thrown into the compost stream of the capitol's food waste resulting in no negative effect on the environment.
When it comes to "Greening the Capitol," here's a promise that the politicians appear to be keeping.
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
