18 Dec, 2023
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge made popular during the summer of 2014 has come full circle. Can you believe it’s been two years since we were all dousing ourselves with buckets full of water and ice? Big buckets, small buckets, various proportions of water and ice, toddlers and grownups alike – even celebrities were doing it. And there was no avoiding it; it was only a matter of time before each of us got challenged to do it. And while we were all partaking in this challenge, it was being captured on video and posted on social media sites. It was a true viral phenomenon, all in the name of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), more commonly referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”. If you’re like me, you were probably thinking: “Okay, I guess I’ll try it. But how in the world can pouring ice water on my head help find a cure for ALS?” Ludicrous, right? Now, two years later, we see that not only did this ice bucket challenge create a heightened awareness about this tragic and fatal disease, but donations and funding increased enough to enable researchers to make a dramatic and important discovery. What’s more, one of the key scientists responsible for this discovery is from our very own UMass Medical School – right here in Worcester! How cool is that? This underscores the power of social media. Sometimes the power can work against us, but often, it works for us and gives us hope for the future. http://goo.gl/Bb8v0Y
18 Dec, 2023
Below are some of the latest facts about recycling: Each person creates about 4.7 pounds of waste every single day In the US 33.4% of solid waste is either recycled or composted, 12.6% is burned in combustion facilities and 54% makes it’s way into landfills In 2007 99% of lead acid batteries were recycled, 54% of paper and paperboard were recycled, 64% of yard trimmings are recycled and nearly 35% of metals were recycled The amount of recycling in 2007 saved the energy equivalent of 10.7 billion gallons of gasoline and prevented the release of carbon dioxide of approximately 35 million cars The number of landfills in the US are decreasing while their size is increasing. In 1998 there were 8,000 landfills but only 1,754 in 2007 Each ton of mixed paper that is recycled can save the energy equivalent to 185 gallons of gasoline Approximately 8,660 curbside recycling programs exist in the United States There are about 3,510 community composting programs in the United States Disposal of waste to landfills has decreased from 89% in 1980 to 54% in 2007 Recycling 1 ton of aluminum cans conserves the equivalent of 1,665 gallons of gasoline In 2007 the United States recycled and composted 85 million tons of the 254 million tons of municipal solid waste created
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